Two Big Questions-Always New Answers

• Author: Matthew Hintz

Published in Landslide® magazine, Volume 13, Number 1, a publication of the ABA Section of Intellectual Property Law (ABA-IPL), ©2020 by the American Bar Association. Reproduced with permission. All rights reserved.

This information or any portion thereof may not be copied or disseminated in any form or by any means or stored in an electronic database or retrieval system without the express written consent of the American Bar Association.

Two Big Questions—Always New Answers

I

n the years that I have been a part of the extraordinary edito-

rial board of Landslide® magazine, I have seen that we approach

our work and goals for you, our readers, with questions. Two are

overarching: What do you need to know? Who are the best people

to tell you about it?

There are always fresh answers to these questions. As we see our

profession evolving at a fast pace, our work is continuously fascinat-

ing and challenging. The magazine tackles legal and policy issues

involving trademarks, patents, and copyrights, as well as right of

publicity, trade secrets, privacy, and other areas in the spectrum of

intellectual property law. We stay abreast of how popular culture

and creative expression continue to change the game as we cover

steady development and momentous changes that affect our laws

and our society. To name just a few examples: statutory bars on

registration of immoral, scandalous, and disparaging marks under

section 2(a) of the Trademark Act have been struck; thresholds shift

for patent-eligible subject matter; and creative works from 1924

f‌inally entered the U.S. public domain in 2020. And we address all

the issues so we can provide you with information and engaging

content for you and your practice.

Each issue of the magazine is the product of the talented and ded-

icated volunteer members of the board and the staff—all who ask

questions. I begin my term as editor-in-chief with special thanks

to our team and to my predecessor, Janet Marvel. All of us tip our

hats to the best and brightest authors in the profession who tell us

that they are proud to contribute to our magazine.

The Landslide magazine team and I look forward to hearing from

you—as we all learn and share knowledge about the changes and

developments that affect the big umbrella of intellectual property law.

—Matthew Hintz