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When creativity meets intellectual property, innovation has no boundaries.

Eric Bear has licensed intellectual property to all major U.S. studios and Fortune 500 companies while maintaining a successful acting career. With over 100 patents covering software and video technology, Eric's seamless expansion invention was popularized by The Matrix and licensed to Disney, Fox, and other major studios. This conversation explores how he balances roles as inventor, entrepreneur, actor, and university professor while navigating patent litigation and startup IP protection. Discover how unconventional career paths can drive business trademark protection and commercial success.

Key Takeaways:

• How Eric licensed technology to all major Hollywood studios
• The connection between acting, invention, and entrepreneurial thinking
• Navigating patent litigation while maintaining creative pursuits
• Building companies around intellectual property course principles
• The role of performance capture technology in modern filmmaking
• Protecting IP rights while collaborating with Fortune 500 companies
• Career advice for young creators balancing art and business
• How AI impacts creative industries and performer rights
• The importance of following passion over financial incentives
• Screen Actors Guild protections for digital likeness rights

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Ruth Vitale, Oscar-winning producer and CEO of Creative Future, reveals the devastating impact of copyright piracy on America's entertainment workforce. Piracy costs the economy up to $71 billion annually and threatens 560,000 jobs across film and television. Ruth explains how small business IP protection matters for the 122,000 companies serving Hollywood, why copyright law basics must evolve for the digital age, and what IP protection strategies could save the industry. From malware risks on pirate sites to AI's threat to actor rights, this conversation exposes hard truths about intellectual property education and the urgent need for site blocking legislation.

Key Takeaways:

• Piracy costs the US economy between $29 to 71 billion annually
• Film and television employ 2.3 million Americans (down from 2.7 million)
• 92% of entertainment businesses employ fewer than 10 people
• Google receives 58 million takedown requests weekly—yet pirate sites flourish
• 60 countries have site blocking laws; the US does not
• Visiting pirate sites carries a 30%+ risk of downloading malware
• Movie theaters keep 50% of box office revenue
• Average entertainment industry salary: $141,000 vs $94,000 nationally
• Independent filmmakers finance projects with credit cards, can lose everything to piracy
• AI companies train models on copyrighted content without permission

Listen to discover how intellectual property course advocates like Ruth are fighting to protect creative workers and why copyright training matters for every entrepreneur.

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Award-winning educator and IP advocate Daryl Lim joins Bruce Berman to explore the intersection of artificial intelligence and intellectual property education. Broadcasting from Singapore, Daryl shares his global perspective on how AI is reshaping IP frameworks, from the $1.5 billion Anthropic settlement to the emergence of new data rights. This conversation examines IP leadership challenges, the role of blockchain in patent processes, and why marginalized communities need better access to intellectual property protection. Daryl discusses China's rapid IP development, the importance of equity by design in technology governance, and practical startup IP strategies for navigating an increasingly complex landscape.

Key Takeaways:

• AI and IP rights are fundamentally interconnected and evolving together
• The $1.5 billion Anthropic case settlement sets precedent at $3,000 per book
• IP leadership requires moving ahead of trends, not following them
• China has transformed from IP pirate nation to major player in 20 years
• Blockchain technology can reduce friction in IP transactions
• Universities became IP believers after the Bayh-Dole Act enabled monetization
• Content creators must embrace technology as ally, not enemy
• Government frameworks should align AI development with societal values
• Patent education and copyright training need to be more inclusive
• Small creators need better tools to participate in large-scale licensing

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Join host Bruce Berman for an illuminating conversation with Henry Hadad, Head of Intellectual Property Rights at Bristol-Myers Squibb. This episode explores how intellectual property education and strong patent protection drive medical breakthroughs while addressing common misconceptions about IP rights. 

Hadad shares his unique journey from a creative family background—his uncle wrote disco classics like "It's Raining Men"—to becoming a leading voice in pharmaceutical patent strategy. Learn how the patent process explained through real-world examples demonstrates why IP protection strategies are essential for developing life-saving treatments. Discover insights on startup IP challenges, the role of university research, and why patent basics matter more than ever in our innovation-driven economy.

Key Takeaways:

• Strong patent systems drive innovation by providing investment certainty
• University research partnerships create vital public-private innovation bridges
• Patent licensing enables smaller inventors to monetize their discoveries
• AI-generated inventions pose new challenges for patent eligibility
• China's improving IP system creates competitive pressure for US innovation
• Clear communication about IP benefits counters harmful misconceptions
• Patent certainty affects venture capital investment decisions
• Pharmaceutical patents enable continued research into new disease indications

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Michael Cima is a researcher, inventor and entrepreneur who has spent 40-years creating advanced medical devices that focus on diagnostics and treatments for cancer, metabolic diseases and trauma. He is also devoted educator mentoring the next generation of creators about the broad benefits of IP rights. 

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Julie Zerbo is an editor, lawyer and business analyst who covers the business of fashion, including its evolving use of licensing and IP rights. 

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Author Jonathan Barnett argues that tilting the IP playing field to the benefit of the biggest companies is a much greater threat to innovation, business and democracy than we are willing to admit. 

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Brandie Nonnecke heads the CITRIS Policy Lab, a tech research center at UC Berkeley that focuses on IT and deep tech and explores topical issues, including personal data privacy, digital access equity, AI bias, and the influence of social media on democracy. 

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Dr. Bertley is a nine-time Emmy Award winning educator who believes that inventions and creative expression are for everyone, from school age children to leading research institutions. Science, technology, engineering, arts, math (STEAM) are his passion. As CEO of the leading U.S. science museum, Center for Science & Indusry (COSI), he is living it.  

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Arguably the most successful USPTO Director, Andrei Iancu, worries that fear of an AI apocalyps are over blown and that too much regulation could be a bigger threat to the U.S.'s ability to compete than too little