World Intellectual Property Day 2026 celebrated in Mostar

Mostar, April 24, 2026- World Intellectual Property Day 2026, whose theme is "Intellectual Property and Sport – Ready, Set, Innovate!", was celebrated today in Mostar, organized by the Institute for Intellectual Property of Bosnia and Herzegovina, in partnership with the Olympic Committee of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The celebration began at 11 a.m. with the opening ceremony and addresses by representatives of the Institute for Intellectual Property of BiH and the Olympic Committee of Bosnia and Herzegovina and continued with a presentation on intellectual property rights in sports.

At the event in Mostar, the connection between intellectual property and sport was highlighted, with the message that intellectual property is at the heart of every innovation which makes sport more exciting, safer and more accessible to all.

Kornelija Leko, a member of the Executive Board of the Olympic Committee of Bosnia and Herzegovina, pointed out that intellectual property and sport are closely linked. "Sport today is a value that must be protected precisely through intellectual property," said Leko, expressing the need for increased public education on the protection of intellectual property rights.

Director of the Institute for Intellectual Property of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Josip Merdžo, emphasized the importance of protecting intellectual property rights for encouraging creativity and the development of sports and society, but also warned of the dangers of abuse in the digital market. "The large amount of data circulating in space opens up the possibility of abuse of intellectual property, or abuse of audiovisual content, primarily for its use without the authorization of the rights holder," warned Merdžo, adding that it is particularly necessary to pay attention to the enforcement of rights and to train the competent institutions to recognize violations of rights and collect evidence of content that violates intellectual property rights.

Director Merdžo expressed his belief that after the procedure in the Council of Ministers of BiH and the Parliamentary Assembly of BiH, new laws in the field of intellectual property will be adopted and that BiH will soon have legislation in this area harmonized with the European Union. He also reminded that Bosnia and Herzegovina is a full member of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and expressed his hope that it will soon be a full member of the European Patent Organization (EPO), after the ratification procedure of the European Patent Convention is completed, assessing that the Institute for Intellectual Property of BiH is currently positioned in the best possible way in relation to European standards.

Irma Delibašić from the Institute for Intellectual Property of Bosnia and Herzegovina held a presentation on intellectual property rights in sports, in which she concluded that without the protection of intellectual property, the sports industry would be exposed to piracy, counterfeiting and loss of value, which would negatively affect income, motivation for innovation and the development of sports as a whole. "Thanks to legal protection, sport is developing as a global industry that encourages fair competition, investments and creativity, and ensures long-term sustainability and growth," she pointed out.

WIPO Member States designated April 26, the day the WIPO Convention entered into force in 1970, as World Intellectual Property Day in 2000, with the aim of increasing public awareness and understanding of intellectual property. The day is observed annually to encourage reflection on the role of intellectual property in promoting innovation and creativity as a significant driver of social development.