Ezulwini – Manqoba Khumalo, Minister of Commerce, Industry and Trade, says football teams should consider securing their inventions..
He was speaking at the commemoration of the World Intellectual Property Day under the theme ‘Intellectual Property (IP) and Sports’, held at the Happy Value Hotel where he said sports should be treated like a business.
He stated, “Think about intellectual property in sports because trademarks protect team identities, club brands, and event names.” It covers products, broadcasting rights, photos, promotional materials, digital content, and media protection. 
He argued that without intellectual property protection, many of the business opportunities that underpin modern sports would not exist.
He also stressed that rights must be identified and preserved. “They must be licensed, monitored, and eventually commercialised and rewarded. “Awareness alone is not sufficient.”
‘Strategic utilisation’, he said, was what transforms intellectual property into economic opportunity and ultimately prosperity.
“To our athletes, your names, your images, your reputations, and your personal brands are valuable intellectual property to sports clubs and associations; your identities, your logos, your competitions, and commercial partnerships deserve strategic protection and management. Please register that intellectual property,” Khumalo said.
Expanding his discussion beyond sports, he stated that event organisers must approach promotional information as media assets and commercialise it.
Khumalo included innovators and entrepreneurs in his talk, adding that the sports industry ‘presents huge prospects for technology innovation, digital solutions, equipment development, and creative content production.’
“To broadcasters and content creators, intellectual property remains the foundation upon which value is created and sustained. Before launching your product, organising an event, developing new technology, building your profile, or entering into any you should ask yourself a few questions. Number one, what intellectual assets have been created? How can these be protected? And how can these be commercialised? And lastly, how can they provide long-term and sustainable economic value for you?”
Khumalo emphasised the importance of having a strategy and actively maximising the value of years of innovation.
He advocated for the incorporation of intellectual property into the sporting ecosystem, claiming that ‘we can open new revenue sources, attract investments, create employment possibilities, and improve our innovation and creativity.’
