Skip to content

News archive

Image courtesy: Twitter

Indian historian Vikram Sampath embroiled in plagiarism row

Indian historian Vikram Sampath has been accused of plagiarism in an article written by him in 2017 as well as copying a passage in his two-volume biography on the Indian political leader Vinayak Damodar Savarkar.
In the first instance, a trio of USA-based historians and academics Rohit Chopra, Ananya Chakravarti and Audrey Truschke, highlighted multiple sentences from Sampath’s 2017 article wh

Imaara Mall (Left) & image design from Temi Coker's Behance account (Right)

Rip-off or not: Nairobi’s Imaara Mall accused of stealing the work of a creative designer

The Imaara retail mall in Nairobi has been accused of copying the work of a Nigerian graphic designer-cum-photographer based in the United States.
The newly opened mall's external walls were painted with a style of art that closely resembles Temi Coker's designs on his Behance account.
Temi began creating his own unique design styles shortly after leaving Adobe in 2019. Since then, his desig

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competition is accused of copying the design from a 17-year-old photo taken by a Scottish photographer and has since withdrawn from the competition and returned the prize money.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,

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

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 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

Photo by Wes Hicks on Unsplash

High Court dismisses claim for copyright infringement in pop song

The following article by Rachel Alexander was first published here by Wiggin, a UK based firm focused on the practice of media, technology and intellectual property law. It is re-published here with Wiggin's permission.

The claimant, Kelly-Marie Smith, is the composer and lyricist of a song, “Can You Tell Me”. The song was never released commercially, but in October 2007 Ms Smith perform

Photo from StockX website

Nike sues StockX for violating trademarks over NFTs

Non-fungible tokens or NFTs continue to be in vogue in 2022, but so have the confusions and legal issues arising from them. In the latest round of actions, Nike has sued StockX for violating trademarks by selling its digital tokens without permission.
StockX is a US-based online resale marketplace that sells streetwear, handbags, and other goods, valued at about US$3.8 billion. In January, it

Image from Spanx Facebook page

Spanx’s founder couldn’t afford a patent attorney. So she figured out how to protect her IP herself.

Twenty years ago, American entrepreneur Sara Blakely launched a business selling shapewear that was more comfortable and more effective than anything else on the market at the time. She called the brand Spanx. And in 2021, she sold a majority share of this business to investment company Blackstone, bringing her net worth to over US$1 billion.
Blakely couldn’t have grown her business without tre

Show more

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.

PitchMark