Recent Episodes

October 11, 2021 IP Goes Pop! Ep #9: Patent Stars- Celebrities Get Patents Too

In this episode of IP Goes Pop!, hosted by Volpe Koenig intellectual property attorney Michael Snyder, Michael takes listeners on a stroll down Hollywood Boulevard as he discusses patents obtained by celebrities. Michael, a self-proclaimed Van Halen fan himself, kicks this podcast off with a discussion of the innovations of guitar legend Eddie Van Halen. Mike explains that in addition to being the famed leader of the band bearing his name, Eddie Van Halen was an inventor, having obtained several patents on musical instruments.

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October 5, 2021 IP Goes Pop! Ep #8: Hollywood and Whine – IP and the Right of Publicity

This week on IP Goes Pop! Volpe Koenig founder Tony Volpe joins intellectual property attorney Michael Snyder to talk about the right of publicity. Whether it’s protecting your image or even your voice, how has the legal landscape changed in the age of technology and “going viral”? In this episode, Michael and Tony discuss how the right of publicity has manifested within different aspects of pop culture and key cases that have shaped the intellectual property rights protecting one’s likeness across various media.

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September 7, 2021 IP Goes Pop! Ep #7: Proximity Wars – Character Battles in the World of Comic Books

Take a nostalgic trip to the magazine rack of yesteryear with IP attorneys Michael Snyder and Joseph Gushue (also an avid comic book collector) for an entertaining discussion about comic books characters and how those characters may be protected by intellectual property.

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September 1, 2021 IP Goes Pop! Ep #5: Trademarks and Catchphrases in Popular Culture – The Trademark ‘Gold Rush’ to Capitalize on Trending Words or Phrases

In this episode, IP attorneys Michael Snyder and Michael Berkowitz explore the increasingly frequent phenomenon where famous personalities blurt out words and phrases that go viral – and the subsequent trademark madness that may follow. Tune in as the IP in pop culture discussion turns toward examples of celebrities, athletes, politicians, and reality stars capturing the public’s attention with funny/interesting words or phrases. As their catchphrases spread quickly through social media, some going “viral,” there is often a rush to seek intellectual property protection for perceived commercial benefit or value. But can popular phraseology be trademarked? And who owns it?

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August 6, 2021 IP Goes Pop! Ep #4: Intellectual Property in the Cartoon World of the Simpsons – Brands and Inventions in the Springfield Universe

Welcome to this week’s episode of IP Goes Pop! hosted by Volpe Koenig intellectual property attorney Michael Snyder.

In this episode, Mike is joined by fellow Volpe Koenig Shareholder, Randy Huis, to talk about inventions and technology in the popular cartoon world of “The Simpsons” television show. Mike and Randy dive headfirst into the fictional town of Springfield to discuss some of the wacky and creative ideas and inventions, and whether they could be protected in “real life.” From designing his own car to inventing an automatic hammer and an untippable chair, what IP rights would Homer Simpson have in the real world?

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July 26, 2021 IP Goes Pop! Ep #3: Artificial Intelligence and Intellectual Property – Open the Pod Bay Doors, Hal

Welcome to this week’s episode of IP Goes Pop!, hosted by Volpe Koenig intellectual property attorney Michael Snyder. In this episode, Michael is joined by fellow Volpe Koenig shareholder Jay Halt and patent attorney Ankit Aggarwal, to talk about artificial intelligence and its place in pop culture. They discuss inventorship and how it can become even more complicated when artificial intelligence is added to the mix. The panel seeks to answer a very interesting question: What happens when artificial intelligence technology provides a solution that is previously unknown?

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July 19, 2021 IP Goes Pop! Ep #2: Intellectual Property Urban Legends – Taking on Myths About IP in Popular Culture

Welcome to this week’s episode of IP Goes Pop! hosted by Volpe Koenig intellectual property (IP) attorneys Michael Snyder and Joseph Gushue. In Episode 2, Mike and Joe talk about IP “urban legends.” What is an IP urban legend? That would be misinformation circulating about patents, trademarks, copyrights, or trade secrets that sounds like it could be true, but is not quite accurate (and certainly not from a legal or technical standpoint).

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July 12, 2021 IP Goes Pop! Ep #1: It’s an IP Jungle Out There – How Trademarks Brought Down the Self-Proclaimed King of Tigers

Patents, trademarks, and copyrights are often referenced in popular movies, television and songs. IP Goes Pop! explores the interface between intellectual property and popular culture. Who owns the rights to creative expression? How long does a patent last? Do the media get it right when reporting on intellectual property issues? What makes a trade secret truly secret? Hosted by Volpe Koenig intellectual property attorneys Michael Snyder and Joseph Gushue, with guest colleagues, inventors, writers, and creators, IP Goes Pop! discusses intellectual property with a pop culture twist.

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About This Podcast

Patents, trademarks, and copyrights are often referenced in popular movies, television and songs. IP Goes Pop explores the interface between intellectual property and popular culture. Who owns the rights to creative expression? How long does a patent last? Do the media get it right when reporting on intellectual property issues? What makes a trade secret truly secret? Hosted by Volpe Koenig intellectual property attorneys Michael Snyder and Joseph Gushue, with guest colleagues, inventors, writers, and creators, this lively podcast discusses intellectual property with a pop culture twist.

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