Closing the Gender Gap In Intellectual Property

Closing the Gender Gap in Intellectual Property: Women in Sport and IP explores the increasingly important relationship between women, sport and intellectual property. Women athletes are more than competitors. They are creators, innovators, entrepreneurs, brand owners, content creators and commercial actors. Their names, images, brands, creative works, designs, inventions and digital content can generate significant economic value. Yet participation does not always translate into ownership, control or financial benefit. This book examines the legal, institutional, contractual, commercial and technological barriers that can limit women's ability to identify, protect, manage and commercialise their intellectual property. It covers trademarks, copyright, patents, designs, image and personality rights, licensing, sponsorship, digital content, artificial intelligence, sports data and athlete branding. With particular attention to Africa and Tanzania, the book also considers international and regional approaches and proposes practical, legal, institutional and policy measures for strengthening women's position within the intellectual property economy. At its heart, the book advances a simple idea: women should not only participate in sport-they should have meaningful opportunities to own, control, protect and benefit from the intellectual property connected with their work.