IP in the news

On Wednesday, the "Gingerbread Mania" exhibition was opened at the Tallinn Design and Architecture gallery. This year's exhibition focuses on music.

"Gingerbread Mania" is an exhibition of gingerbread art, which was first opened in 2006. More than 100 artists, designers and architects take part in the event, each making unique gingerbread projects.

A trade mark is commonly defined as a sign, for example a word or a logo, that functions as an indicator of commercial origin. So, if I am in the business of making cakes and biscuits, attaching my trade mark to boxes containing such products serves to inform consumers that they come from me.

Standing this essential function of trade marks, it is probably not surprising to learn that their history dates back several hundreds of centuries. Let’s find out more!

Trade marks from the Middle Ages to the 20th century

The Boss has reportedly struck a deal with Sony Music

Bruce Springsteen has sold his masters and publishing rights to Sony Music in a combined deal worth around $500million (£377m), it has been reported.

According to Billboard, the sale will give the company ownership of the musician’s entire back catalogue which includes 20 studio albums, 300 songs, 7 EPs, 23 live records and more.

The history of intellectual property (IP) is closely interlinked with that of technology. Among the innovations that have disrupted our daily lives in the broadest sense – from how we keep in touch with others to how we shop, from how we meet our romantic partners to how we work and study – the emergence of the internet is likely to be regarded as the most relevant one. Naturally, IP has also been affected by and has sought to react to the novel issues that this new medium has been raising. Let’s go over some of them then!

Copyright … trapped in the net?

The process produces soft, recyclable fabric from cardboard, agricultural waste, and textile waste

Finland’s Infinited Fiber Company is receiving strong interest in its 100 per cent recycled, recyclable fabric Infinna. The company was created to close the loop in fashion and make textile circularity an everyday aspect of an industry that currently contributes 10 per cent of man-made greenhouse gas emissions.

In the past couple of years, IP Helpline received a notable number of questions on the topic of copyright protection applied to artworks, old and new. Enquirers asked for example:

Online copyright infringement is a serious problem for the rights owners and for society as a whole. It deprives artists and creators of compensation for their work, and in the long run it may reduce the range of choices available to consumers.

Recognising this, the European Commission identified fighting this type of copyright infringement as one of the priorities in its IP Action Plan.

Researchers at the University of California, Davis, have developed a new type of cooling cube that could revolutionize how food is kept cold and shipped fresh without relying on ice or traditional cooling packs. 

These plastic-free, “jelly ice cubes” do not melt, are compostable and anti-microbial, and prevent cross-contamination. 

“When ice melts, it’s not reusable,” said Gang Sun, a professor in the Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering. “We thought we could make a so-called solid ice to serve as a cooling medium and be reusable.” 

Tõnis Reitalu, a sixth-grader at Lümanda Basic School, was awarded the WIPO Schoolchildren’s Prize as well as the Estonian Patent Office’s Special Prize. The name of her work was “Smart mailbox”.

Mootral, a Swiss AgriTech startup, produces a natural animal feed supplement that significantly reduces methane emissions from ruminants – animals that chew their cud, like sheep and cattle. Mootral’s innovative technology is tackling climate change, one cow at a time.