As sports brands and rights holders explore immersive gaming platforms such as Roblox to engage new and younger audiences and find different models of generating commercial revenue, they enter a dynamic legal landscape that presents both risk and reward.

IP risks in user-generated worlds

The user-generated content (UGC) model on platforms such as Roblox means that developers can create games, kits, and merchandise, sometimes using club logos or player imagery and likeness without the necessary permissions in place. For sports brands and rights holders, this presents risks of trade mark and copyright infringement, passing off through false endorsement (both from the perspective of the club and/or individual athletes), and reputational harm. 

Given the increasing prominence of these virtual experiences, registering trade marks for key brand assets to explicitly cover virtual goods and services (e.g. in classes 9, 35, 41) will be increasingly important. From an enforcement perspective, this will make it easier to demonstrate infringement through the use of identical marks for identical goods/services and ultimately streamline the process for obtaining relief against such unauthorised use. It also helps to establish a clear licensing framework for those wanting to exploit these virtual assets in a digital gaming environment (as discussed further below). 

It has been well-publicised that Chelsea and England star Cole Palmer has applied for a motion trade mark to protect his famous “shivering” celebration and this specification includes “provision of on-line computer games” and various goods “…for use online and in online virtual worlds”.[i] So, a Roblox experience reproducing an animated Cole Palmer performing his signature celebration would risk a trade mark infringement claim (as well as other potential infringement claims), assuming the application overcomes the obstacles to registration.  

A growing trend towards official branded experiences and licensing regimes

Sport is one of the fastest-growing game genres on Roblox and with approximately 111.8 million daily active users in the second quarter of 2025, the commercial potential for these sports brands is clear to see.[ii] 

So, whilst policing IP infringement on Roblox will remain an important legal and commercial strategy for sports brands and rights holders, the evolution of such platforms and increased legitimisation has encouraged a shift towards cautiously embracing these new commercial ecosystems. Many prominent sports brands have now launched official games on Roblox, including “AO Tennis Adventure” (Australian Open), “Man City Blue Moon” (Manchester City FC), and “NFL Universe Football” (NFL). 

Roblox has also recently launched a new licensing platform for experiences[iii], which is intended to facilitate the integration of official IP assets into Roblox games by providing rights holders with new IP management tools and making it easier to grant licences to the IP at scale for use by Roblox creators. IP holders can now:

• Register and create IP licences, customise the terms that govern use of their IP, scan experiences for IP usage, offer licensed uses directly to creators and automatically collect the revenue share.
• Offer licensed use of IP to creators by (i) identifying experiences that may qualify for licensed use of their IP and (ii) listing the IP available for use under licence. The creators can browse these catalogues and apply for a licence of this IP, which rights holders can review and approve or decline the request.

Strategic and practical considerations

The growth of these structured licensing models may therefore encourage more sports brands and rights holders to follow suit and embrace the opportunities presented by Roblox and similar platforms. However, there are important legal and commercial considerations for those looking to go down this avenue: 

• Existing contracts and rights deals may need to be carefully reviewed, to ensure sports brands have the freedom to launch these official experiences without stepping on the toes of commercial partners. There may also be sponsors and partners that disapprove of the current Roblox ecosystem and may not want their association with the club to extend to Roblox experiences – so this may impact how the stadiums/kits and similar assets can be branded in the virtual world.
• Developing pre-negotiated rights packages with Roblox and developers (and taking advantage of the new licensing regimes) will help to make the licensing process more efficient.
• Conducting careful due diligence on any game development partners and having a robust contractual framework will be important, to ensure that the experience maximises fan engagement and hits the right quality standards for an official game that is tied to the sports brand.   
• Regularly and actively monitoring these UGC environments for misuse of IP assets will be crucial, as once a brand has an official presence on Roblox this can further increase the risks of confusion amongst consumers as to what activities have been approved or endorsed by the rights holder when similar fan experiences cross the line. 
• Advertising via the Roblox experiences raises various legal and regulatory considerations:
  • The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) regulates advertising in the UK, and the “CAP Code”[iv] sets out various rules for in-game adverts that need to be carefully navigated on Roblox by sports brands, to avoid misleading content and to ensure the protection of children. 
  • Roblox also has its own advertising guidelines, and whilst these are not always rigorously enforced, this provides a separate regime to navigate when launching and operating games.[v]
  • Practical tips to avoid potential breaches of the advertising rules might therefore include: (i) Using clear ad disclosures (e.g. “This is a branded experience by [Club Name]”); (ii) avoiding direct purchase prompts aimed at children; (iii) ensuring age-appropriate content and moderation; and (iv) providing parental consent mechanisms where needed.

Final whistle

Roblox offers sports brands a powerful way  to connect with a new generation of fans around the world and grow commercial revenues. However, success requires more than creativity. It demands a proactive IP strategy to ensure key assets are well-protected and enforced in a virtual ecosystem, clear and robust licensing frameworks, and careful regulatory navigation (particularly given the young audiences using these platforms and potential advertising risks).  

[i] (https://trademarks.ipo.gov.uk/ipo-tmcase/page/Results/1/UK00004129108

[ii] https://www.statista.com/statistics/1192573/daily-active-users-global-roblox/

[iii] https://corp.roblox.com/newsroom/2025/07/roblox-launches-new-licensing-platform-for-experiences

[iv] https://www.asa.org.uk/type/non_broadcast/code_folder/scope-of-the-code.html

[v] https://en.help.roblox.com/hc/en-us/articles/13722260778260-Advertising-Standards