Intellectual Property Law

New Matter SUMMER 2015 Volume 40, Number 2

Letter from the Editor-in-Chief

THOMAS A. WARD ARRIS

Welcome to the summer edition of New Matter for 2015. The cover art of this edition features a patent for the anti-gravity shoes invented by Michael Jackson. The anti-gravity shoes from the patent were featured in the Thriller video and other performances. The Michael Jackson patent shows that the inventor of patentable technology does not need to be a scientist or an inventor who owns multiple patents. The patent also shows that creative entertainers in Hollywood do not limit their works to copyrightable subject matter. Michael Jackson created intellectual property (IP), holding numerous copyright and trademark IP rights as well as rights to the patent shown. The U.S. Patent Office displayed IP held by Michael Jackson after his death in 2009.

The IP section provides a focus on entertainment in IP. Specifically, the section has a Sports and Entertainment Interest Group dedicated to the field which offers programming related to entertainment. The program IP and Entertainment was held in Los Angeles near the Staples Center in 2009 during the time when Michael Jackson was taken to the hospital when he passed away. The program continues to be held by the IP section and is scheduled for September of this year. For lawyers practicing in the entertainment field, we invite you to attend the program and watch for future programming offered by the IP section.

I would like to thank all the authors who submitted articles for this issue as well as those who provide regular columns for New Matter. We continue to welcome article submissions in the field of IP from anyone who is interested in writing. We will accept articles from writers outside California, those who are not admitted to the California bar, including law students, and anyone else who is interested in writing about intellectual property matters. Submission guidelines are included at the end of each issue of New Matter. If you would like to propose an article for submission, please email our Acquisitions Editor, Amanda Nye, whose contact information is provided at the end of each New Matter edition.

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