April 17, 2018 Women in Entertainment Headline World Intellectual Property Day

World Intellectual Property Day, observed on April 26 since 2000, marks the date in 1970 when the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Convention came into force. In celebration of this significant moment in history, the U.S. Copyright Office at the Library of Congress will feature prominent speakers discussing the myriad ways women have shaped creativity and innovation. This year’s theme, announced by WIPO, is “Powering change: Women in Innovation and Creativity.”

At 10:30 a.m. on Thursday, April 26, a panel of female content creators and distributors will seek to promote and increase general understanding of the important role of intellectual property. The discussion will be held in the Coolidge Auditorium on the ground floor of the Library’s Thomas Jefferson Building, 10 First St. S.E., Washington, D.C. The event is free and open to the public; tickets are not required.

This event will be livestreamed on the U.S. Copyright’s Office newly launched YouTube site (captioned) at youtube.com/uscopyrightoffice. Over the coming months this site will begin to feature educational videos and occasional live content on the tools and services of the office and how the general public can protect and preserve their intellectual property.

Rep. Judy Chu, co-chair of the Congressional Creative Rights Caucus in the U.S. House of Representatives, will provide featured remarks. Introductory remarks will be offered by Acting Register of Copyrights Karyn A. Temple. The panel will be moderated by Michele Woods, head of the Copyright Law Division of WIPO. Panelists include former president of the American Society of Media Photographers (ASMP) Judy Herrmann, Michelle Hurd, known for her roles on “Cagney and Lacey,” “Blindspot” and “Law & Order SVU”; composer, lyricist, pianist and music producer Georgia Stitt, known for original music in stage plays such as “Snow Child”; and Julie Swidler, executive vice president of business affairs and general counsel for Sony Music Entertainment. 

The comprehension of intellectual property rights, patents, trademarks, industrial designs and copyright plays a prominent role in encouraging innovation and creativity. The panel willacknowledge the brilliance, ingenuity, curiosity and courage of the women who are driving change in our world and shaping our common future.

This program is part of the Copyright Matters lecture series. The Copyright Office launched the Copyright Matters lecture series in 2011 as a forum for discussion of the practical implications of copyright law in the 21st century. For details, go to copyright.gov/copyrightmatters.html.

The Library of Congress is the world’s largest library, offering access to the creative record of the United States — and extensive materials from around the world — both on-site and online. It is the main research arm of the U.S. Congress and the home of the U.S. Copyright Office.  Explore collections, reference services and other programs and plan a visit at loc.gov, access the official site for U.S. federal legislative information at congress.gov and register creative works of authorship at copyright.gov.