Salt Lake City – For students at South Kearns Elementary, World IP Day didn’t mean much. It was just another day – until Maschoff Brennan employees invaded their classrooms to teach them about patents, trademarks and copyrights. The Utah-based law firm partnered with United Way to create a learning opportunity for students across the Wasatch Front.
Not only did Maschoff Brennan employees go to South Kearns Elementary, they also enlightened students at Granite Park Jr. High. The students learned about intellectual property while creating their own – a lava lamp – filled with glitter, glow sticks and food coloring.
“The goal is to explain to them that there are all kinds of possibilities that they didn’t think of before and to show that them that we think they can do something amazing,” said Michelle Brooks, an attorney at the firm.
Explaining IP to 5th and 6th graders may seem like a difficult task, but attorneys tried to put it in terms they could understand. For instance, Shareholder Jason Nixon asked them what would happen if Justin Bieber started singing Eminem songs. The analogy helped students understand the importance of IP protections.
More than 15 Maschoff Brennan employees participated between the two events and students took home a lava lamp creation and a simple understanding of the IP process.
According to the World Intellectual Property Organization, “We celebrate World IP Day to learn about the role that intellectual property rights play in encouraging innovation and creativity.”
Maschoff Brennan plans to continue the World IP Day tradition each year.
