Search
Close this search box.

Quality Education

Please Treat the Information in the Digest as Confidential. Do Not Circulate Outside of the Lex Mundi Network.

If you are interested in a matter, please let us know as soon as possible by emailing Isis Bous and Allison Laubach through the “Ask About This Matter” button on the details page or directly (ibous@lexmundiprobono.org; alaubach@lexmundiprobono.org) and let us know which project(s) interests you. We will place matches with Lex Mundi member firms on a first-come, first-served basis.

You can view all matter summaries on the “Digest” page(s). To view matters by legal need, select the category of interest. See details of individual matters via the “Read More” link in a matter. To view all details of all available matters, choose “View All”.

View by Legal Need
Consultation (7) Contracts (2) Corporate Formation (1) Corporate Governance (1) Data Privacy (1) Finance/Fundraising (1) Intellectual Property (4) Nonprofit Formation (2) Regulatory (2) Research (1) Tax Exempt/Nonprofit (3)

Digest |  View All

Edovo Foundation

Consultation on Patent Enforcement

Summary:

Assist a nonprofit providing a free digital learning platform to incarcerated individuals by providing a consultation on patent enforcement.

Referred by:

  • Anonymous Collaborator
Jurisdictions: U.S.
About the Organization: Edovo is a tech nonprofit that delivers a free digital learning platform to over 1 million incarcerated people each day. With educational, vocational, legal, and treatment/wellness resources they ensure that opportunity is available to all, not just the 18% that traditionally had access to programming inside.
Legal Entity Type: Nonprofit/Charity
SDG(s):Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions, Quality Education, Reduced Inequalities
Legal Issue(s):

Edovo has a patent for their “learn to earn” method for educational programming. Learners can earn points for time spent on free, substantive, programming that can be spent on other forms of entertainment. The Edovo team has become aware of organizations that are violating this patent. Some are bad actors that do not actually provide quality educational content. The Edovo team is now seeking a comprehensive consultation with an IP attorney to discuss: (i) a strategy for exerting rights to their patent; (ii) whether it makes sense to pursue enforcement at this time; and (iii) best next steps. They do not want to engage in any patent litigation. However, they would like limit violations and exert some pressure on the market to increase access to quality educational materials.

Ask About a Matter
,
Edovo Foundation

Review/Update Two Template Contracts with Content Partners

Summary:

Assist a nonprofit providing a free digital learning platform to incarcerated individuals by reviewing/updating two template contracts with content partners.

Referred by:

  • Anonymous Collaborator
Jurisdictions: U.S.
About the Organization: Edovo is a tech nonprofit that delivers a free digital learning platform to over 1 million incarcerated people each day. With educational, vocational, legal, and treatment/wellness resources they ensure that opportunity is available to all, not just the 18% that traditionally had access to programming inside.
Legal Entity Type: Nonprofit/Charity
SDG(s):Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions, Quality Education, Reduced Inequalities
Legal Issue(s):

Edovo works with content partners that provide the underlying curriculum and content library for the Edovo platform. The Edovo team is seeking assistance reviewing/updating the two template contracts used with these partners (which cover IP ownership, payment methods, etc.). These template contracts were initially drafted by an attorney. Since then, Edovo has scaled their work and updated certain practices (e.g., billing practices). They would appreciate help refreshing the contracts to reflect these changes. They would also love to clean up/streamline the terms and combine the two contracts into a single agreement (if possible). Importantly, they have a very positive relationship with the providers and want to ensure the terms are balanced.

Ask About a Matter
,
Blue Butterfly

Consultation/Guidance on Identifying Copyright Ownership

Summary:

Assist a nonprofit providing educational resources to children in low-income countries by providing a consultation/guidance on identifying copyright ownership.

Referred by:

Jurisdictions: US
About the Organization: Blue Butterfly Collaborative’s mission is to inspire children around the world to reach their full potential. To this end, they partner with producers in low- and middle-income countries to develop high-quality children’s media for education, health, and the promotion of respect and understanding across group divides.
Legal Entity Type: Nonprofit/Charity
SDG(s):Gender Equality, Partnerships to achieve the Goals, Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions, Quality Education
Legal Issue(s):

The Blue Butterfly team is currently working on their social studies curriculum for fifth and sixth graders in Haiti. The curriculum aims to integrate local literature, art, and folk tales to give students a deeper understanding of their culture. The Blue Butterfly team is now hoping to receive guidance on how best to proceed/obtain permission for works when copyright ownership is hard to identify. Some examples include: (i) photographs of Haitian artwork; (ii) poetry from a defunct publisher; and (iii) stories from Haitian folktales.

They are seeking a consultation with a U.S. attorney to discuss these issues, with the understanding that the attorney will not be able to speak to Haitian law.

Ask About a Matter
,
The Jersey Bee

Consultation on Whether IP is Patentable

Summary:

Assist a nonprofit news provider by providing a consultation on whether their intellectual property is patentable.

Referred by:

  • Anonymous Collaborator
Jurisdictions: U.S.
About the Organization: The Jersey Bee is a nonprofit local news provider in Essex County, N.J. that works to meet local information needs, increase civic participation, and improve the quality of life for the BIPOC and working-class community.
Legal Entity Type: Nonprofit/Charity
SDG(s):Clean Water and Sanitation, Decent Work and Economic Growth, Good Health and Well Being, Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions, Quality Education, Sustainable Cities and Communities, Zero Hunger
Legal Issue(s):

The Jersey Bee has developed a curation system that enables the organization to gather news reports from dozens of sources across social media and the Internet to compile and produce a variety of news products, including a newsletter, website, events, calendar, and social media. The system is novel because it creates a new production process for local news products.

The Jersey Bee team is now seeking a consultation to discuss whether their system is patentable. If not, they’d like to discuss how best to protect their intellectual property. Eventually, they plan to share their system with the broader journalism community.

Ask About a Matter
,
Taos Education Collaborative, a special project of the Taos Community Foundation

Incorporation and Nonprofit Registration

Summary:

Assist a team eliminating barriers to educational success by helping them to incorporate and file for 501c3 status.

Referred by:

Jurisdictions: New Mexico
About the Organization: Taos Education Collaborative is dedicated to eliminating the barriers that stand between their community’s youth and educational success. Through collective action, they are working to make Taos a place where high-quality learning and educational experiences are available and accessible to learners of all ages — regardless of race, ethnicity, or socioeconomic status.
Legal Entity Type: Unregistered
SDG(s):Decent Work and Economic Growth, Gender Equality, Partnerships to achieve the Goals, Quality Education, Reduced Inequalities
Legal Issue(s):

Taos Education Collaborative has been incubated under the Taos Community Foundation for several years. Now, they would like to become an independent non-profit. The Taos Education Collaborative team is seeking assistance incorporating in New Mexico and applying for 501c3 status.

Ask About a Matter
,