Purpose

This paper aims to provide an integrated legal and marketing perspective on the imminent trademark challenges and opportunities for sports organizations operating in the metaverse.

Design/methodology/approach

The approach is a legal commentary that explores the ways in which the current legal framework, especially in the context of trademarks, might need to transform to offer robust protection for sports brands in the virtual marketplaces emerging within the metaverse.

Findings

Our analysis reveals that the traditional legal frameworks for trademarks are often inadequate to address the unique challenges posted by the metaverse, such as the issue of virtual goods replication and the global accessibility of branded content. The findings indicate that sport organizations must adopt proactive strategies to monitor and enforce their trademark rights effectively within these expansive digital environments. Moreover, legislative bodies may need to consider reforms or new regulations specifically tailored to the complexities of trademark protection in the digital realm to prevent dilution and misuse of sport brands.

Originality/value

In light of legal and branding issues related to metaverse-based trademarks, this paper is dedicated to examining the legal principles and foundations necessary to enhance the protection of sports brands within the virtual marketplace of the metaverse.

中文翻译：

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解决虚拟宇宙中运动品牌的新商标问题

目的

本文旨在就虚拟宇宙中运营的体育组织面临的迫在眉睫的商标挑战和机遇提供综合的法律和营销视角。

设计/方法论/途径

该方法是一种法律评论，探讨了当前法律框架（尤其是在商标方面）可能需要转变的方式，以便为虚拟世界中新兴的虚拟市场中的运动品牌提供强有力的保护。

发现

我们的分析表明，传统的商标法律框架往往不足以解决虚拟世界带来的独特挑战，例如虚拟商品复制和品牌内容的全球可访问性问题。研究结果表明，体育组织必须采取积极主动的策略，在这些广阔的数字环境中有效监控和执行其商标权。此外，立法机构可能需要考虑专门针对数字领域商标保护复杂性的改革或新法规，以防止运动品牌的稀释和滥用。

原创性/价值

鉴于与基于虚拟世界的商标相关的法律和品牌问题，本文致力于研究在虚拟世界的虚拟市场中加强对体育品牌的保护所需的法律原则和基础。