Welcome back to another week of Bells & Whistles.
As always, we’ve rounded up a mix of developments, opportunities, and thoughtful reads from across the IP world along with a Bell of the Week that’s well worth revisiting.
Bell of the Week: Rishab Aiyer Ghosh
Some bells do not just chime, they shift how we think about creation.
This week’s bell is for Rishab Aiyer Ghosh, whose work has long engaged with the idea of collaborative creation and the ways in which it sits alongside, and sometimes challenges, traditional intellectual property frameworks.
Much of IP law is built around the idea of the individual author. A creator, an owner, a defined right. But the digital world has steadily complicated this picture. Code written by many hands, projects that evolve over time, communities that build together without always fitting neatly into categories of ownership.
His work helps make sense of this shift. One of the spaces where this takes shape is First Monday, one of the earliest peer-reviewed journals (started in May 1996) to exist entirely online and remain freely accessible. At a time when much of academic publishing continues to sit behind paywalls, it offers a different model. One where research is not only produced, but made available without cost to the reader. It reflects a different way of thinking about knowledge, where ideas are not only produced, but allowed to circulate, be read and built upon without the usual barriers.
In that sense, it sits both within and slightly outside traditional copyright structures. It recognises authorship, but does not rely on restriction in the same way. Instead, it allows knowledge to move more freely, shaped as much by sharing as by ownership.
Perhaps that is what makes this bell linger. It invites us to look at creativity not just as something that is owned, but as something that can be built collectively, iteratively, and in the open.
Some bells do not just chime, they remind us that creation does not always happen alone and that knowledge does not always need to be enclosed to have value.
EVENTS
1. IP@SCOTUS Series – Chatire v. United States
27 April 2026 | 5:00 – 6:00 PM (ET) | Online
The American University Washington College of Law, through its Program on Information Justice and Intellectual Property and Tech, Law & Security Program, will host the next installment of the IP@SCOTUS series, featuring a discussion on Chatire v. United States. The session will bring together expert panelists to provide post-argument analysis and insights on the case, continuing the programme’s tradition of inviting counsel of record and amici to reflect on intellectual property and related cases before the U.S. Supreme Court.
More info | Register here
2. Webinar: PCT Basics Series (Episode 5) – Importance of Priority Claims
28 April 2026 | 6:30 PM | Online
The World Intellectual Property Organization will host Episode 5 of its PCT Basics Webinar Series, focusing on the importance of priority claims in patent applications. The session will explain the concept of claiming priority, and provide practical guidance on making, correcting, and restoring priority claimsunder the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT).
Register here
3. IP at the Supreme Court Series – Hikma Pharmaceuticals USA Inc. v. Amarin Pharma, Inc.
29 April 2026 | 5:00 – 6:00 PM (EDT) | Hybrid
This session in the IP at the Supreme Court Series will examine key issues arising in Hikma Pharmaceuticals USA Inc. v. Amarin Pharma, Inc., focusing on questions of induced infringement in pharmaceutical patent law. Moderated by Professor Charles Duan, the discussion will address whether a generic drugmaker’s references to its product as a “generic version,” along with reliance on public information about a branded drug, are sufficient to plead induced infringement where the label carves out the patented use. It will also consider whether a complaint can sustain a claim for induced infringement absent any explicit instruction or encouragement of the patented method. Registration is required, and the event will be followed by a reception.
More info | Register here
4. Webinar: eHague Power Tips – Portfolios, Access Rights and the New Notification System (WIPO)
13 May 2026 | 8:30 PM | Online
The World Intellectual Property Organization will host a practical session under its eHague Power Tips series, focusing on portfolio management, access rights, and the new notification system within the Hague System. The webinar will guide participants on effectively managing design portfolios, setting access permissions, and sharing registrations and transactions, along with navigating the new, more secure notification system introduced by the International Bureau. These insights are aimed at helping users make the most of updated tools and processes within the Hague System.
Register here
OPPORTUNITIES
1. SpicyIP Summer School 2026: Rethinking IP – Foundations, Faults, and Futures
20–28 June 2026 | Whitefield, Bengaluru | Residential Programme
The SpicyIP Summer School returns with a 9-day residential programme designed to cultivate critical pluralism in intellectual property law and policy, inspired by the legacy of Shamnad Basheer. Limited to 25 participants, the programme brings together scholars, practitioners, and students for intensive discussions and collaborative learning. This year’s theme, “Rethinking IP: Foundations, Faults, and Futures,” focuses on three interlinked terrains of engagement that shape every session, encouraging participants to critically examine the conceptual foundations, systemic shortcomings, and future directions of IP law and policy. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis.
More info
2. Walk-in Interviews: Research Assistant & Interns – IPR Chair, NLIU Bhopal
4 May 2026 (RA) | 6 May 2026 (Interns) | From 10:00 AM onwards | Samadhan Bhawan, Bhopal
National Law Institute University Bhopal is conducting walk-in interviews for the positions of Research Assistant and Interns under the IPR Chair established by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade, Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India. The positions are offered on a contractual basis with consolidated monthly remuneration. The Research Assistant interview will be held on 4 May 2026, and the Intern interviews on 6 May 2026, both from 10:00 AM onwards at the Conference Room, Samadhan Bhawan, NLIU.
More info
3. Academic Fellow – National Law University Delhi
Application Deadline: 7 May 2026 | 11:59 PM
National Law University Delhi invites applications from academics and early-career scholars in law for the position of Academic Fellow. The role involves assisting in research activities in relevant areas, with an expectation to publish at least three papers annually (including one Scopus-indexed and two international publications), along with contributing to the University’s academic and administrative work. The position requires strong research and writing skills in the relevant field.
More info
4. Assistant Professor (Technology Law) – National Law University Delhi
Application Deadline: 15 May 2026 | 5:00 PM | Application fee of ₹1,000
National Law University Delhi is inviting applications for the position of Assistant Professor (Technology Law) on a contractual basis to teach undergraduate and postgraduate courses. The role is part of a programme aimed at integrating law, technology, and governance, reflecting the growing intersection of these fields. Interested candidates must apply online and pay a non-refundable application fee of ₹1,000, with SC/ST and PwD candidates exempted from the fee.
More info
Thanks to Niharika 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.
