This episode of IP Goes Pop!® takes listeners on an intimate journey into the archives of the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) and their historical significance. Guided by USPTO historian Rebekah Oakes, co-hosts, Shareholders, and Intellectual Property Attorneys Michael Snyder and Joseph Gushue explore the agency’s rich history and its impact on innovation and intellectual property.

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Welcome to the synthesized world of “Techno-Humanism,” the latest episode from IP Goes Pop!®, where the promises and legal challenges of an augmented future are decoded through the lens of pop culture. Join Co-hosts, Shareholders and Intellectual Property attorneys Michael Snyder and Joseph Gushue as they navigate the interface of IP and transformative technologies that can augment human capabilities, both in science fiction and emerging reality.

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Get ready for a cinematic exploration of innovation and intellectual property as depicted in popular movies about inventors and creators. In this episode, IP Goes Pop!  co-hosts Michael Snyder and Joseph Gushue peel back the layers of iconic movies that not only inspire us, but also shed light on the realities of building successful businesses and protecting ideas.

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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.

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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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In the latest episode of 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, directly from the experts who contributed to its development.

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In the latest episode of IP Goes Pop!, 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 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.

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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?

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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.

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In this episode of 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 after which the world was never the same? 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.

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This week on IP Goes Pop! co-hosts Michael Snyder and Joseph Gushue are joined by fellow intellectual property attorney and Volpe Koenig Shareholder, Randy Huis, to once again visit the town of Springfield in the fictional, but full of real fun, world of The Simpsons. Patents on candy, robots, and other inventions that may sound more like they are out of a writer’s room rather than based on an inventor’s technical notebook get filed with the Patent Office every day. In this episode listeners will get a taste of just how much intellectual property can come out of, or be inspired by, popular culture.

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Young or “prodigy” inventors. We see them fictionalized in movies and we hear about the real child inventors and entrepreneurs who make it onto Shark Tank each season. But in the real world, what programs are in place to encourage young inventors, new entrepreneurs, and small businesses to create and protect their ideas? Where can they turn for reliable information and assistance on available protections for an idea, invention, or a revolutionary business venture, and how to go about securing those protections? This episode of IP Goes Pop! virtually visits the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) for an inside look at the many available resources, World Intellectual Property (IP) Day, and how inventors of any age can bring their ideas into the world.

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Volpe Koenig intellectual property attorneys and IP Goes Pop! co-hosts, Michael Snyder and Joseph Gushue team up once again, traveling to where worlds collide, taking us into the complex legal negotiations that bring together beloved pop-culture characters from different franchises or “universes”. Such crossovers can mix movie or TV characters or stories to the delight of fans. But can super heroes like Batman and Spider-Man crossover to team up and fight crime together? And who will they fight?

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IP Goes POP! takes you out to the ball game (and the blockchain) for this episode of the podcast, which looks at the shift from “collectible trading cards” to “collectable NFTs”. Podcast co-hosts, Volpe Koenig Shareholders, and intellectual property lawyers, Michael Snyder and Joseph Gushue round the bases and pull out their most memorable sports cards as they slide home to talk about the intellectual property (IP) of baseball cards, collecting, and non-fungible tokens (NFTs).

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“We solemnly swear we are up to….intellectual property!” From the words that laid out a fictional universe on the page, to a real-world merchandising, film and interactive theme park experience, the Harry Potter universe has become a pop culture staple of the last two decades. In this episode of the IP Goes Pop!® podcast, hosts and Volpe Koenig Shareholders, Michael Snyder and Joseph Gushue, put on their ‘sorting hats’ and pull back the curtain to reveal the intellectual property (IP) of the ‘Wizarding World of Harry Potter’.

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