Dr.Hab., Professor A.I. Pogrebnoy¹
PhD I.O. Komlev¹
Kuban State University of Physical Education, Sports and Tourism, Krasnodar

Keywords: intellectual property, organizations reporting to Ministry of Sports, patents for inventions and models, software and database certificates, innovative activity.

Background. Presently the national physical education and sports sector development process shows a persistent trend towards high technologies being applied on a broader basis to respond both the growing competition in elite sports and the growing global popularity of physical training and mass sports. Since Russia is still lagging behind the leading world nations in the sector development pace, progress of the national physical education and sports sector is somewhat hampered as verified by the relevant progress rates. The national government has outlined the ways to speed up the sector progress in its Physical Education and Sports Development Strategy of the Russian Federation for the Period of 2020 [6] that provides, among other things, for transition to a new technological framework for the national physical education and sports sector to ensure its progress with contribution from the latest developments in the education technologies, psychology, physiology, medicine, biomechanics and other sciences. As provided by the List of Priorities for the National Policies in the National Physical Education and Sports Sector with an Emphasis on Experimental/ Innovative Projects in 2016 [4], the sector shall benefit from the innovative technical solutions, inventions and models that need to be developed, tested and implemented in the physical education and sports sector to meet the growing public demand. It should be mentioned that promising research and design projects shall not only be advanced and effectively implemented but also well and timely protected by the intellectual property protection (copyright) laws. Historically, fundamental and applied research process in Russia has always been advanced and leaded by the higher education system and branch research institutions supported by the government to grow and build up unique human resource, assets and technologies. Modern research projects are efficient and effective enough when duly protected by the copyright laws, with the patenting rates being ranked among the most important progress and competitiveness criteria by every research establishment [2, 8].

Objective of the study was to analyze the design and content of the modern invention process and the patenting and legal consulting services to protect the intellectual property rights of the organizations reporting to the Ministry of Sports of the Russia (OMSR).

Methods and structure of the study. We applied, for the purposes of the study, the data reported in a few open sources including the Federal Institute of Industrial Property [1] and official websites of 40 organizations reporting to the Ministry of Sports of the Russian Federation (OMSR) [5]. When selecting the patented Intellectual Property Items (IPI) for the analyses herein, we accounted only the IPI at least claimed for patenting by the OMSR, with due consideration for the fact that some OMSR could be renamed for a few times for the study period.

Study results and discussion. Having analyzed the inventing activities reported by the OMSR, we found only 15 OMSR out of 40 holding copyrights for their inventions, operable models, computer software and databases protected by the relevant government certificates, with the total patented IPI of all the OMSR reported at 239 as of 25.11.2016. The statistics of the patented IPI given on Figure 1 hereunder demonstrated a leadership of P.F. Lesgaft National State University of Physical Education, Sports and Health holding 61 IPI; followed by Kuban State University of Physical Education, Sport and Tourism with its 58 IPI.

Figure 1. Intellectual Property Items (IPI) patented by the organizations reporting to the Ministry of Sports of Russia (OMSR), as of 25.11.2016

1 – Research Institute of Sport Equipment and Technologies (VISTI); 2 – Federal Physical Education and Sports Research Center (VNIIFK); 3 – Russian National Teams Training Center; 4 – Saint Petersburg Physical Education Research Institute; 5 – Anti-doping Center; 6– Velikie Luki State Academy of Physical Culture and Sport; 7 – Far Eastern State Academy of Physical Education; 8 – Volga Region State Academy of Physical Culture, Sport and Tourism; 9 – Moscow State Academy of Physical Education; 10 – Smolensk State Academy of Physical Education, Sports and Tourism; 11 – Kuban State University of Physical Education, Sport and Tourism; 12 – P.F. Lesgaft National State University of Physical Education, Sports and Health; 13 – Russian State University of Physical Education, Sports, Youth and Tourism; 14 – Siberian State University of Physical Culture and Sports; 15 – Ural State University of Physical Education

It is the service lives versus benefits of innovations and inventions that are ranked among the most important criteria of their relevance. We have analyzed the OMSR performance in terms of their intellectual property right protection for the last five years and found that only 11 OMSR out of 40 have been reasonably determined in the innovative project and IPI patenting activity for the study period, with Kuban State University of Physical Education, Sport and Tourism leading with its 39 patented IPI; followed by Russian State University of Physical Education, Sports, Youth and Tourism (GTSOLIFK) reporting 25 patented IPI.

Furthermore, we have analyzed the IPI production and patenting statistics versus their practical applications to find the most promising and demanded segments of the innovative/ research activity in the national physical education and sports sector as exemplified by the sampled OMSR. As a result, we  classified the reported IPI into 7 groups with indication of quantities per each group as demonstrated by Figure 2.

Figure 2. Key IPI groups by their practical applications

1 – Training simulators; 2 – Test/ diagnostics methods; 3 – Rehabilitation/ health improvement tools; 4 – Sport equipment/ apparatuses/ appliances; 5 – Doping control; 6 – Diets; 7 – Training methods.

Having analyzed the above grouped data, we ranked the training stimulators as the most relevant and popular class of IPI with their practical application making up 30.1% of the total IPI. Going next are the test/ diagnostics methods (28.9%); rehabilitation/ health improvement tools (15%); sport equipment/ apparatuses/ appliances (11.7%); doping controls (5.9%); and diets (4.6%). The training methods were regretfully ranked the last making up 3.8% of the total.

The study data are indicative of the present situation in the high technology (including test equipment and relevant technologies) development and application in the physical education, health improvement and training service sector. It may be pertinent to note a few drawbacks in the innovative projects geared to support mass and elite sports, as follows: still underdeveloped special innovative sport technologies; doping-free rehabilitation/ recovery systems; doping control procedures; and modern sport diets.

It should be noted that the innovative intellectual products may be highly beneficial not only as elements of relevant fundamental theoretical developments but also as commercial products, particularly when they are in high demand, with the commercial benefits being particularly relevant in the context of the modern import-replacement policies [3]. The Kuban State University of Physical Education, Sport and Tourism management gives a high priority to the IPI commercialization initiatives. They were primarily encouraged by the so-called Innovation Project Incubator designed to facilitate implementation of the most promising research projects of young academic scientists. The Incubator helps the most successful researchers qualify for the grant financing for their innovative projects (they have received 6 grants for RUB 2 mln in total so far). At the second stage, the university established a bank of patented/ certified innovative developments viewed as the innovative portfolio of the university. A group of the university enthusiasts presently takes efforts, pursuant to Federal Law #217 FL [7], to establish a small high-tech innovation project company and lure investments from outside for the latter.

Conclusion. The study data and analyses demonstrate that universities hold the leading positions among the OMSR innovators, with P.F. Lesgaft National State University of Physical Education, Sports and Health ranked number one by its contribution, followed by Kuban State University of Physical Education, Sport and Tourism – with both universities reporting 119 patented unique intellectual property items (IPI). It should be noted that Kuban State University teams are pioneering in the IPI commercialization initiatives. Efforts to advance the invention processes, secure due patenting and legal service for the IPI protection, and establish small innovation companies – will help put in place facilitating provisions for the innovative projects to be timely commercialized and successfully implemented in practice.

References

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8. Pogrebnoy A.I., Komlev I.O., Kostenko G.N. Analiz izobretatelskoy aktivnosti organizatsiy, podvedomstvennykh Ministerstvu sporta Rossiyskoy Federatsii [Analysis of inventive activity of organizations reporting to the Russian Ministry of Sports]. Aktualnye voprosy fizicheskoy kultury i sporta, vol. 18. Krasnodar: KSUPEST publ., 2016, pp. 183-188.

Corresponding author: pogrebnoy46@mail.ru

Abstract

The study was designed to analyze the invention activity, patenting and legal consulting service to protect the  intellectual property rights of the sport institutions reporting to the Ministry of Sports of the Russian Federation – based on the data reported by the Federal Institute of Industrial Property and official websites of 40 organizations reporting to the Ministry of Sports of the Russian Federation, including the data on patented intellectual property items of the latter and the key qualitative specifications of such items grouped by the relevant basic criteria. The study considers and objectively rates the innovative potential of the institutions and the most promising ways to secure further progress of the innovative activity in the national physical education and sports sector.