SpicyIP Bells & Whistles: IP Events and Opportunities (15.12.2025)
Gaurangi Kapoor
Welcome back to another week of Bells & Whistles!
We’re excited to share a new podcast episode featuring Sheja Ehetsham, where she talks about Networking, Leadership, and her Professional Journey. Tune in for her insights, experiences, and practical tips on navigating the IP and legal landscape.
A quick reminder for our readers: the SpicyIP-Jhana Blog Post Competition is ongoing — submit your posts on interesting Indian IP developments before the deadline to be eligible for a share of the INR 33,000 prize pool.
Also, the SpicyIP – CIPAM National Policy Brief Competition on IP & Innovation deadline has been extended to 21 December 2025, so you have a bit more time to prepare and submit your policy solutions on SEPs and trade secrets.
Bell of the Week: The GNU General Public License (GPL)
Some Bells don’t announce themselves loudly — they quietly change how systems work. This week’s bell is for the GNU General Public License (GPL), a licence that reimagined how copyright could function in the world of software.
With the first GPL, Richard Stallman made sure that GNU software — and any work built on it — stayed open, resisting later proprietary capture. Often described as the backbone of the free and open-source software movement, the GPL used copyright law in an unusual way: not to restrict access, but to preserve it over time. At its core, the GPL challenged the idea that software should be owned and locked up. Its influence is felt far beyond coding communities, shaping how we think about openness, collaboration, and control in digital knowledge today.
A quiet but enduring intervention, written not into a statute or judgment, but into a licence.
EVENTS
1. Online Session: The Interplay Between AI and Copyright | FICCI IPEC
16 December 2025 | 3:00–4:30 PM | Virtual
FICCI IPEC invites students and young professionals to join an online session led by Mr. Ameet Datta, Co-Chair of the FICCI IPR Committee and Founder & Managing Counsel at ADP Law Offices. Drawing on decades of experience in copyright, emerging technologies, platform liability, data protection, and AI governance, Mr. Datta will explore the evolving landscape of AI and copyright, including policy, litigation, and advisory perspectives.
More info | Register here
2. National Conference: ML, AI & IP for Startups | NALSAR University of Law, Hyderabad
Date: 17 January 2026 | 9:30 AM – 4:30 PM | In-person
The DPIIT IPR Chair and N C Banerjee Centre of Law, NALSAR University of Law invite participants to the National Conference on ML, AI & IP for Startups. The conference brings together experts, innovators, and policymakers to examine the intersection of emerging technologies—such as AI and machine learning—with intellectual property. Attendees will gain insights into IP management, legal opportunities for startups, growth strategies, and emerging challenges, while learning from successful startup journeys and connecting with industry leaders and incubation experts.
Register here | More info
OPPORTUNITIES
1st National Policy Brief Competition on Intellectual Property & Innovation 2025 (SpicyIP & CIPAM, DPIIT)
Deadline: 14 December 2025
The competition invites law students to present policy solutions on pressing IP and innovation issues. Teams of three (from the same institution) can choose between two themes — Trade Secrets & Confidential Information in the Pharmaceutical Sector and Standard-Essential Patents (SEPs) and Technological Innovation.
More info
SpicyIP–jhana Blogpost Writing Competition 2025
Deadline: 30 December 2025
Organized in collaboration with jhana, the competition will run for six weeks, during which shortlisted entries will be published on the SpicyIP blog after editorial review. The top three entries will be announced in early January 2026. Participants and readers can also access a complimentary one-month jhana.ai Pro account using the promo code SPICYIP to support their research.
More info
1. Call for Papers: 17th Annual ISHTIP Workshop — Intellectual Property and Democracy | University of São Paulo, Brazil
Deadline: 22 December 2025
The International Society for the History and Theory of Intellectual Property (ISHTIP) will host its 17th Annual Workshop at the Faculty of Law, University of São Paulo, Brazil, on 25–26 June 2026. This year’s theme explores the relationship between intellectual property and democracy, inviting interdisciplinary scholarship that examines its norms, rhetoric, and effects historically and theoretically. Submit a paper abstract (max 300 words) and a two-page CV to: vitor[dot]ido[at]usp[dot]br; gabriel[dot]galvez-behar[at]univ-lille[dot]fr; hyo-yoon[dot]kang[at]warwick[dot]ac[dot]uk.
Notification of acceptance: 30 January 2026
More info
2. Government Vacancies: Trade Marks & GIs Examiner and Deputy Director (Examination Reforms)
Deadline: 1 January 2026 | 6:00 PM
(i) Examiner of Trade Marks & Geographical Indications (Vacancy No. 25121401213) — 100 vacancies at the Office of the Controller General of Patents, Designs & Trade Marks, DPIIT, Ministry of Commerce and Industry. Candidates must hold a Degree in Law from a recognized university, with two years’ experience in handling court cases, legal matters, or trade marks and geographical indications.
(ii) Deputy Director (Examination Reforms) — 2 vacancies at the Union Public Service Commission. Candidates must hold a Ph.D. in Humanities, Science, Commerce, Engineering/Technology, or professional courses such as Law, Management, Finance, or Accounts, with five years post-qualification experience in teaching, research, curriculum development, educational testing, examination reforms, or online examination administration.
Applications must be submitted online via the official website by the deadline.
More info
3. Call for Applications: Student Roles — Centre for Research and Governance on Cyber Law (CRGCL)
Deadline: 20 December 2025 | 11:59 PM IST
The Centre for Research and Governance on Cyber Law (CRGCL) invites applications from motivated law students to join its team for the Academic Year 2025–26. Positions are available across three core verticals, with opportunities at both leadership and contributor levels:
(i) Research & Editorial: Research & Editorial Lead (1), Research Associates (3)
(ii) Social Media & Content: Social Media Lead (1), Social Media Associates (2)
(iii) Events & Outreach: Events & Partnerships Lead (1), Events Coordinators (2)
More info
4. 1st National IP Moot Court Competition 2025–26 | CNLU Patna (DPIIT–IPR Chair & CIRF)
Registration Deadline: 26 December 2025 | Registration Fee: ₹4,000 (per team)
Chanakya National Law University, Patna, through its DPIIT–IPR Chair and Centre for Innovation, Research and Facilitation (CIRF), is organising the 1st National IP Moot Court Competition (2025–26) in online mode. The competition focuses on Copyright and Artificial Intelligence, engaging participants with contemporary legal and policy issues surrounding AI-generated works, authorship, technological creativity, and emerging copyright liabilities in the digital age. Prizes: ₹50,000 cash prize for the winning team, along with an internship opportunity at S.S. Rana & Co.
More info
5. Joint PhD Scholarships 2026/27 | King’s College London
Deadline: 15 February 2026 | 23:59 UK Time
King’s Doctoral College offers Joint PhD Scholarships for programmes in collaboration with international partner universities, including Law. Scholarships are available for joint PhDs with The University of Hong Kong, Humboldt University (Berlin), The National University of Singapore, and The University of São Paulo. These scholarships support research across the 2026/27 academic year for students enrolled in joint PhD programmes.
More info
Thanks to Kartik, Lokesh and Malobika for the leads!
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