How Celebrities Can Protect the Value of their Identity

On January 3, 2019
By In Intellectual Property Trends, IP Education, Posts
For most of the working-class, value comes from the ability to perform in a professional setting. However, for celebrities, it’s a different story — their value lies in an indicia of their identity. As public figures, they have the power to influence large portions of the population. Recognizing a celebrity in an advertisement helps consumers

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Did you say there was IP, under my Christmas Tree?

On December 21, 2018
By In Intellectual Property Trends, IP Education, Posts
Americans spend around $53 million a year on holiday decor, and while the holiday’s don’t necessarily scream “innovation” there’s market share to be won where products can increase their longevity, safety, and, possibly most importantly, their “wow” factor. While some styles never change, the technology that comprises them is constantly evolving.   Patents in Holiday

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Corporate Cannabis: One-Hitter or Here to Stay?

On December 13, 2018
By In Intellectual Property Trends, IP Education, Posts
This is the second installment in our Cannabis series. In Part I, we discussed the marijuana IP landscape in general and explored trademarks in the industry. In this post, we investigate the potential movement of Big Pharma and multinational agricultural corporations into the cannabis space.    Patents as Indicators of Corporate Priorities Patent data can

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Are Patents Relevant in the Fashion Industry?

On November 29, 2018
By In Intellectual Property Trends, IP Education, IP Strategy & Valuation, Posts
Brand recognition is one of the most influential factors in a consumer’s decision about which products to buy, and how much money to spend. Branding allows for quick judgments of appearance and presumed quality of a product. Fashion companies, in particular, rely heavily on branding, as the look and feel of apparel are usually what

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The Music Modernization Act

On November 15, 2018
By In Intellectual Property Trends, IP Education, Posts, Royalty Rates
The September 18th passage of the Music Modernization Act and its provision for the creation of a mechanical licensing database, signal the increasing importance of big data analytics and data retrieval to the music industry. This mechanical licensing database paid for by interactive streaming services, will link compositions to recordings allowing for the seamless identification

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Cannabis: IP Issues in a Budding U.S. Industry

On October 26, 2018
By In Intellectual Property Trends, IP Education, Posts
Recommended reading: From ‘sativa’ to ‘CBD,’ common cannabis terms you need to know, via CTV News, Canada Canada is already facing many challenges after their recent legalization of cannabis last week, including a significant shortage of product and uncertainties about border policies with the United States. Uruguay, which in 2013 became the first country to

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So You Want to Found an AI Startup…

On October 18, 2018
By In Intellectual Property Trends, IP Education, Posts
AI or artificial intelligence is an increasingly popular buzzword. With figures like Elon Musk weighing in that “A.I. is far more dangerous than nukes.” you could be forgiven for assuming that artificial intelligence is the most important question of our time. Other visionaries like Bill Gates take a much more optimistic stance. Gates is quoted as saying,

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