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Image of Coinbase QR Code Super Bowl Ad

Advertising agency accuses Coinbase of idea theft

The US-based cryptocurrency exchange platform Coinbase’s 60-second super bowl ad was a massive hit, but it was accused of copying someone else’s idea without giving credit to the company that came up with the concept.
In February, the exchange aired a simple colorful QR code that floated on the screen for a minute which could be scanned to redeem $15 worth of free Bitcoin and a chance to win US

Photo from PetaPixel website

Rip-off or not: Croatia coin design winner blamed for plagiarism

The winner of Croatia’s coin logo competition is accused of copying the design from a 17-year-old photo taken by a Scottish photographer and has since withdrawn from the competition and returned the prize money.
Croatia needs a new coin design for circulation as it is adopting the Euro currency in 2023. To achieve this goal, the country’s central bank had organized a competition for the best de

Screenshot of PitchMark on Medium.com

PitchMark is now on Medium.com too

PitchMark is pleased to announce that our content is now available on the Medium platform as well.
We are excited about engaging Medium’s community of creators and innovators, and will continue raising awareness of the importance of registering their valuable intellectual property before sharing it with the world.
If you’re on Medium and want to help us get to know this new universe better,

Image from VERIFY

Deepfake of Ukraine’s Zelenskyy shows that IP laws governing such tech is urgently needed

Recently, a video featuring a deepfake version of Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy appeared on social media, asking his troops to surrender in the ongoing war with Russia.
The video was quickly identified as a fake, partly due to its poor quality. Zelenskyy also swiftly posted a video of himself exposing the deepfake, and Facebook, YouTube and Twitter announced they had removed the vide

IP Chit Chat with film producer Juan Foo

IP Chit Chat with film producer Juan Foo

Thanks to technological advancement, new platforms are being launched every other day, providing more opportunities for creators to share their stories with the world. However, that also means that protecting the intellectual property rights of these stories is more important than ever. In the first interview in our new IP Chit Chat series, we speak to veteran Singapore film producer Juan Foo abou

Images from Bored Wukong (left) and OpenSea via JournalTime

Rip-off or not: Bored Ape Yacht Club vs Bored Wukong


Another day, another kerfuffle in the world of non-fungible tokens (NFTs) — and this time, the fuss is all about cartoon monkeys. 
The Bored Ape Yacht Club is an NFT project that has attracted a lot of interest from celebrities. It comprises a collection of 10,000 illustrations of apes, and digital ownership of these gives buyers bragging rights, the ability to monetise their ape avatars v

Image from Christopher de Venecia's Facebook page

The important role of IP as Philippines aims to become Southeast Asia's top creative economy

In September 2021, the Philippines’ House of Representatives passed a landmark bill known as the Philippine Creative Industries Development Act. It could soon become a law, and its goal is nothing less than to make the country Southeast Asia's top creative economy by 2030.
Already, the Philippines’ creative sector is full of potential. In 2014, with little government support, the creative econo

Photo by Felix Mooneeram on Unsplash

How the war in Ukraine is changing IP laws in Russia and beyond

Countries around the world have levied heavy sanctions on Russia ever since it invaded Ukraine. Some multinational companies have also halted their operations in the country. In turn, Russia has retaliated with a series of bans and even changed its intellectual property laws.
Many movie studios in the West have refused to release new movies in Russia. Warner Bros had planned to release The Batm

Photo by Austin Neill on Unsplash

NFTs are the latest frontier in musicians’ long battle to gain control over their IP

In the music business, the ownership of intellectual property has often been a controversial subject, and that’s all because of the lopsided balance of control. In short, record companies tend to seize most of the control. But that might change, if start-ups pushing ownership models based on non-fungible tokens (NFTs) take off.
In the short amount of time that NFTs have become a trending topic

Photo by Bogomil Mihaylov on Unsplash

Funny business: Comedians seek royalties for their IP

Should comedians get paid like musicians and receive royalties from platforms that profit from their material? That's certainly a payment model that one group is championing. According to the Wall Street Journal, a group of comedians, led by global rights administration company, Spoken Giants, wants to be paid royalties when their jokes are played on radio and streaming services such as Spotify an

Posters of the film Anita

Who owns the IP rights to HK icon Anita Mui’s life and legacy?

Anita, a biopic about Hong Kong pop icon Anita Mui, drew critical praise and achieved commercial success when it was released last year. However, the movie has also sparked litigation from the late entertainer’s brother, who claims that the film’s production company has infringed on his rights over two registered trademarks.
According to the South China Morning Post, Peter Mui, Anita’s elder b

Photo from Stig Havard Dirdal Instagram Account

Rip-off or not: Makers of Russian movie Yolki 8 accused of copying "human Christmas tree" photo concept

Social media is filled with photos and videos used by people who do not seek permission from the original creators. Most recently, for example, a Russian production house was pinpointed as having copied the original concept of a photographer without bothering to tweak the original concept even slightly.
In December 2015, photographer Stig Havard Dirdal was hired by the Norwegian camera store St

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Let your clients get the idea, without taking it.

PitchMark deters idea theft and provides you with options if it happens.

PitchMark protects the expression of your original concepts, designs, proposals, business plans, creative pitches, music - in short, any idea that you conceived and published, and claim as your own. It gives you peace-of-mind by signalling to whoever you share it with that you are its creator, and that you wish to be respected as such.

If you receive or evaluate ideas or pitches, join PitchMark as a sign of your commitment to respect the Intellectual Property rights of their creators. Attract more in-depth pitches from a wider range of sources. Highlight your PitchMark membership in your Sustainability or CSR Report.

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