September was a busy month for IIPSJ in the community.  IIPSJ participated in multiple events during the month spreading the message of the social justice implications of intellectual property law.  We hosted a Take Creative Control legal clinic in DC where we were joined by over 300 creators from DC, Maryland, and Virginia – during which we facilitated 46 legal sessions with lawyers from Hogan Lovells, Sterne & Kessler, and Loeb & Loeb. We were joined by representatives from the Copyright Office to answer questions from our attendees.  We also held two Policy Education and Updates Panels.  Our first panel was on online streaming and the policy impact of the passage of the Music Modernization Act with panelists Sean Glover (Sound Exchange), Lita Rosario (WYZ Girl), AJ Ramos (pop culture influencer), Mannywellz (Grammy-winning artist), and DJ DOMO. Our second panel was on the potential impact of current proposals to introduce legislation to limit or moderate Internet content on creators of color, and featured panelists Chris Lewis (Public Knowledge), Damon Young (Very Smart Brothas), Chanelle Hardy (Google), and Lateef Mtima (IIPSJ).

Later the same week we joined with BESLA to host a program during the Congressional Black Caucus week.  The IIPSJ panel discussed trending music copyright policy topics including the MMA, the proposed Case Act (which would establish a copyright infringement small claims court), and PRO licensing.  Panelists included Lita Rosario (WYZ Girl), Gregory Alan Barnes (TwinLogic Strategies), Lateef Mtima (IIPSJ), and Kim Tignor (IIPSJ & TCC). Later in the evening we honored the Honorable Karyn A. Temple, Register of Copyrights with a Trailblazer Award for her work in Copyright law.

Lastly, on September 20, Lateef Mtima gave the opening keynote presentation at the Gonzaga Law School Conference, Medicine, Music, and Mascots: Furthering Social Justice in the Age of Intellectual Property, and also  participated on the conference’s “Copyright, Digital Technology, and Social Justice” panel.