Political controversies have become a day-to-day standard in the media and our society, and the use of current communication has allowed everyone to be involved in any topic to express their perception. 

In this edition of our monthly special, we focus on the political impact of the IP world and how those subjects can relate to each other. 

Through our compilation of news and articles, the reader will be able to analyze some of the most recent and impactful cases in which political positions have influenced the Intellectual Property of companies and individuals, which modified their perception and the acquisition of the products or services that those distinctive signs protect. 

Football team names, product packaging, brand publicity campaigns, commercial partnerships, and product presence in specific countries are examples of how political positions have impacted how trademarks and other distinctive signs are presented to the public. 

On the one hand, the never-ending progression of our society is causing an evolution in the way we think and the way we see each other through several movements that try to have a more respectful, fair and equal community, new and renovated political stands have permeated in the behavior of individuals and companies, which have modified their intellectual property management. 

On the other hand, retrograde political ideas have also been impacting the intellectual property of some companies and individuals and, in some cases, changed the way those companies or individuals were seen and consumed by the public, both by opposers and supporters of these ideas. 

Here are some examples of the two sides: 

Ibereditors's picks: 

• Intellectual Property at the Intersection of Race and Gender: Lady Sings the Blues - K.J. Greene (The American University Journal of Gender, Social Policy & the Law) – 2008
• Advertisers continue to flee Twitter as civil rights groups call for a boycott – K. Bell (Engadget) – November 4, 2022
• Islamic State Turns to NFTs to Spread Terror Message – Ian Talley (The Wall Street Journal) – September 6, 2022
• Coca-Cola and McDonald's left Russia. Their brands stayed behind - Jessica DiNapoli and Alexander Marrow (Reuters) – August 17, 2022
• These teams faced pressure to change their Native American names. Here’s what’s happened since – Eric Levenson (CNN) – December 14, 2020
• Patent Racism – Karen Duffin, Mary Childs, Planet Monkey (NPR) – June 12, 2020
• Adidas cuts profit guidance amid Kanye West fallout – Max Zahn (ABC news) – November 9, 2022
• Ye Can’t Sell ‘White Lives Matter’ Shirts Because Two Black Men Own the Trademark – Adam Mahoney (Capital B) – October 31, 2022
• 5 Ways Technology Has Positively Impacted the LGBTQ+ Community – Dave Pierce (Progress) – June 15, 2020
• Why would self-driving cars hit dark skin Pedestrians more often? - Ahmad Ghayad (Engineerine) – October 11, 2022
• Gender and racial bias found in Amazon’s facial recognition technology (again) – James Vincent (The Verge) – January 25, 2019
• Nets suspend Kyrie Irving for at least five games without pay – Brian Mahoney (AP news) – November 4, 2022
• Ralph Lauren Accused of Cultural Appropriation of Mexican Designs — Here’s What Happened – AJ Gonzalez (REMEZCLA) – October 21, 2022
• Naked 'Nevermind' baby loses lawsuit against Nirvana after judge dismisses child pornography complaint – Jack Guy (CNN) – September 5, 2022
• The Royal relationship with trademarks – Annabel Hanratty and Amy-Louise Salter (The Chartered Institute of Trade Mark Attorneys) – June 1, 2022