The Copyright Alliance will celebrate World IP Day/Week 2021 from April 26–30. World IP Day is recognized on the same day in April of each year to remind everyone of the critical role that intellectual property plays in encouraging creativity and innovation. During the week of April 26–30, the Copyright Alliance will join our members, partners and countless creators and organizations around the world to mark the occasion by sharing blogs and videos, hosting virtual events, and much more—all designed to celebrate the fact that IP helps the global arts scene to flourish and enables the innovation that drives human progress. The 2021 WIPD theme, as determined by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), is IP & SMEs: Taking Your Ideas to Market. 

According to WIPO, “Every business starts with an idea. Each of the millions of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) that operate across the globe every day started with an idea that took shape in someone’s mind and made its way to market.”  The World IP Day panels planned by the Copyright Alliance are as follows: 

Creative Enterprises: Small Business, BIG Impact; April 27 at 1 p.m. ET: In keeping with this year’s World IP Day theme, IP & SMEs: Taking Your Ideas to Market, the Copyright Alliance is pleased to host a panel discussion featuring a variety of creators and advocates on what it takes to grow and monetize a creative business, the challenges faced running a business during the pandemic, how intellectual property helps to fuel the creative and business processes, and much more! Panel participants include: Janet Hicks, VP, Director of Licensing, Artists Rights Society; Ryan Edwards, Creator and Owner, MASARY Studios; Kick Lee, Founder and Director, Cincinnati Music Accelerator; Rachel Lackey, Creator and Owner, Green Pea Press; Danielle Van Lier, Assistant General Counsel, SAG-AFTRA (moderator). Follow our Facebook page for updates on the panel, as well as to attend the event at 1 p.m. ET on April 27. 

Small Enterprises Making a BIG Difference: Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts; April 28 at 1 p.m. ET: The Copyright Alliance is pleased to host a second panel discussion featuring representatives from Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts (VLA) groups across the country, including The Ella Project (New Orleans), VolunteerLawyers and Accountants for the Arts (St. Louis), Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts New York, Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council, Philadelphia Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts, California Lawyers for the Arts, Arts and Business Council Nashville, Arts and Business Council Boston, Springboard for the Arts (Minnesota), Colorado Attorneys for the Arts, and Lawyers for the Creative Arts (Chicago). The panel will focus on how VLA groups support creators and their businesses by providing copyright information to help ensure their rights and fuel their growth. Follow our Facebook page for updates on the panel, as well as to attend the event at 1 p.m. ET on April 28.

In honor of WIPD 2021, Copyright Alliance CEO Keith Kupferschmid shared the following message with the creative and copyright communities, one that speaks to the history of copyright law and intellectual property protections, as well as articulates their continued importance today:  

It’s a well-known principle that copyright and intellectual property protections benefit society by incentivizing creativity and innovation. And at a time when the U.S. economy and economies around the globe are experiencing unprecedented hardships, including recovering from the perils of a global pandemic, we need strong and vibrant copyright law now more than ever. In the spirit of celebrating World IP Day 2021, I’m pleased that our 2021 panel events will highlight numerous creators who were able to continue developing their arts and their businesses during 2020 despite unprecedented hurdles. We will also highlight Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts Groups (VLAs) around the country, organizations that work as strong advocates for creators and copyright protections day in and day out. I, along with the entire Copyright Alliance team, wish you all the best for a Happy World IP Day, and a very successful year ahead! – Keith Kupferschmid, CEO, Copyright Alliance 

For World IP Day blogs, video messages from elected officials, and much more, visit the Copyright Alliance World IP Day 2021 webpage.