The UMKC Law Review is pleased to announce a call for submissions relating to the intersection of law Non-Fungible Tokens and Intellectual Property. Selected papers will be published in the Special Topics Symposium, Summer 2021 edition of the UMKC Law Review.

This symposium invites proposals for papers that explore the legal and regulatory issues involved in Non-Fungible Tokens, specifically in relation to Intellectual Property concerns. The technology behind NFTs has vast potential such as producing improved methods of declaring ownership of underlying intellectual property, crypto-backed smart contracts, providing greater incentives to content creators. However, at this early stage of the Non-Fungible Token technology the rules and regulations surrounding the use of this technology are misunderstood and unclear. Problems such as jurisdictional control of IP relating to the NFT, remedies available for artists whose works are stolen and minted as a NFT, uncertainty relating to rights received in an NFT transaction, among many others. On the other hand, solutions to problems such as perfect recording of ownership in copyright, providing moral rights to creators, and greater control for creators are possible. As a direct result of the technology’s potential, investments in NFTs have surged over the past years, inviting both legitimate businesses and modern-day scammers. To date, policy makers have yet to determine a consistent approach to the technology that protects the public while not stifling innovation. Consequently, this creates a unique opportunity for legal scholars to help shape policy for the future.

This symposium will be the fourth issue of UMKC Law Review’s 90th Volume and will explore these and related topics with the goal of both advancing awareness and influencing public policy. Articles and essays of all lengths and papers by single authors or multiple authors are invited. Preference will be given to works between 5,000 and 25,000 words. To be accepted for publication, articles must not have been previously published. Final papers are due October 1, 2021.

Questions may be addressed to Burcu Erbaz (beydp@mail.umkc.edu).

Proposals for papers should be submitted by August 1, 2021 to the attention of:

Burcu Erbaz at beydp@mail.umkc.edu – (Submissions and Symposia Editor);

Remington Williams at rrwzr5@mail.umkc.edu – (Submissions and Symposia Editor);

Bethany Bleil at bethany.bleil@mail.umkc.edu – (Submissions and Symposia Editor); or,

Professor Wright at wrightdc@umkc.edu (Faculty Advisor);

Professor Callister at callister@umkc.edu – (Faculty Advisor)