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Introduction
With the rise in the monetary business in the sports Industry, it has become an event of profit-making, entertainment, and several legal battles. As the sports industry grows, more initiatives are taken to protect against the misuse of names of sports leagues, team names, jersey numbers, and nicknames of sports persons. Trademarks have become the epicentre of sports, protecting the league name, team name, and sportsperson’s poses.
A significant understanding of how trademarks function in the sports industry also opens up spaces for several legal protections and control over the brand name, logos, jerseys, and much more. These are business-driven, money-making, and very easy to misuse. With the Trademark protection, the branding through IPL games, the advertising in several leagues and attracting the people’s consciousness is majorly taking the shape of corporatisation and the sports industry is monumental in shaping this form of globalisation and marketing.
In order to save their names, logos, and jerseys, massive legal battles are being fought by franchises and sportspersons, and there is a rush to protect the uniqueness of their style and give it a business shape. Currently, intellectual property rights are used actively to secure the celebrity images of sportspersons and everything related to sports. In India, sports like cricket, kabaddi, badminton, chess, etc, are taking the central stage, and with the inception of IPL, the franchise has taken control of the business and is thriving, and thus it becomes very important to understand the aspect of Trademark since names of franchises, trophy design, everything is getting protected legally.
Ownership of the League Name
In India, the proliferation of business through leagues starts with the IPL (Indian Premier League). Further, leagues like the Pro Kabaddi League, Indian Badminton League, etc., are at the forefront of monetising the business. Now, it is essential to protect their legal status since the marketing done in their name is highly money-driven. It is prone to misusing a league’s name or opening another league with a similar name, thus taking the popularity and money out of this league, which took years to establish its business. International leagues like Manchester United, Real Madrid, and Barcelona have invested much money in marketing.
In the legal field, the league’s ownership over names, logos, and event names is significant for getting registered nationally and internationally. It protects against unauthorised use and promotes the business. It is essential to get a license for these leagues since it helps maintain authenticity, branding and protects from misuse by third parties. During the 2024 ICC T20 tournament, several infringements were made regarding the broadcasting of the match, and thus a legal battle was fought, and the Delhi High Court gave the rights to broadcast to the authorised broadcasters by blocking all the unauthorised ones.
Trademarks and Jerseys: An Exclusive Design Right
The jersey logo and the name of the team written on the jersey play a significant role in attracting the market value for the league and sports. With several businesses operating to sell the jersey name, misuse is common while promoting the team. So, in order to protect the same, several contracts are done by the league owners with the clothing company to provide exclusive rights to print the team’s name or number on the jersey. The Intellectual Property plays a significant role in protecting the jersey design and name from misuse.
The league or the club that is specifically involved in such jersey making grants the right to the company and plays a vigilant role in order to protect it from counterfeiting. Only the vendors who get licences are liable to manufacture and sell these jerseys while giving the goodwill to the club or league. So, while protecting their trademark, these leagues ensure that the mark, logo, or name used cannot be used for their jerseys. So, when the buyer buys the replica, the exclusive right or the trademark remains with the league, club or team. There is an active sponsorship played by the leagues here, with strong agreements and licences; they have exclusive rights over these jerseys. They can legally enforce their rights anytime in the Courts to punish the infringement.
In the contracts, every single issue is discussed in length, and Intellectual Property is involved at every step. All the concerns and conflicts are discussed in length, and the mechanisms to resolve the issues are also discussed at great length. A team needs to protect their trademark nationally and internationally in order to prevent third parties from misusing its exclusive rights, since the jersey and logo can easily be misused for the benefit of those who do not have a license to use it. For stopping infringement and passing off, section 135 of the Trademark Act 1999 gives civil and criminal remedies to the league and clubs who wish to protect their jersey name and design.
Legal Battles over Trademarks: Lawful Control and Enforcement of Sports Trademarks
In Trademark Law, the rights are also granted over the poses and initials, and one of the most famous cases is of Usain Bolt’s “Lightning Bolt” pose, where if someone makes this pose, they can be charged for Trademark infringement. Roger Federer’s initial ‘RF’ is used by Nike, and he cannot even use his initials since the company owns them.
The registration of M S Dhoni’s catchy nickname “Captain Cool” gained attention when he filed for the registration of this name, and the registry accepted it. Further, Liverpool FC’s “You will Never Walk Alone” is one of the iconic mottoes protected under Trademark law.
Under the Trademark Act 1999, the proprietor or the trademark holder has several rights to protect their mark, where they can file for registration under several classes. Internationally, the application can be made under the Madrid system to protect the trademark under several jurisdictions. Firstly, the person or the owner has to prove the goodwill to have a remedy for passing off. They have to prove the misrepresentation that happened, and truly, damage was caused to their trademark; this will give them immunity to protect their trademark and its infringement.
One of the remarkable cases is of NHL v. Pepsi Cola Ltd. Where the NHL sponsored Coca-Cola, Coca-Cola had the right to use the NHL logo in promotion. Further, the NHL sold advertising rights to Pepsi, which was a rival of Coca-Cola. When Pepsi aired TV ads, but did not use the NHL trademark stating no official connection, Coca-Cola argued that Pepsi is misleading the public, as the public thinks that the brand is associated with the NHL and complained of passing off. However, the courts said that Pepsi did not use the NHL mark, and thus, there was no infringement or passing off.
Conclusion
The active use of trademarks in sports is gaining momentum where the league, clubs and even sportsperson are vigorously protecting their names, brands, logos, trophies, jerseys, numbers and franchises. Several legal cases are filed in the Courts for better protection and to prevent infringement. With the rise in marketing and business, there is a need to understand the Trademark Laws in order to protect everything that is related to sports, and there is an urgency to safeguard the rights associated with the sports to prevent the hard-earned image and hard work of the people associated with it.
The Trademarks in today’s landscape are shaping sports’ cultural and commercial significance in India and worldwide. With the wide range of protection, the teams are investing heavily in protecting these Trademarks through active registration in India and across different jurisdictions, vigilant monitoring whereby the league regularly check the infringements and legal enforcement through laws and initiating the cases in the Court to make sure that the trust and authenticity are always maintained. With a proper understanding of these rules and regulations, the teams and sportspersons can maintain a balance between the protection of their identity and hard work, as well as build a fair competition in the industry.
References
- Delhi High Court, Star India Pvt. Ltd. v. Magicwin Games & Ors., CS(COMM) 490/2024.
- The Trade Marks Act, 1999 (Act No. 47 of 1999), § 135.
- National Hockey League (NHL) et al v. Pepsi-Cola Ltd., 92 DLR (4th) 349 (Ontario Court of Appeal), https://www.canlii.org/en/on/onca/doc/1992/1992canlii301/1992canlii301.html.
- The Trade Marks Act, 1999 (Act No. 47 of 1999), § 2(1)(zb).
- World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), Madrid System – International Registration of Trademarks for Sports Brands, https://www.wipo.int/madrid/en/.
- Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), Trademark Guidelines for IPL Franchises and Broadcasters, https://www.bcci.tv/about/trademark-guidelines.
- Board of Control for Cricket in India v. Various Unauthorized Broadcasters (2024 ICC T20 Infringement Order).
- Indian Performing Right Society Ltd. v. Eastern Indian Motion Pictures Association, (1977) 2 SCC 166.
- Bar & Bench, “Delhi High Court Blocks Unauthorized ICC T20 Broadcasts: Trademark and Broadcasting Rights”, 2024, https://www.barandbench.com/news/delhi-high-court-icc-t20-broadcast-trademark.
- LiveLaw, “Player Nicknames and Poses as Trademarks: Usain Bolt Lightning Bolt and MS Dhoni Captain Cool”, 2025, https://www.livelaw.in/articles/player-nicknames-trademarks-india-2025.
- Economic Times, “Sports Trademarks: Jersey Numbers, Logos and Franchise Protection in India”, July 2025, https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/sports-trademarks-jersey-logos-franchise-india/articleshow/123456789.cms.
- World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), Case Study: Trademark Protection in Sports – Global Perspectives, 2025, https://www.wipo.int/publications/en/details.jsp?id=56789.
- Pro Kabaddi League, Trademark and Branding Guidelines for Franchisees, https://prokabaddi.com/about/trademark-guidelines.
- Board of Control for Cricket in India v. Zee Telefilms Ltd., (2005) 4 SCC 649.
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