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: Collective Trademarks
Some bells do not just chime, they remind us that value is not always created alone.
This week’s bell is for Collective Trademarks, a form of trademark that shifts the conversation from individual ownership to shared identity and reputation.
Much of trademark law is built around the idea of distinction. A mark identifies a particular source, a single entity, a specific commercial origin. But collective trademarks complicate that narrative. They recognise that reputation can also emerge from communities: from groups of artisans, cooperatives, associations, and producers whose work becomes meaningful not because of one individual name, but because of a shared standard, history, or practice.
In many ways, they sit at an interesting intersection between commerce and community. They attempt to legally recognise something that has long existed socially: that value is often built collectively.
At the same time, the idea is not without its tensions. Communities are rarely uniform, questions around representation, control, exclusion and internal hierarchies can quietly shape who gets to speak for a collective and who remains at its margins. Legal recognition does not always resolve these complexities, sometimes it merely reorganises them. Yet perhaps that is what makes collective trademarks worth pausing over. They reflect an effort, however imperfect, to move beyond the image of creativity and reputation as purely individual pursuits.
Some bells do not just chime, they remind us that identity itself can be shared.
EVENTS
1. Webinar: “Injunctions — Perspectives from the Republic of Korea” | OxFora
22 May 2026 | 02:30 PM IST | Online
This session on “Injunctions — Perspectives from the Republic of Korea” will feature Jiyoung Yi and Kisu Kim, both serving judges at the Intellectual Property High Court of Korea.
More info | Register here
2. Webinar & Q&A: “Street Art, Copyright and AI – Legal Challenges at the Urban Frontier” | 4iP Council
28 May 2026 | 16:00 – 17:00 (CEST) | Online
The 4iP Council will host a webinar and Q&A session on “Street Art, Copyright and AI: Legal Challenges at the Urban Frontier,” presented by Siri-Helen Egeland. The session will examine how copyright law applies to street art in the age of artificial intelligence, with a focus on emerging challenges surrounding authorship, ownership, and infringement in AI-generated and AI-mediated artistic practices.
More info | Register here
3. WIPO Online Mediation and Arbitration Workshop
2- 4 June 2026 | 12:00 – 14:00 (EDT) / 18:00 – 20:00 (CEST) | Online
Organised by the WIPO Arbitration and Mediation Center, this three-day online workshop will provide practical insights into arbitration, mediation, and alternative dispute resolution (ADR) in intellectual property disputes. Day 1 focuses on WIPO Arbitration, Day 2 on WIPO Mediation, and Day 3 on industry perspectives, drafting ADR clauses, and case examples. Participants attending all three days in full will receive certificates of participation.
More info
OPPORTUNITIES
1. Call for Applications: SPARC – SpicyIP Academy Research Clinic
Application Deadline: 31 May 2026 (Midnight IST)
The SpicyIP Academy has launched SPARC (SpicyIP Academy Research Clinic), a new initiative aimed at supporting researchers working on the Indian intellectual property landscape through structured feedback and mentorship. The programme will select 10 researchers for its pilot cohort and will run across five fortnightly sessions, fostering a more connected and rigorous IP research community.
More info
2. Fully Funded PhD Scholarships (2): Digital Replicas in the Music Industry | University of Liverpool
Application Deadline: 22 June 2026 | 12:00 PM
MusicFutures, in partnership with the University of Liverpool School of Law and Social Justice, is offering two fully funded PhD scholarships exploring digital replicas in the music industry. Based in Liverpool and commencing in October 2026, the scholarships cover tuition fees at the UK home rate. Applicants are required to submit a CV, covering letter, and a 3,000-word paper on publicity and personality rights. Interviews are scheduled for 7 July 2026.
More info
3. Internship Roster 2026 | World Intellectual Property Organization
Application Deadline: 4 July 2026 | Duty Station: Switzerland
The World Intellectual Property Organization is accepting applications for its 2026 Internship Roster, offering internship opportunities across various departments at its offices in Switzerland. Internship durations range from 8 weeks to 12 months, depending on departmental requirements. Candidates accepted into the roster will have their profiles reviewed against internship openings arising throughout the year, and shortlisted applicants may subsequently be contacted for interviews for specific opportunities.
More info
4. Call for Papers: “Intellectual Property Laws: Interdisciplinary Perspectives” | Cogent Social Sciences
Submission Deadline: 15 March 2027
An Article Collection / Special Issue titled “Intellectual Property Laws: Interdisciplinary Perspectives” is inviting submissions for publication in Cogent Social Sciences, an open-access journal published by the Taylor & Francis Group. The issue welcomes original research articles, reviews, and case studies examining intellectual property law through interdisciplinary perspectives, including themes such as AI, blockchain and NFTs; sustainable development and climate technologies; pharmaceutical patents and public health; cultural heritage, traditional knowledge and indigenous rights; economics and competition law; and critical or philosophical approaches to IP law.
More info
Thanks to Niharika and Swaraj 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.
