Need some good reading material? Here’s a quick recap of the top IP news stories and hot topics in IP we loved diving into this month!

  • “…the Senate confirmed Kathi Vidal, a Silicon Valley patent attorney, this month — there’s a fresh opportunity to modernize and fortify the patent system. Ms. Vidal and Congress should seize that opportunity quickly. Here’s how they can start.​” – Opinion: Save America’s Patent System, The New York Times
  • “The company was therefore none too pleased when digital artist Mason Rothschild started selling nonfungible tokens (NFTs) in the form of digital images he termed MetaBirkins, each of which depicts a furry, artistically-colored Birkin-shaped handbag sitting atop a pedestal. In January, Hermès filed a trademark claim against Rothschild in a New York federal court.” – NFTs and Birkin bags: A Hermès lawsuit tests the limits of trademark rights, Brookings
  • “But here’s the thing: When you write a song, you don’t have a lot of notes to choose from. And most songs use only a few chords. Inevitably, sooner or later, two people will write songs with sections that sound alike, right? Should there even be lawsuits?” – The blurred lines surrounding music copyrightsCBS News
  • “…the Chamber is releasing its annual companion study, the IP Index Statistical Annex (Annex), examining the relationship between an economy’s IP framework and different socio-economic outputs. The report examines 29 different correlations to illustrate the economic benefits of improving IP protection.  ” – Making the Case: The Economic Rationale for Intellectual Property Rights , U.S. Chamber of Commerce

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The Michelson Institute for Intellectual Property, an initiative of the Michelson 20MM Foundation, provides access to empowering IP education for budding inventors and entrepreneurs. Michelson 20MM was founded thanks to the generous support of renowned spinal surgeon Dr. Gary K. Michelson and Alya Michelson. To learn more, visit 20mm.org.