Government of Liberia Waives IP Registration Fees for Sports Stakeholders - FrontPageAfrica

The Liberia Intellectual Property Office (LIPO) has announced a waiver of administrative fees for the registration of intellectual property (IP) assets by sports stakeholders, as a means of lowering financial barriers and accelerating the formalization of IP assets in Liberia’s sports sector.

In a World IP Day address on behalf of the Government, LIPO Director General, Hon. Garmai Koboi, said the waiver, which takes effect immediately, will run for one month and applies to stakeholders across the sports sector, including athletes and footballers seeking to protect and commercialize their IP assets.

“I am pleased to announce that the Government of Liberia, through LIPO, will introduce a temporary waiver of administrative fees for the registration of intellectual property rights by stakeholders within the sports industry,” Hon. Koboi said during the World IP Day celebration. “This measure is intended to encourage sports organizations and professionals to formalize and protect their intellectual property assets without immediate financial barriers.”

The World IP Day, observed annually on April 26, was marked this year under the global theme, “IP and Sports: Ready, Set, Innovate,” highlighting the role of intellectual property in recognizing that sport is driven not only by talent, but also by the economic value of protected rights.

In Liberia, the day was celebrated on Monday, April 27, under the national theme, “Registering the Game: Unlocking the Commercial Power of Sport through Intellectual Property in Liberia.” According to LIPO, the theme serves as a call to action for stakeholders in the sports industry to move sport from informal activity to formal value, and from visible talent to protected rights.

In his keynote address, Hon. Tarnue N. Jeke, Deputy Minister for Administration at the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, described intellectual property rights as “at the center of the modern sports business model” and called on federations, associations, clubs, and athletes to treat IP as a core business asset.

Hon. Jeke said IP rights underpin licensing, merchandising, sponsorship, broadcasting, and media agreements across the global sports industry. He noted that trademark law enables clubs, leagues, event organizers, and athletes to protect their identities, while copyright and related rights protect content, broadcasts, photographs, promotional videos, and digital materials.

“When we discuss sport, we are not discussing only competition on the field. We are discussing a chain of economic value created through intellectual property,” he said. “This is why we are calling on all stakeholders in the Liberian sports industry to treat intellectual property rights as core business assets, not as secondary legal matters.”

He said any federation or association that stages competitions without managing its marks, licensing, and media rights is “organizing activity, but not building assets,” adding that respect for intellectual property is what turns popularity into revenue and reputation into long-term commercial value.

“This is why we do not see today’s observance as a ceremonial exercise. We see it as the beginning of a wider economic discussion for the sports industry in Liberia. Intellectual property sits at the center of the modern sports business model,” he said.

In their concluding remarks, panelists said sport extends beyond performance on the field, encompassing identity, creativity, investment, branding, media value, and opportunity. They called on LIPO to deepen collaboration with sports institutions, the media, civil society, and government agencies to address knowledge gaps that have contributed to low registration of IP assets in the sports sector.

“If Liberia is to unlock the commercial power of sport, then awareness, protection, collaboration, and implementation must move forward together. That work belongs not only to LIPO, but also to government institutions, sports stakeholders, the media, civil society, and the wider public,” the panelists said.

Earlier, Hon. Koboi, in her address, drew attention to the gap between the visibility of Liberian sport and the limited protection of its underlying commercial value. She noted that across communities, athletes, football clubs, kickball teams, basketball associations, media creators, designers, and event organizers are contributing to national development, yet much of the value they generate remains unprotected and underutilized.

Hon. Koboi cited the National County Sports Meet as an example of an event with underexploited IP potential, noting that county names, team logos, slogans, jerseys, songs, digital content, broadcasts, and promotional materials all carry commercial value that, if protected, could generate revenue through branded merchandise, licensing, sponsorship agreements, and media partnerships.

“Sports today are more than competition on the field. They are brands, content, innovation, entertainment, and business,” Koboi said, urging sports stakeholders to register club names, protect logos and creative content, and secure their commercial identity.