On April 23, 2026, ahead of World Intellectual Property Day which this year focuses on rights protection in the sports industry an international seminar on the protection of intellectual property rights was held in Minsk.
The forum was organized by the State Committee on Science and Technology of the Republic of Belarus and the National Center of Intellectual Property, with the support of the National Olympic Committee of the Republic of Belarus, the Ministry of Sport of the Republic of Belarus, the Belarusian State University of Physical Culture, and the World Intellectual Property Organization.
Welcoming remarks were delivered by Alexey Viktorovich Kurman, Director General of the National Center of Intellectual Property; Denis Leonidovich Korzhitsky, Chairman of the State Committee on Science and Technology of the Republic of Belarus; Dmitry Alexandrovich Dovgalenok, Vice President of the National Olympic Committee of the Republic of Belarus; Daren Tang, Director General of the World Intellectual Property Organization; and Alexander Ivanovich Baraulya, Deputy Minister of Sport of the Republic of Belarus, Natalia Viktorovna Pavlyuchenko, Chairperson of the Standing Commission on Education, Science, Culture and Social Development of the Council of the Republic of the National Assembly of the Republic of Belarus; Vladimir Anatolyevich Ryabovolov, Vice President of the Eurasian Patent Office of the Eurasian Patent Organization; and Leonid Viktorovich Tanin, Chief Advisor at Holographic Industry CJSC and Honored Inventor of the Republic of Belarus.
“The seminar aims to strengthen the national intellectual property system, discussion will focus on leveraging its potential as a key to sport development, examining the path from idea to patent, and exploring mechanisms for commercialization – said Denis Korzhitsky, Chairman of the State Committee on Science and Technology. – Sport and intellectual property form an integrated, the development of one area reinforces the other and strengthens Belarus position on the internation stage. Thus, more than 150 licensing agreements were registered in connection with the organization of the 2014 Ice Hockey World Championship and the 2019 Second European Games in our country.”
Dmitry Aleksandrovich Dovgalenok, Vice President of the National Olympic Committee of the Republic of Belarus for his part, noted:
- Sport is a high-tech industry, behind every victory stand not only athletes and coaches but also cutting-edge scientific developments. Today, athletes can no longer imagine training without technological innovation, - noted Dmitry Dovgalenok. – In the period of digital content, the protection of intellectual property is more essential than ever, and in our country, this issue receives significant attention at the highest level of government. For decades, Belarus has been building a constructive dialogue with the international expert community, these contracts underscore our state’s commitment to creating a highly transparent legal environment for the implementation of innovations.
The forum’s key topics were addressed within the following thematic blocks:
1. The role of sport in the state's economic development;
2. Protection of intellectual property rights in sport;
3. Finance and taxation: monetization of intellectual property;
4. Media rights and the fight against counterfeiting.
Within the framework of the designated sessions, the seminar addressed topics such as the role of the sports sector in the economic development of the Republic of Belarus, opportunities to advance the country's intellectual property strategy for the benefit of the sports sector, mechanisms for the commercial exploitation of intellectual property assets in sports, copyright in sports, subject matter of legal protection regarding sports event coverage, and the organization of sports broadcasting amidst sanctions, among others.
More detailed information about the seminar can be found at the following addresses:
Dovgalenok: Belarus prioritizes intellectual property protection at the state level
Protection of intellectual property rights in sports takes center stage at NOC seminar
