February 24, 2026

Intellectual Property Firsts: We're #1

34 minutes

"If you're not first, you're last!" This week on IP Goes Pop!®, co-hosts Michael Snyder and Joseph Gushue chase down "IP firsts" and explain why these origin stories still matter to creators, brands, and inventors today.

The episode opens with our hosts' personal firsts (early movie-theater memories, ticket-counter hijinks). Then the discussion shifts to media milestones, including the first televised commercial during a live sports broadcast, the first laugh track, and the first prime-time animated series.

Moving from the screen to intellectual property firsts. Michael and Joe explain how the early United States patent system looks nothing like what we know today, how the Supreme Court invalidated the first trademark granted, which led to a reboot of the whole trademark system. Finally, they look in their own backyard of Philadelphia for "copyright firsts," with the 1790 copyright registration for the Philadelphia Spelling Book.

This episode of IP "firsts" isn't just a collection of fun facts. Knowing the roots of intellectual property helps with understanding how ideas and designs are protected today. The episode explains the rules that guide the IP process, why they changed, and what that means when you're protecting a brand, a product, or a creative work today. What will your IP protection "first" be?

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

Key Moments:

(01:45) Pop Culture Firsts: First Movie Theater Memory

(03:45) First "Adult" Movie + Rating History

(06:45) First TV Commercial

(09:39) First Laugh Track on TV

(12:08) First Primetime Animated TV Show

(14:50) Patent Firsts and Early U.S. Patent System

(19:20) Patent Office Fire + Patent Numbering Begins

(20:10) First U.S. Patent(s)

(24:15) Trademark Firsts

(27:16) Oldest Still-Active Trademark Mentioned