“Register the Game or Lose the Money”: LIPO Declares IP Revolution for Liberia’s Sports Industry
Monrovia, Liberia – April 28, 2026
Myean D Torgbean
The celebration of World Intellectual Property Day 2026 in Liberia took a bold and provocative turn as top government officials warned that the country’s sports sector is losing millions due to failure to protect its intellectual property.
Speaking at the national event, Director General of the Liberia Intellectual Property Office (LIPO), Hon. Garmai Koboi, and keynote speaker Hon. Tarnue N. Jeke, Deputy Minister for Administration at the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, delivered a unified message: Liberian sports must move beyond talent and visibility to ownership, protection, and commercialization.
Under the global theme, “IP and Sports: Ready, Set, Innovate,” and the national theme, “Registering the Game: Unlocking the Commercial Power of Sport through Intellectual Property in Liberia,” both officials emphasized that intellectual property is no longer optional—it is the backbone of modern sports business.
Hon. Koboi highlighted that while sports in Liberia continue to promote unity, youth empowerment, and national pride, the economic value embedded in the sector remains largely untapped.
She pointed directly to the National County Sports Meet as a prime example of missed opportunity, noting that county identities, team logos, jerseys, slogans, and digital content all carry significant commercial value that often goes unprotected.
“Sports today are not just games,” she stressed. “They are brands, content, and business. When these assets are not protected, we are simply giving away value.”
In a major announcement, LIPO introduced a one-month waiver of administrative fees for intellectual property registration within the sports sector, a move aimed at encouraging clubs, athletes, and organizations to formalize ownership of their creative and commercial assets.
Stakeholders were urged to immediately register club names, protect logos, secure designs, and take control of the value they create.
Delivering the keynote address, Hon. Jeke intensified the conversation, describing intellectual property as the engine that transforms sports from informal activity into structured economic power.
He warned that many federations and clubs are “organizing activity but not building assets,” adding that failure to protect names, brands, and media rights is equivalent to “leaving money on the table.”
Drawing a sharp comparison, Jeke cited the Ghana Football Association’s 2025 broadcast deal, where clubs reportedly benefited directly from a structured commercialization model—something he believes Liberia must urgently replicate.
“In today’s sports economy, value is not just on the field,” Jeke said. “It is in names, logos, broadcast rights, merchandise, and digital content. If these are not protected, others will profit from them.”
Both speakers called for a nationwide shift in mindset, urging sports federations, clubs, athletes, and organizers to treat intellectual property as a core business asset rather than a secondary legal concern.
They emphasized that proper IP protection can attract investment, strengthen sponsorship deals, create jobs, and build sustainable revenue streams across the sports industry.
The message from the event was clear and uncompromising: Liberia’s sports sector must evolve or risk continued exploitation.
As the country joined the rest of the world in marking World IP Day, officials made one thing certain—this is not just a celebration, but the beginning of a national push to reclaim the economic power of sports.
“Register the game. Protect the game. Commercialize the game,” Jeke declared.
And for many in attendance, the warning was as striking as it was urgent: in the modern sports economy, what is not protected is already lost.
