Govt announces 3-Year Fee Waiver for Sports-Related IP Registrations

Union Minister of Commerce and Industry, Mr. Piyush Goyal announced a three-year waiver of fees for intellectual property (IP) registrations related to the sports sector. The announcement was made during the celebrations of World Intellectual Property Day held in New Delhi on 28th April 2026. 

Scope of IP Fee Waiver for Sports Sector 

The exemption on IP Registration fee applies across all major categories of intellectual property associated with sports. These include: 

• Trademarks
• Patents
• Copyrights
• Industrial designs
• Geographical indications
• Traditional knowledge 

The waiver is applicable to all eligible filings within the sports domain. 

Duration and Implementation 

The fee exemption will be in effect for a period of three years and is stated to come into force immediately. The Minister directed that a formal notification be issued to operationalize the decision. 

Coverage of Stakeholders 

The measure is intended to benefit a broad range of stakeholders in the sports ecosystem. This includes the following:  

• Innovators,  
• Students,  
• Artisans, and  
• Other applicants seeking protection for sports-related intellectual property. 

Facilitation Support 

As announced by the Commerce Minister, in addition to the waiver, the government will extend facilitation support under existing schemes to assist applicants in filing and securing IP rights. This support is expected to be administered through mechanisms under the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade.