IP Literacy Project

Powered by Michelson IP

Equipping K-12 students with tools to protect their creations.

The IP Literacy Project equips K-12 students with the knowledge to turn creativity into ownership. Through hands-on learning and community partnerships, and teacher trainings, students discover how intellectual property protects their ideas – and how to use those tools to innovate, create, and thrive in the modern world.

What is the ip literacy project?

The IP Literacy Project (IPLP) is a national education initiative equipping K-12 Students with the knowledge and tools to turn creativity into opportunity. Every day, young people create solutions, invent products, and tell stories that can change their communities. However, many do not know how to protect their creations.

The IP Literacy Project bridges that gap by teaching the fundamentals of intellectual property (IP) – the laws that help inventors, artists, and entrepreneurs safeguard their inventions.

Through engaging lessons and teacher training, students learn to:

Recognize their creativity and innovation as valuable assets.
Understand the basic rights that protect inventions, brands, and creative work.
Build confidence as problem-solvers and future entrepreneurs.

Launched by Michelson IP, the Project unites sponsors, educators, and communities to make invention and ownership education accessible to every student.

When students learn to create, protect, and thrive, they become builders of the future.

Educators

Public and Private Schools

All US-based K-12 schools can participate. For the initial phase, we are focusing on middle schools.

Homeschool Groups and Co-ops

Associations bringing parents and students together may participate.

Specialty Programs

STEM Clubs, agricultural education, makerspaces, career, and technical education programs may participate.

Our Inspiration

In 2024, our work to establish IP Awareness Month culminated in a momentous vote at the California State Capitol. We invited community members to witness the passage of SR 106 and were inspired by an unexpected show of support: three schools joined us, bringing students from nearby Sacramento and as far away as Calistoga to be part of this historic day.

Spending the afternoon with the students was a powerful reminder of why intellectual property education matters. We learned about their passion for IP, their excitement for invention, and their drive to solve problems that adults often overlook.

Following the resolution’s passage, we hosted two student-centered webinars during which the students shared how the spirit of collaborative innovation had changed their lives. They believed that anyone could be an inventor and appreciated the opportunity to file a provisional patent for the inventions they developed.

These interactions became the seeds of an idea to empower students early in their educational journeys with the knowledge and resources they need to be lifelong creators and innovators.

How it works

Sponsor a school or chapter that is ready to bring intellectual property education to its student. You will commit resources to launch the program in a school, district, or homeschool association and share where you want to make an impact.

We’ll help connect you with the right school or district and the implementation partner, ensuring everyone is aligned and ready to bring the program to life.

Educators will then receive training from Michelson IP, along with toolkits and resources designed to help them teach students how to protect their ideas. Once trained, they will deliver the curriculum with interactive lessons that introduce important intellectual property concepts and foster creativity and innovation in the classroom.

Finally, you’ll see the impact of your sponsorship. Both you and the schools will receive tailored reports highlighting student growth, program outcomes, and the broader benefits to the community.

Learn How to Participate

Learn more about how you can partner with Michelson IP and K-12 schools to nurture the next generation of creators in your community. Even if your work doesn’t fall within the categories listed above, we’d still love to connect – there are many creative ways to collaborate, and we’re always open to exploring new ideas together.

Please fill out our interest form to share a bit about yourself or your organization, and we’ll reach out to brainstorm how we can make an impact together.

Stay Engaged

Michelson IP is committed to protecting and respecting your privacy, and we’ll only use your personal information to administer your account and to provide the products and services you requested from us. From time to time, we would like to contact you about our services, initiatives, and other content that may be of interest to you. If you consent to us contacting you for this purpose, please tick below to say how you would like us to contact you:

You can unsubscribe from these communications at any time. For more information on how to unsubscribe, our privacy practices, and how we are committed to protecting and respecting your privacy, please review our Privacy Policy.

By clicking submit below, you consent to allow Michelson IP to store and process the personal information submitted above to provide you the content requested.