Celebrations to mark World Intellectual Property (IP) Day in 2026 were launched on April 7 at Laghouat School of Higher Studies (ENSL), a public university, by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), the National Industrial Property Institute of Algeria (INAPI), and the university.
The program of events for World IP Day will span the entire month of April, with events scheduled in various provinces. This year’s theme for World IP Day is “Intellectual Property and Sport: Ready, Set, Innovate.”
The launch ceremony featured several opening addresses, notably by Bouziani Khaled, Director of the school; Belmahdi Abdelhafid, Director General of INAPI; and Ahmed Ethmane Mohamed Saleck, Director of the WIPO Algeria Office.
The event featured several presentations addressing various aspects of IP and how they stimulate innovation and creativity, and, in particular, how IP rights (IPRs) foster a dynamic sports culture.
An exhibition on various sports disciplines, including traditional sports practiced for centuries, was also held, highlighting the link between IPRs and sports. The exhibition served as a reminder that IPRs play a key role in the development of the sports sector by protecting sports-related innovations, creations and brands, and that they will continue to play a central role with the emergence of new disciplines, such as eSports, which is experiencing rapid growth.
As part of efforts to strengthen cooperation and partnerships, two partnership agreements were signed during the event: one between ENSL and INAPI, and the other between the Department of University Publications of the Ministry of Higher Education and ENSL. The agreement between ENSL and INAPI concerns the establishment of a technology and innovation support center (TISC) at the university to support scientific research and promote innovation.
Activities continued throughout the day in a relaxed atmosphere and included a visit to an exhibition organized on campus, illustrating the educational dimension of IP in various fields, including sports and innovation. The day concluded with a visit to the ENSL laboratory, where participants were able to learn about research projects and the transformation of creative ideas into applicable prototypes, thereby strengthening the university’s innovation momentum and supporting the development of scientific and technological partnerships.
