If You're Not Firsts, You're Lasts: Intellectual Property Lasts

In pop culture, "last" often just means "for now." In intellectual property law, it means something much more concrete. In this episode of IP Goes Pop®, Michael Snyder and Joseph Gushue explore what "last" really means across film, TV, music, and IP law. From The Last Samurai and The Last Jedi to Avatar: The Last Airbender and The Last of Us, "last" builds emotion, but rarely signals the end.

In IP law, it does. The hosts explain how rights expire, can be lost early, become generic, or change by statute. Featuring examples like Alexander Graham Bell's telephone patent and It's a Wonderful Life, this episode breaks down why IP rights don't last forever, and why that matters.

For full show notes and to explore more episodes, please visit www.vklaw.com/newsroom-podcasts.

In this episode:

• 🎬 Films like The Last Samurai, The Last of the Mohicans, and The Last Jedi—final… or not?

• 📺 How Avatar: The Last Airbender and The Last of Us use "last" to build tension

• ⏳ The four ways IP rights end: expiration, early loss, genericide, and statutory change

• 📞 The expiration of Bell's telephone patent—and what followed

• 🎄 How a missed renewal helped make It's a Wonderful Life a holiday staple

Key Moments:

(02:10) Firsts Before Lasts

• Season 7, Episode 1: We're #1! Intellectual Property Firsts

(02:10) Movies With "Last" in the Title

(09:33) Television "Lasts"

(11:20) Musical "Lasts"

(13:40) Four Ways IP Rights Can End

(16:40) Patent Expiration: Alexander Graham Bell's telephone patent

(21:03) Copyright Renewal Failure: It's a Wonderful Life

(28:50) Trademark Genericide

(33:34) Legislative Extensions

(37:02) Final Thoughts

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