By the time you read this, the FIFA World Cup in Qatar will be well underway.
The tournament synonymous (for northern hemisphere dwellers) with long summer evenings and an extended football season is taking place in winter for the first time ever.
Behind the scenes, there is the mammoth task of keeping track of and protecting FIFA’s intellectual property – and Daniel Zohny is the man in charge of that task.
In the years leading up to 2022, Zohny’s department liaised with the Qatari government on the so-called World Cup laws.
Laws number 10 and 11 in that legislation were enacted in July 2020, putting into effect several IP-related commitments Qatar made when it agreed to host the tournament, including expedited examination and registration of FIFA trademarks.
Law number 11 formally prohibits unauthorised parties from giving the impression they’re endorsed by or associated with the World Cup.
On the enforcement side, Switzerland-based Zohny told Managing IP last year, most infringement so far has been caused by a lack of awareness and solved with a phone call or cease-and-desist letter.
“Where we can, we avoid formal proceedings. In our experience, a friendly approach is more successful,” he said.
The preparation is done. Let’s hope for a friendly World Cup too.
