Ramadan Mubarak and Happy Holi!
Coming back to Bells & Whistles, this week marked the final round of SpicyIP – CIPAM, DPIIT’s National Blog Writing Competition held on 27th Feb at Vanijya Bhawan, New Delhi with a stellar panel of judges – Justice Prabha Sridevan, Dr. Zakir Thomas, Ms. Shwetasree Majumder and Prof. (Dr.) V K Unni.
NLU Delhi’s team of Priysha Malviya Arjit Bansal and Khyati Chaturvedi brought the trophy home! And the team of Rajiv Gandhi National University of Law – Nivedita Krishnakumar, Rudra Rituraj Pandey and Jacob Eldho Kalarikkal bagged the 1st Runners Up title with Dr. Ram Manohar Lohiya National Law University, Lucknow’s team – Tejaswini Kaushal, Gunja Tandon, and Avesta Vashishtha winning 2nd Runners Up title. Many congratulations to all the teams! You can find more information on the blog here.
As usual, we bring forth exciting events and opportunities along with a very relevant bell of the week, so please keep reading.
Bell of the Week: Accessibility to works via Public Domain
Some bells don’t just chime, they hold space.
In extremely difficult times and even in moments of joy, when the world stops making sense, we almost instinctively turn to art. As Ethan Hawke once put it, art becomes sustenance, not luxury. And perhaps that feels especially true right now.
Whether it is AI reshaping creativity, geopolitical tensions unsettling everyday life, or even something as small as a Monday slump, the need to read, to listen, to hum along, to watch, or even to scroll through something that makes us feel less alone becomes essential. Sometimes, you just want to see how someone else tried to make sense of the world. Which is why access matters. Deeply.
The ability to reach for a book, a song, a film, or even a forgotten archive is not just about consumption, it is about connection. It is about continuity. It is about knowing that expression survives, travels and is shared. The public domain reminds us that not everything is owned, enclosed or monetised. That over time, works return to the people. That access to knowledge is not just a legal concept, but a shared human resource, one that enables learning, creativity and connection across borders.
And maybe that is where intellectual property feels both powerful and limiting. Because while it protects creation, moments like these make you wonder whether access, at least in some form, should matter just as much as ownership.
This week’s bell sits in that tension. Not to resolve it, but to sit with it.
EVENTS
1. Webinar: WIPO GREEN Technology Showcase – Climate-Smart Agritech Innovations
Date: 3 March 2026 13:00 – 14:30 Geneva time
The World Intellectual Property Organization will host a WIPO GREEN Technology Showcase webinar focusing on climate-smart agritech innovations from across the globe. The session will feature technology providers from the WIPO GREEN database presenting solutions aimed at addressing key agricultural challenges. The webinar seeks to highlight the real-world impact of such innovations on productivity and sustainability, facilitate connections between innovators and solution seekers, and create opportunities for collaboration in advancing climate-resilient agricultural practices.
More info
2. Call for Registration: National IP Awards 2026 & IP Conference | CGPDTM
Deadline: 3 March 2026
The Office of the Controller General of Patents Designs and Trade Marks invites registrations for the National IP Awards 2026 and accompanying IP Conference, to be held on 9 March 2026 from 2:00 PM to 8:45 PM at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi. Centred on the theme “IP for catalysing research by Youth and Women,” the event will celebrate innovation and recognise excellence in IP creation, protection, and commercialisation. It will also provide a platform for discussions on fostering inclusive and impactful innovation ecosystems.
Register here
OPPORTUNITIES
1. Deadline Extension for Call for Submissions | Journal of the Centre for Intellectual Property Rights (CIPR), NUALS – Volume 7
Extended Deadline: 10 March 2026 (EOD)
The Centre for Intellectual Property Rights (CIPR), National University of Advanced Legal Studies (NUALS) invites original contributions for the 7th Volume of its Journal (ISSN 2582-4244). Submissions are welcome from academicians, legal practitioners, researchers, postgraduate and undergraduate law students. Contributions may be in the form of articles, essays, notes, commentaries, and book reviews. All submissions will undergo an exhaustive review process and selected works will be published on the official websites of the Journal, the University, and CIPR.
More info
2. Job Opportunity: Innovation Ecosystems Analyst | World Intellectual Property Organization
Deadline: 14 March 2026
The IP and Frontier Technologies Division at the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) is inviting applications for the role of Innovation Ecosystems Analyst (Grade P3), based in Geneva. This one-year position focuses on analysing how emerging technologies, particularly AI, shape innovation ecosystems and policy frameworks. The role requires strong analytical and drafting skills, a deep understanding of frontier technologies, and the ability to translate complex technological developments into clear policy insights. WIPO is looking for candidates who are intellectually curious, policy-savvy, and comfortable working with data and digital tools, while balancing independent thinking with collaborative engagement.
More info
3. Call for Papers: Intellectual Property Section | Society of Legal Scholars Annual Conference 2026
Deadline: 27 March 2026 11:59pm (UK time)
The Intellectual Property section of the Society of Legal Scholars (SLS) invites submissions for its annual conference, to be held at University of East Anglia in Norwich from 2–4 September 2026. This year’s theme, “Doing Law Differently,” encourages fresh and critical approaches to legal scholarship. The IP section will convene on 2–3 September. Submissions are welcome from all areas of intellectual property law and from scholars at all stages of their careers. Abstracts and panel proposals must be submitted by 11:59pm (UK time) on 27 March 2026.
More info
Thanks to Niharika, Lokesh and Malobika for the leads!
All non-sponsored listings featured here are events or opportunities free or nominally charged and ones we think our readers may be interested in. Sponsored listings will be marked as such. Unless specifically mentioned, SpicyIP has no affiliation to anything listed here. Know of an event worth sharing? Write to us at contact[at]spicyip[dot]com.
