Annual Mosaic IP Law and Policy Roundtable Conference

Mosaic IP Law and Policy Roundtable Conference

 

The Mosaic IP Law and Policy Roundtable connects IP scholars with political activists, practicing attorneys, community organizers, and policy makers to produce activist scholarship, to collaborate on various IP Empowerment policy initiatives and projects, and to otherwise help to shape and effectuate a progressive and contemporary IP socio-legal agenda.

Program News & Updates

7/8/2025 – Thank you to all who joined us for the 2024 Mosaic Conference! Missed us? Check out the full conference event archive here.

2025 Conference Details

Co-hosted by Suffolk University Law School

Date: October 24-25, 2025
Time: TBD
Location: Boston, MA
Theme: IP and the Fabric of Nations

About the Conference

Each IP Mosaic Conference is typically organized around a specific IP social justice legal issue, policy, or socio-economic challenge. Representative conference themes include equitable access to health, medicines, knowledge, and information; socially beneficial application of information technology and related advances to IP development and dissemination; legal protection for traditional and indigenous knowledge and expression; and promoting IP awareness, education, and entrepreneurial and socio-political empowerment in marginalized communities. The conference format is principally comprised of paper or project presentation sessions and plenary panel discussions. In addition, keynote presentations and “incubator project” and work in progress sessions are also mainstays of the conference.

Co-hosted by Suffolk University Law School

2025 Theme | IP and the Fabric of Nations

The IP Mosaic Conference is a unique convening of a diverse collective of academic scholars, policy leaders, and activists who meet to consider and critique IP protection. In the conference’s 11th year, the Theme “IP and the Fabric of Nations” seeks to examine narratives and stories about the role that IP plays in knitting communities, peoples and nations together. We are looking for critical examinations of the stories that are told about IP in enabling national excellence in industrial growth, promoting socio-economic empowerment, and solving development challenges, e.g. collaborative approaches to IP production and use across borders such as climate technology cooperation and technology platforms like WIPO Green, or IP as a means of negotiating the international expansion of cultural products such as K-Pop and K-Drama. We are looking for critical examinations of how IP enables storytales of national identity and culture, such as the role of IP in Disney’s capture of European American fairy tales or the complex adoption of the Haka into New Zealand’s sports identity. We seek contributions that allow us to examine how the stories that we tell about IP and the narratives around IP enable inclusion and belonging in national identity-building projects, especially for marginalized peoples and communities.

Call for Papers

The IP Mosaic Conference Planning Board invites IP scholars, policy makers, and social activists to submit paper and project proposals for presentation at the 11th Annual IP Mosaic Conference, which will be hosted at the Suffolk University Law School on October 24-25, 2025. The Theme this year is “IP and the Fabric of Nations”, focusing on the role of intellectual property in nation-building and human development/fulfillment in both developed and developing nations, and creating connections across borders.

The Theme “IP and the Fabric of Nations” seeks to examine narratives and stories about the role that IP plays in knitting communities, peoples and nations together. We are looking for critical examinations of the stories that are told about IP in enabling national excellence in industrial growth, promoting socio-economic empowerment, and solving development challenges, e.g. collaborative approaches to IP production and use across borders such as climate technology cooperation and technology platforms like WIPO Green, or IP as a means of negotiating the international expansion of cultural products such as K-Pop and K-Drama. We are looking for critical examinations of how IP enables storytales of national identity and culture, such as the role of IP in Disney’s capture of European American fairy tales or the complex adoption of the Haka into New Zealand’s sports identity. We seek contributions that allow us to examine how the stories that we tell about IP and the narratives around IP enable inclusion and belonging in national identity-building projects, especially for marginalized peoples and communities.

We welcome ALL submissions on topics at the intersection of intellectual property and social justice, particularly with respect to race, gender, class and other social identities, constructs, and conditions, as well as the social justice effects and obligations of the intellectual property regime, from rewarding originality and innovation and promoting human development and self-actualization to meeting the health, education, and socio-economic empowerment needs of the global society. We are particularly interested in papers that address the following sub-themes:

Sub-Theme I – Claiming Space: Divergence in IP Institutional Actors – (Trademark, Copyright Practitioners, examiners)
● This theme is intended to draw on IP institutions as contributors to nation building and human development/fulfillment narratives, especially on industrial policy, national identity, and the creation of community. We seek research and policy papers, and presentations to examine the extent to which expanding the diversity of membership in national IP institutions such as the USPTO, Copyright Office and others; the judiciary, especially the Federal Circuit; within the IP Bar; and at the international level, such as within WIPO and the WTO, can promote a more efficacious IP ecosystem.

Sub-Theme II – New Rights, New Rightsholders
● The theme draws on the idea that nation-building and human development/fulfillment comes from the storytellers/creators and innovators of society. Focusing on the ‘building’ component, we are seeking papers and presentations that: 1) focus on the expansion of IP to new communities and peoples and 2) new rights and subject matter aimed at building the economy and building/preserving culture and 3) address the rights to access and knowledge of the people and the nation. At the international level, this looks at developments in international fora that expand participation in the IP system and IP and newer rights for individuals and peoples.

Sub – Theme III – Competition and Collaboration – Political Sovereigns(?) and IP
● This theme focuses on the tension between competition and collaboration among sovereign states on IP and Industrial, Innovation, and Cultural Policy. We seek papers and presentations that address conflicts such as the US-China IP relationship, and collaborations such as vaccine development, or new seeds such as the International Rice Institute at the CGIAR, or developments at WIPO. This would also be the main theme of the International panel.

We are looking for two types of papers.

1) The first are for papers by scholars at any stage of their career. These should be papers that are completed or close to completion, with fully fleshed out ideas that can be placed in front of the audience for translation from academia to practice. These should be practically-oriented papers that articulate or solve a problem, rather than theoretical papers. Panelists will be asked to submit these by September 24, 2025 at least one month before the conference.

2) The second are works-in-progress from junior scholars. Some or all of these could be presented remotely. The scholarship would apply to any that fit within the theme of the conference and that would benefit from feedback from the more senior scholars participating in the Conference, as well as the IIPSJ planning committee members and Suffolk IP faculty (and invited faculty from the Greater Boston area) for feedback. These papers (at whatever stage) must be submitted by September 24th, 2025, at least one month before the conference.

Paper and project abstracts (300 words) will be considered on a rolling basis with an initial submission deadline of July 25, 2025; the final deadline for consideration of submissions is August 27, 2025.

Submit to ipmosaic@iipsj.org with the subject line “IP Mosaic Submission 2025 — [First Name] [Last Name].” Please include a statement identifying if you’ve presented at the conference in the past two years.

Program Agenda

Friday, November 1

9:30 – 9:45 am CDT

2:30 – 2:45 pm GMT

Welcome & Remarks

Joseph D. Kearney, Dean and Professor of Law, Marquette University Law School

9:45 – 10:50 am CDT

2:45 – 3:50 pm GMT

Plenary Session: The New WIPO Treaty on Intellectual Property, Genetic Resources and Associated Traditional Knowledge: Origins, Context and Significance

Moderator: Metka Potočnik, Senior Lecturer in Law, University of Wolverhampton, Law School and Director of The F-List for Music CIC

Panelist:

Wend Wendland, Director, Traditional Knowledge Division, World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and Adjunct Professor, Faculty of Law, University of Cape Town

The New WIPO Treaty 25 Years in the Making: What Does It Mean and What Happens Next?

10:50 – 11:00 am CDT

3:50 – 4:00 pm GMT

Break

11:00 am – 12:00 pm CDT

4:00 – 5:00 pm GMT

Paper Presentation Panel 1: Creation, Access, and Dignity

Moderator: Kara Swanson, Professor of Law/Affiliate Professor of History, Northeastern University

Presenters:

Michael GoodyearDignity and Deepfakes

Arunima Shastri and Himika BatraMaking Intellectual Property Greener: Aligning India’s Patent Regime with Environmental Sustainability through Eco-Patents

Cynthia Dahl and Vicki PhillipsLooking Forward: Data from IP Law Clinics on Their Role in Increasing Access to Justice (invited)

12:00 – 1:00 pm CDT

5:00 – 6:00 pm GMT

Meal Break

1:00 – 2:00 pm CDT

6:00 – 7:00 pm GMT

Paper Presentation Panel 2: Creation and Identity

Moderator: Betsy Rosenblatt, Professor of Law, Associate Dean for Research and Faculty Development, Case Western Reserve University Law School

Presenters:

Tim McFarlinState-Law Authorship

Sakshi SharmaThe Scarlett Letter (of Infringement) (invited)

Sarah (Fackrell) BursteinOrnamentality and Crime

2:00 – 2:10 pm CDT

7:00 – 7:10 pm GMT

Break

2:10 – 3:15 pm CDT

7:10 – 8:15 pm GMT

Plenary Session: From Accommodating AI to Achieving Inclusivity: Opportunities for Contemporary IP Policy

Moderator: Lateef Mtima, Professor of Law, Howard University School of Law & Founder and Director, Institute for Intellectual Property and Social Justice (IIPSJ)

Panelists:

Tony Sebro, Change.org

Meredith Rose, Public Knowledge

Derris Banks, United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO)

3:15 – 3:25 pm CDT

8:15 – 8:25 pm GMT

Break

3:25 – 4:25 pm CDT

8:25 – 9:25 pm GMT

Paper Presentation Panel 3: Traditional Knowledge and Social Justice

Moderator: Kali Murray, Marquette University Law School

Presenters:

Dalindyebo ShabalalaTaking Customary Law Seriously: Domestic Recognition of Traditional Knowledge

Kay DunnEmpirical research for social justice in intellectual property and cultural creativity

5:00 – 7:00 pm CDT

HAPPY HOUR for in-person attendees

 

Saturday, November 2

9:30 – 9:45 am CDT

2:30 – 2:45 pm GMT

Welcome & Remarks

Lateef Mtima, Professor of Law, Howard University School of Law & Founder and Director, Institute for Intellectual Property and Social Justice (IIPSJ)

9:45 – 11:15 am CDT

2:45 – 4:15 pm GMT

Paper Presentation Panel 4: Student IP Scholars Roundtable

Moderator: Tuneen Chisolm, Associate Professor of Law, Howard University School of Law

Presenters:

Samantha Lai, J.D. Candidate 2025, UNLV William S. Boyd School of Law
Expanding Creative Horizons: Fair Use of Celebrity Portraiture
Commentator: Betsy Rosenblatt, Professor of Law, Associate Dean for Research and Faculty Development, Case Western Reserve University Law School

Usayd Siddiqi, J.D. Candidate 2025, Emory University School of Law
Butter Chicken to Big Data: Preventing Excessive Protection in Sui Generis Regimes
Commentator: Metka Potočnik, Senior Lecturer in Law, University of Wolverhampton, Law School and Director of The F-List for Music CIC

Christelle Tchaou, J.D. 2024, Howard University School of Law
Systemic Solutions for Systemic Racism: Proposing an Equitable Fair Use Defense to Patent Infringement as a Part of Reparations to Historically Underserved Communities
Commentator: Kali Murray, Professor of Law, Marquette University Law School

11:15 – 11:25 am CDT

4:15 – 4:25 pm GMT

Break

11:25 am – 12:30 pm CDT

4:25 – 5:30 pm GMT

Paper Presentation 5: TBD

Moderator: Lateef Mtima, Professor of Law, Howard University School of Law & Founder and Director, Institute for Intellectual Property and Social Justice (IIPSJ)

Presenters:

Thomas Doty Generative AI Bias Accelerates Technological Cultural Divergence

Betsy Rosenblatt  – Social Justice implications in Schedule A trademark litigation

Bhamati Viswanathan – Feminist IP: A Comparative Approach

12:30 – 1:30 pm CDT

5:30 – 6:30 pm GMT

Meal Break

1:30 – 2:55 pm CDT

6:30 – 7:55 pm GMT

Paper Presentation Panel 6: Intellectual Property Theory and Social Justice

Moderator: Kali Murray, Marquette University Law School

Presenters:

Eden Howard (Wednesday Eden)The ‘Unpropertizable’ Public Domain in UK and EU Copyright Law

Metka Potočnik Humanity of Songs

— 5 min Break —

Justin KooDe-Colonizing Copyright Law

Akshat AgarwalEnabling Creative Production

2:55 pm CDT

7:55 pm GMT

Closing Remarks

Lateef Mtima, Professor of Law, Howard University School of Law & Founder and Director, Institute for Intellectual Property and Social Justice (IIPSJ)

 


Thank you to our Conference Planning Committee!

Conference Planning Committee

Jasmine Abdel-Khalik, University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Law                                                Dalindyebo Shabalala, Suffolk University Law School

Tuneen Chisolm, Howard University School of Law                                                                                 Metka Potocnik, University of Wolverhampton, Law School 

Betsy Rosenblatt, Case Western Reserve University Law School                                                              Kara Swanson, Northeastern University School of Law

Lateef Mtima, Howard University School of Law                                                                                      

Since 2014, IIPSJ has sponsored the IP Mosaic Conference. Through the IP Mosaic, IIPSJ collaborates with a law school host to provide a venue in which to explore the social ordering function of IP protection in the total political economy, particularly the law’s social justice obligations in promoting human rights and actualization, cultural and technological progress, and self-determination and nation-building.

The IP Mosaic Conference was established to bring together scholars, law and policy makers, and social activists of diverse and multicultural backgrounds and perspectives to explore progressive, social justice-oriented ideas in intellectual property law, policy, and social activism. Beginning in the late twentieth century, digital information technology and other innovations sparked a paradigm shift in scholarly assessment of the social ordering function of IP protection, exposing the need to critically examine the law’s social justice obligations in promoting human rights, self-determination, cultural progress, and nation-building and evolution. IP law and policy makers traditionally value scholarly analyses in their development and interpretation of IP protection. Progressive, social justice-oriented IP scholarship, especially when infused with the experience and insights of policy makers and social activists, can provide the doctrinal basis for shaping a more socially responsible IP legal regime.

IIPSJ Institutional Partners


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Leading IP Discourse

Leading IP Discourse 

Becoming the central hub for thought-provoking intellectual property law dialogue between industry partners, practicing professionals and mission aligned allies

IIPSJ’s programming such as the Annual MOSAIC conference and our International work forms connections between practicing lawyers, educators, students, corporations, and nonprofits in addition to frequently held online learning workshops

Annual MOSAIC Conference

The IP Mosaic Conference is a unique convening of a diverse collective of academics, policy leaders and activists who meet to consider and critique IP protection

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IIPSJ International

To date, IIPSJ has conducted CLE and other collaborations with colleges and universities in the Caribbean and South Africa.

Our Foreign Scholar Residency Program exposes participants to US practices that inform their professional work.

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Catch the full slate IIPSJ programming including past events such as the Social Justice CLE and HBCU Tech Law Summit, all streamable from our YouTube video library below

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