Celebrating World IP Day, Making Sports Inclusive through Innovation and Technology
This year’s World IP Day theme, “Reach for Gold,” focuses on the important role of intellectual property in sports. To mark the day, together with the Permanent Mission of Japan and the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), the U.S. Mission co-hosted an exhibit and panel discussion demonstrating how IP, technology, and innovation make sports more inclusive for persons with impairments, from everyday individuals to the world’s top athletes. WIPO Director General Francis Gurry, Japanese Ambassador Junichi Ihara, and U.S. Chargé d’affaires Mark Cassayre delivered opening remarks. The panelists – eight-time Paralympian Allison Jones, haptics and virtual reality expert Kouta Minamizawa of Keio University Graduate School of Media Design, and Director of the Copyright Law Division at WIPO Michele Woods – shared their own experiences and discussed how intellectual property rights drive innovation and creativity, from patented technology to industrial designs, making better and safer equipment and enabling everyone to compete.
U.S. Mission Photo/Eric Bridiers