From Goal Celebrations to Global Brands: Intellectual Property at the Intersection of Sports and Popular Culture

This year’s World Intellectual Property Day theme, “IP and Sports: Ready, Set, Innovate!”, highlights how intellectual property rights shape not only technological innovation in sports, but also branding/fan engagement, and the growing economic value of athletes as creators and entrepreneurs. Within this evolving ecosystem, the intersection between sports and popular culture raises important legal questions regarding the protection and use of creative elements.

One of the most visible manifestations of this transformation is the growing tendency of athletes to protect their names, images/voices, and even gestures under intellectual property regimes. Image rights in this manner represent a legal field situated at the intersection of personality rights and intellectual property law, and they have gained significant economic value in advertising agreements and sponsorship arrangements. In particular, goal celebrations have increasingly been transformed into distinctive signs capable of commercial exploitation.

A notable example is the French footballer Kylian Mbappé, who registered his goal celebration as a trademark before the European Union Intellectual Property Office (“EUIPO”) , in which he crosses his arms over his chest. Similarly, the English footballer Cole Palmer obtained trademark registration in 2025 for his goal celebration known as “Cold Palmer,” which involves holding the arms forward while making a trembling gesture. The motion mark has been registered before both the EUIPO and the United Kingdom Intellectual Property Office. In addition, Palmer has secured trademark protection for the word mark “Cold Palmer” before various intellectual property offices and has also filed trademark applications for the figurative representation of the goal celebration itself.

These developments demonstrate that athletes are no longer merely performers on the field, but also active rightsholders who contribute to the commercialization and innovation of the sports industry. In this context, intellectual property rights function as key tools enabling athletes to transform elements of their sporting identity into valuable intangible assets.

At the same time, the increasing interaction between sports and global entertainment industries raises complex legal questions. The use of elements originating from well-known literary or audiovisual works, such as nicknames, gestures, or visual references illustrates how deeply popular culture has penetrated the world of sports, particularly through social media and digital fan engagement.

In this regard, recent reports in the Turkish press claiming that Warner Bros. has filed a lawsuit against Fenerbahçe footballer Kerem Aktürkoğlu for using the nickname “Harry Potter” on the pitch and in social media content, as well as for performing a goal celebration allegedly referring to the fictional universe created by J.K. Rowling, have once again brought to the forefront the intersection between intellectual property law, popular culture, and sports in Türkiye as well. These developments have reopened the discussion on under what circumstances elements originating from literary and cinematographic works that have spread into popular culture may benefit from protection under copyright and trademark law.

The Harry Potter universe, which lies at the center of the alleged dispute, is protected through a combination of copyright and trademark rights. Under the Turkish Law on Intellectual and Artistic Works No. 5846 (“LIAW”), protection extends not only to the work as a whole, but also to distinctive elements that enable the work to be recognized. In this context, copyright infringement may arise not only from the reproduction of an entire work, but also from the unauthorized use of recognizable elements such as character features, costumes or other identifying components. In parallel, key expressions and signs associated with the universe—such as “Harry Potter” or “Hogwarts”—are also protected through trademark registrations held by Warner Bros. and its affiliated entities. When this legal framework is applied to the debate surrounding goal celebrations, however, it appears difficult to consider a simple gesture performed on the football field, by itself, as an infringement of works or distinctive elements belonging to the Harry Potter universe. A goal celebration generally does not constitute a direct imitation of distinctive elements uniquely associated with a fictional character, nor does it directly incorporate the defining visual or auditory features of the work. Moreover, it is evident that a momentary gesture performed during a match would in most cases not fall within the acts enumerated under the law. Therefore, the mere use of a nickname or a spontaneous movement on the pitch may not, on its own, constitute copyright infringement.

This phenomenon reflects a broader trend emphasized by World IP Day 2026: the increasing role of intellectual property in creating value within the sports industry beyond the field of play. Athletes today operate not only as competitors, but also as content creators and brand owners whose activities extend into digital media, entertainment, and merchandising.

Against this backdrop, and in line with this year’s theme, “IP and Sports: Ready, Set, Innovate!”, the intersection of sports and popular culture will continue to test the boundaries of intellectual property protection. In this evolving landscape, intellectual property law plays a central role—not only in safeguarding rights, but also in striking a careful balance that preserves space for innovation, creative expression, and cultural exchange.