Welcome back to another week of Bells & Whistles.
As always, we’ve rounded up a mix of developments, opportunities, and thoughtful reads from across the IP world along with a Bell of the Week that’s well worth revisiting.
Bell of the Week: B.K. Keayla
Some bells do not just chime, they remind us that innovation does not always begin in a laboratory.
This week’s bell is for B.K. Keayla, a prominent voice in discussions around farmers’ rights, seed sovereignty and the place of agricultural communities within intellectual property systems.
Much of the public conversation around intellectual property focuses on inventors, authors, companies, and research institutions. Yet innovation has always taken many forms. Farmers have selected, adapted, exchanged and improved seeds across generations, building reservoirs of knowledge and biodiversity long before these activities came to be discussed in the language of intellectual property.
Keayla’s work drew attention to this often-overlooked reality. At a time when India was navigating questions around plant variety protection, TRIPS compliance and the future of agricultural innovation, he consistently argued that any system of protection must remain attentive to the contributions of farming communities and the realities of agricultural practice.
His interventions were not simply about opposing or supporting particular legal frameworks. They were part of a broader effort to ask whose knowledge is recognised, whose innovation is rewarded and how legal systems can accommodate forms of creativity that are collective, cumulative and deeply rooted in everyday life.
The questions he raised remain relevant today. As conversations around food security, biodiversity, traditional knowledge and innovation continue to evolve, they remind us that intellectual property is not only about protecting new creations, but also about understanding the diverse ways in which knowledge is generated and sustained.
Some bells do not just chime, they broaden our understanding of who gets to be called an innovator.
EVENTS
1. Report Launch & Roundtable: “FRAND Economics – Valuation Methods in Licensing Standard Essential Patents” (WIPO)
4 June 2026 | 3:00 PM (CEST) | Online
The World Intellectual Property Organization will launch its new report, “FRAND Economics: Valuation Methods in Licensing Standard Essential Patents,” examining the economic approaches used to determine fair, reasonable, and non-discriminatory (FRAND) licensing terms for standard essential patents (SEPs). Designed for judges, arbitrators, policymakers, and licensing professionals, the report provides practical guidance on valuation methodologies that help translate FRAND commitments into concrete licensing outcomes. Key themes include market-based approaches using comparable licences, value-based methodologies such as top-down and bottom-up frameworks, and the role of principled valuation in promoting transparent and predictable licensing and dispute-resolution processes. The launch event will feature a roundtable discussion with report contributors offering multi-jurisdictional perspectives from across the SEP licensing ecosystem.
More info | Register here
OPPORTUNITIES
1. Online Course: Copyright and Related Rights Law | SWAYAM/NPTEL
This SWAYAM/NPTEL course on Copyright and Related Rights Law is taught by Rohan Cherian Thomas of NALSAR University of Law. The course provides a foundational introduction to copyright and related rights law in India, primarily through case law, the Copyright Act, 1957, comparative perspectives from other jurisdictions, real-world examples, and problem-based scenarios. Designed in line with the UGC Choice Based Credit System (CBCS) framework, the course is free to enrol and learn through the SWAYAM platform. Participants who wish to obtain a certificate may register for an optional proctored examination conducted at designated centres for a fee of ₹1,000.
More info
2. Teaching Fellow in Media Law | Edinburgh Law School
Application Deadline: 9 June 2026 | 11:59 PM (UK Time)
Edinburgh Law School is inviting applications for a full-time, permanent Teaching Fellow in Media Law position. Based within the Intellectual Property, Media and Technology Law Subject Area and the internationally recognised SCRIPT Centre, the successful candidate will develop and deliver teaching in media law and the legal dimensions of innovation and technology, while contributing to the wider academic life of the School through leadership, service, and citizenship activities. The role offers a salary in the range of £41,064–£48,822 per annum (Grade UE07) and supports hybrid working arrangements in the United Kingdom.
More info
3. Lecturer / Senior Lecturer (Teaching & Research) UNSW Faculty of Law & Justice
Application Deadline: 18 June 2026 | 11:55 PM
UNSW Sydney is inviting applications for a Lecturer (Level B) / Senior Lecturer (Level C) position in the School of Global and Public Law. This is a full-time, fixed-term appointment for two years (35 hours per week). The Faculty welcomes applicants with expertise and teaching capacity in areas including Public Law (such as Administrative Law and Constitutional Law), Law in the Global Context (covering public and private international law), and core LL.M. modules including Global Common Law Systems and Legal Concepts and Research and Writing. The position offers remuneration from AUD 127,947 (Level B) or AUD 155,403 (Level C), plus superannuation and other benefits.
More info
Thanks to Niharika for the leads!
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