A pioneering sports technology enterprise has introduced an innovative AI registry designed to safeguard the digital identities and intellectual property of athletes in the burgeoning artificial intelligence sector. This platform seeks to establish a standardized framework for compensation, ensuring athletes receive due recognition and remuneration as their unique attributes are integrated into AI-driven entertainment and media.
New Sports-Tech Firm Callandor Group Launches AI Registry to Protect Athlete Likenesses and Digital IP
On March 16, 2026, a groundbreaking sports-tech company, Callandor Group, announced the launch of an exclusive AI registry aimed at protecting athletes' likenesses and digital intellectual property. Spearheaded by CEO Michael Fisk, a seasoned entertainment executive with experience at Sony, MGM, and Amazon Studios, the firm recognizes that athletes' movements, voices, and biometric data are increasingly being fed into AI models without clear compensation or consent. Fisk, alongside co-CEO David Cassidy, who brings extensive connections to Europe's major soccer leagues, and CTO An Vu, a former NASA engineer, are at the forefront of this initiative. Vu is developing the “Event Horizon API,” a secure system for AI queries and athlete data protection. The platform empowers athletes to license their digital identities and earn royalties when AI systems utilize their data. Furthermore, it offers clubs and content studios a compliant mechanism to commercialize their video archives as training data for AI developers, aligning with regulations like the European Union’s AI Act and California’s transparency legislation. Phil McKenzie, co-founder of Goldfinch and myco.io, has joined Callandor as a strategic adviser, emphasizing the significant, yet untapped, value in sports IP licensing. The company's initial focus is on the European soccer market, leveraging the global appeal of the Big 5 leagues and the supportive regulatory environment of the EU AI Act. Callandor has also cultivated working relationships with FC Barcelona's digital entities, including Barça Media, Barça One, and Barça Digital Assets, and has contributed to the theatrical distribution of the FIFA Club World Cup. As Fisk articulates, “Athletes are the new code. If athletes are the software, we’re creating the app store,” signifying a shift from broadcast rights to training rights in the evolving sports industry.
The emergence of Callandor Group highlights a crucial turning point in the intersection of sports, technology, and intellectual property. It underscores the growing necessity for robust frameworks that protect individual creators and performers in the digital age. This development serves as a powerful reminder that as AI technologies advance, the ethical and commercial implications of using personal data and likenesses become paramount. It compels us to consider how industries can adapt to ensure fair compensation and transparency for those whose unique contributions fuel the next generation of digital content and experiences. This initiative could pave the way for similar protections across various creative fields, setting a precedent for intellectual property rights in an increasingly AI-driven world.
