IP Goes Pop!

This episode of IP Goes Pop!®, takes you on a journey through the iconic world of the Barbie universe and brand, exploring its deep-rooted connections with pop culture and intellectual property law. Hop in the dream car and journey with Volpe Koenig Shareholders and podcast hosts, Michael Snyder and Joseph Gushue to a land of pink corvettes, with a few pitstops at the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Kicking off with a discussion of the recent cinematic triumphs of the Barbie movie released this year (2023), your hosts delve into how this classic brand has been brought to life on the big screen captivating audiences around the globe.

In this episode, IP Goes Pop! is joined by an All-Star lineup to discuss the dangers of counterfeit goods and the importance of intellectual property rights.

Hosts Michael Snyder and Joseph Gushue are joined by: Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office, Kathi Vidal; Executive Director of the National Crime Prevention Council, Paul DelPonte; and the legendary McGruff the Crime Dog®. Our guests share their insights on the impact of counterfeits on society, the economy, and individual safety.

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Join co-hosts Michael Snyder and Joseph Gushue on a new episode of "IP Goes Pop!" that will leave you wondering "You can patent that?!". This episode focuses on a variety of curious and/or unusual patents, demonstrating the wide range of ideas that can result in an issued patent. From the surprising to the peculiar, this episode provides an overview of the “usefulness” threshold in United States patent law. Listeners will learn about existing patents that are as bizarre as they are “useful,” and how anyone might have an idea that has “utility” and is therefore worthy of a patent.

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In this episode, IP Goes Pop! co-hosts Michael Snyder and Joseph Gushue are joined by special guests from the U.S. Copyright Office, Brittany Lamb, Attorney-Advisor in the Office of the General Counsel and John Riley, Assistant General Counsel as they dive into the evolving landscape of providing additional access for certain copyright claims, focusing on the Copyright Claims Board (CCB). Learn how the CCB makes the copyright claim system accessible for more people and why it was created right from the experts who contributed to its development.

In this episode, co-hosts Michael Snyder and Joseph Gushue dive into the first part of a series on the world of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and its potential impact on not only the world, but on copyright, trademarks, and patents. They examine examples of AI in pop culture, and how they reflect the broader trends and concerns surrounding AI in our society.

Artificial intelligence (whether tied to robots or otherwise) has always been a popular trope in movies, television shows, and books, from Isaac Asimov’s “I Robot” seminal book series, to the classic “Terminator" movies, to the more recent "Ex Machina" and “M3GAN”. Rapid advancements in technology have now enabled AI to become part of our daily lives which raises not only important legal questions, but also ethical considerations for humans when developing AI technologies. As this technology continues to advance, it is becoming clear that it has the potential to automate many of the tasks that are currently performed by humans across a wide range of industries. This means that certain jobs, particularly those that involve routine or repetitive tasks, may be at risk of being automated in the coming years.

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Who holds the patent on gravity? Who collects the royalties for the speed of light? In this episode of IP Goes Pop!, Volpe Koenig Shareholders and podcasts hosts, Michael Snyder and Joseph Gushue, explore what intellectual property (trade secrets, trademarks, patents and copyrights) cannot protect. Hint- some things excluded from IP protection include the Laws of Nature such as gravity, the speed of light and even Einstein’s theory of relativity E=MC2. Abstract ideas are another. But what other “can’t”s stand between you, your idea, and protections for it?

To set the table, this episode begins with a pop culture journey through famous “Can’t” songs and movies. Moving into the intellectual property segment of the show your hosts explore the question ‘Why can't intellectual property rights protect everything?’

In some ways, in order to understand what you can protect you first need to learn what you cannot protect. Intellectual property rights are designed to protect concepts like ideas, inventions, creative works, processes and methods, formulas, brand names, and more. Intellectual property rights cannot be used to protect other concepts like mathematical algorithms and natural phenomenon. Also, with the possible exceptions of trade secrets (if kept secret) and trademarks (if continuously used), intellectual property rights are limited in scope and duration. In other words, after a patent, trademark or copyright expires or is abandoned, your intellectual property rights are no longer protected.

In this episode, you will learn some nuances of intellectual property law such as legal reverse engineering and proper vs. improper means of acquiring a trade secret.

Michael and Joe break down some of the reasons why some ideas may be better suited for trademark, patent, or copyright protection instead of trade secret protection. If you’ve ever wanted to know what you can and cannot do in the IP world, this episode is for you!

IP Goes Pop! is back with its second annual Spooktacular! In this episode, things get much spookier as we pit the top four Halloween Monsters against each other. Listen in for a breakdown of these famous characters and archetypes. Play along as your co-hosts, Volpe Koenig Shareholders, Michael Snyder and Joseph Gushue rank Dracula, Dr. Frankenstein’s Monster, Werewolves, and Mummies. What powers or abilities do they have that set them apart from each other? What movie or television show made them Halloween staples, and do these movies stand the test of time? Find out who rates highest on the jack-o-lantern meter to be crowned the spookiest monster of Halloween.  And gain valuable insights into the methods and tools needed to protect yourself from these scary creatures on the night of the big 3-1.

In this episode, IP Goes Pop! co-hosts and Volpe Koenig shareholders, Michael Snyder and Joseph Gushue take you through their first round of pop culture “game-changers.” That is, who were the people, artists, or innovators where the world was never the same after them. Game changers exist in so many pop culture areas, including movies, music, television, and sports. In the world of patents and inventions, game changers from hundreds of years ago still impact our lives every day.

While the age of the tinkering in the garage or basement and coming up with an invention that changes the world may be much less likely today, this episode looks at the history of how a few brilliant minds saw a problem and set forth solving--not just for themselves, but for an entire world.

Michael and Joe set the table with their choices for iconic pop-culture game changers in basketball, music fandoms, special effects, TV shows, and stand-up comedy. These were legends that helped redefine their crafts. This episode then takes us further back into patent history than IP Goes Pop! has ever gone before. Michael and Joe dig deep into the patent archives and pull out some exceptional early inventions that are still relevant now. You will hear the story of each inventor, the background of their invention, and how their innovations impacted the larger culture.

In many ways, pop culture is defined by constant change. You never know from whom, from where, or how innovations will come about, but you can rest assured IP Goes Pop! will be there to walk you through the intellectual property game changers that continue to influence our world and the ways we interact with it.

This episode may inspire a listener to put an idea into practice that could end up making everyone’s life better or easier. The next game-changing invention could be just around the corner of curiosity and problem solving.