Volpe Koenig

College sports feel like tradition… but they also run on intellectual property (IP). 🎓

Logos. Mascots. Colors. Merch.
All protected. All controlled.

Join IP attorneys Michael Snyder and Joseph Gushue on IP Goes Pop!® for a breakdown in how colleges use trademark, copyright, and licensing to manage assets across athletics, merchandise, and media, and how NIL fits into the picture.

Because even now, there’s a key line: student-athletes can monetize their personal brand, but universities still control their own trademarks and institutional IP.

Find this episode and more by searching IP Goes Pop! in your favorite podcast app!

Licensing

In pop culture, “last” often just means “for now.” In intellectual property law, it means something much more concrete. In this episode of IP Goes Pop!®, Michael Snyder and Joseph Gushue explore what “last” really means across film, TV, music, and IP law.

The hosts explain how rights expire, can be lost early, become generic, or change by statute. Featuring examples like Alexander Graham Bell’s telephone patent and It’s a Wonderful Life, this episode breaks down why IP rights don’t last forever, and why that matters.

In this episode:
🎬 Films like The Last Samurai, The Last of the Mohicans, and The Last Jedi (final… or not?)
📺 How Avatar: The Last Airbender and The Last of Us use “last” to build tension
⏳ The four ways IP rights end: expiration, early loss, genericide, and statutory change
📞 The expiration of Bell’s telephone patent, and what followed
🎄 How a missed renewal helped make It’s a Wonderful Life a holiday staple

Listen to IP Goes Pop!® in your favorite podcast player, or in the news room section of our site.

“If you’re not first, you’re last!”

This week on IP Goes Pop!®, Michael Snyder and Joseph Gushue chase down “IP firsts” — from the first televised commercial and first laugh track to the first U.S. patents signed by George Washington.

They explain how patent, trademark, and copyright systems evolved, and why those origin stories still matter today.

What will your IP protection “first” be?

What color says luxury before you even open the box? What sound makes you reach for the popcorn before the movie starts?

In the latest IP Goes Pop!® podcast, hosts Michael Snyder and Joseph Gushue explore how non-traditional trademarks like color, sound, and even scent can become protectable brand assets.

Pop culture stops include Smell-O-Vision and John Waters’ Odorama cards (Polyester), plus modern storytelling twists like The Artist and Netflix’s Black Mirror: Bandersnatch.

They also break down the legal framework, including secondary meaning (Qualitex v. Jacobson), the functionality bar, and why precise descriptions matter when defining scope. ⚖️🧠

Examples discussed:
💎Tiffany’s robin’s-egg blue
👠Louboutin’s red soles
🚜John Deere’s green-and-yellow
🔊NBC’s chime
🦁MGM lion’s roar
🍞Play-Doh’s scent

Powerful trademarks are not just seen. They are felt.

You can find the episode in your favorite podcast app by searching IP Goes Pop! or visit https://www.vklaw.com/podcasts-60

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https://www.vklaw.com/news-2025-ipromise-grant-winner-wayne-senior-center

Congratulations to Wayne Senior Center, this year’s winner of Volpe Koenig’s Jeffrey M. Glabicki IPromise Charitable Giving Fund’s annual $40,000 grant. The award will support the Center’s technology education programs to ensure older adults stay connected to family, community and resources in a digital world.