Football is exciting for many, patents only for a few (probably readers of this blog included). So what have patents to do with football mania broken loose with the UEFA Europe 2008 tournament in Austria and Switzerland?
Patents are by and large seen as exclusionary rights, the right to use a novel and non obvious invention exclusively with the exclusion of third parties. Currently patents are not very popular, due to weak patents, overreaching by patent owners. Football (soccer) however is almost the perfect opposite. Some recent organizations have taken the UEFA event as a good moment to reach out as patent professionals to the soccer fans. To you it is whether this is doing any good. See:
- Awapatent on patents assisting referees to judge whether a football passed the goal line
- The German Patent Office has a more playful approach to UEFA Euro 2008 and patents. Their website “Football and Technology“, where all patented aspects of football are documented, from footwear to clothing to the size of a goal