Podcast

Anna Aseeva – Sustainable by Code: Rethinking Tech Governance from IP to AI

What if the rules we write today could make tomorrow’s technology more human, safer, and genuinely worth wanting? We sit down with Anna Aseeva, a legal strategist working at the intersection of sustainability, intellectual property, and AI, to map a smarter path for digital innovation that starts with design and ends with systems people trust.

We dig into the significant shifts shaping tech governance right now. Anna explains a practical model for aligning IP and sustainability: protect early to nurture fragile ideas through sandboxes and investment, then open up mature solutions with licensing that shares benefits and safeguards intent. 

This conversation is equally about culture and code. We talk about legal design that reads like plain talk, citizen participation that turns evidence into policy input, and civic apps that could let communities steer platform rules. We cover digital sustainability beyond emissions—lighter websites, greener hosting, and product decisions that fight digital obesity and planned obsolescence. And we don’t shy away from the realities of AI: hallucinated footnotes, invented coauthors, and the simple fixes that come from a careful human in the loop.

If you’re a builder or curious listener who wants technology to serve people and planet, you’ll find clear takeaways: design for sustainability from day one, keep humans in charge of final decisions, protect what’s fragile, open what’s ready, and invite people into the process. 

Subscribe, share with a friend, and tell us: where should human review be non-negotiable?

Check out “Protection for the Inventive Mind” – available now on Amazon in print and Kindle formats.

Case Study: Lego’s Playbook For Intellectual Property – Intangiblia™

Think a lost patent ends the story? We unpack how Lego turned a single technical invention into a platform for decades of innovation, brand power, and adult creativity. Starting with the 1958 stud-and-tube coupling, we explain what the original brick patent really covered, why its expiry didn’t sink the company, and how modern patents protect motion, mechanisms, and programmable systems rather than basic interlocking. From there, we map the rest of the toolkit: trademarks for source identity, design rights for appearance, and copyrights for expressive elements.We also dive into the courtroom rulers that drew bright lines on functionality. Attempts to trademark the brick shape faltered in Canada and the EU because function can’t double as a brand signifier, while the minifigure shape prevailed as a 3D trademark. A later EU design-rights win showed that even bricks have protectable visual features when not purely functional. Enforcement cases against Best-Lock and Lepin underline how copyrights and trade dress defend minifigures, packaging, and character designs across markets.Then we switch from courts to culture. Lego’s adult strategy blends nostalgia with display-worthy design: Star Wars Ultimate Collector Series, sleek Architecture skylines, and the Botanical collection that doubles as decor. Black-box, 18+ packaging telegraphs “made for you,” and the brand leans into mindful building as a calming, creative ritual. Finally, we explore Lego Serious Play, an open-source methodology that spreads fast through facilitators while the company retains the brand and sells specialized kits. It’s a masterclass in sharing the method but owning the name.If you enjoy smart takes on how IP, marketing, and design shape the products you love, hit follow, share this with a friend who builds, and leave a review to tell us which Lego insight surprised you most.Send us a textCheck out "Protection for the Inventive Mind" – available now on Amazon in print and Kindle formats. The views and opinions expressed (by the host and guest(s)) in this podcast are strictly their own and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the entities with which they may be affiliated. This podcast should in no way be construed as promoting or criticizing any particular government policy, institutional position, private interest or commercial entity. Any content provided is for informational and educational purposes only.
  1. Case Study: Lego’s Playbook For Intellectual Property
  2. Zodiac Season, Litigation Rising
  3. From Spark to Impact, the Conscious Path of an Idea
  4. Mireille Gomes – Can Algorithms Heal? Reimagining Health Equity with AI and Data Justice
  5. Jean Marc Seigneur – In Trust We Build: Designing the Future of Digital Reputation

The views and opinions expressed (by the host and guest(s)) in this podcast are strictly their own and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the entities with which they may be affiliated. This podcast should in no way be construed as promoting or criticizing any particular government policy, institutional position, private interest or commercial entity. Any content provided is for informational and educational purposes only.

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