SpicyIP Bells & Whistles: IP Events and Opportunities (04.05.2026)
Gaurangi Kapoor
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: Martha Woodmansee
Some bells do not just chime, they change how we understand creation itself.
This week’s bell is for someone whose work has shaped how many of us think about authorship and its relationship with intellectual property.
Ever wondered why copyright law is so obsessed with the lone, inspired creator? Martha Woodmansee did and then she wrote the paper that changed how we think about it.
Her landmark 1984 piece, “The Genius and the Copyright,” argued that the “original genius” author wasn’t a timeless truth but a historical construction, one that 18th-century German writers strategically invented to claim legal ownership over their work. Copyright, in other words, was built on a Romantic myth. And that myth has been quietly distorting IP law ever since.
Her work challenged whether a legal framework rooted in the idea of the solitary creative genius remains appropriate to the realities of how culture is actually produced, a question that feels even more urgent today, in the age of AI authorship and collaborative creation.
Beyond scholarship, she founded the International Society for the History and Theory of Intellectual Property in 2008, giving historians, lawyers and theorists a shared home to interrogate IP’s past and future.
She asked the uncomfortable questions before they were fashionable.
Some bells do not just chime, they remind us that even our most basic assumptions have a history.
EVENTS
Distinguished Speaker Series: “Intellectual Property, Generative AI and Access to Culture and Science” – ILEO
12 May 2026 | 14:30 (CET) | Hybrid (Online participation available)
The Innovation Law and Ethics Observatory (ILEO), jointly with the Department of Business and Economic Law, is hosting a session in its Distinguished Speaker Series on “Intellectual Property, Generative AI and Access to Culture and Science.” The event will feature Christine Farley, who will speak on “Generative AI, Trademark’s Limits, and the Aesthetic Commons,” and Margaret Chon, who will present on “Re-Imagining Global Intellectual Property Frameworks to Foster Access to Scientific Knowledge through GenAI Technology.” The session will explore how generative AI challenges existing IP frameworks and shapes access to culture and scientific knowledge. Online participation is available.
More info | Online participation Link
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. 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. 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
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. PhD Fellow (1 Vacancy) – IPR | Indian Institute of Technology (ISM) Dhanbad
Application Deadline: 10 May 2026 | 11:59 PM
Applications are invited for one PhD Fellow position under the SPRIHA IPR Chair initiative, supported by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India. The fellowship is intended for candidates interested in contributing to teaching and research in intellectual property rights (IPR). Applicants must submit all required documents, including the UGC/CSIR award letter (mandatory), via email to spriha[at]iitism[dot]ac[dot]in by the deadline.
More info
5. 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.
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