WIPO Academy Alumni Spotlight: Tetiana Shkoda
July 26, 2024
Tetiana Shkoda is a WIPO Academy alumna and a talented poet from the Ukraine. In 2023, she published her first book of poetry entitled “A Transcription of Jazz”, while pursuing studies abroad. She is a graduate of the Joint Master’s Degree Program in Intellectual Property and New Technologies offered by the WIPO Academy, the Patent Office of the Republic of Poland and Jagiellonian University in Krakow, Poland (class of 2024).
Poetry and jazz
Tetiana was always passionate about poetry and jazz, so combining both in her first published work was a natural next step. “A Transcription of Jazz” is a collection of poems about the transformative experiences of jazz while processing difficult emotions and fear during war. The book can be read as a chronological story, but each poem can also stand as an independent piece on its own. She finished writing the poems for the book during the residential phase of the master’s program at Jagiellonian University as it offered her a refuge for creativity.
“A Transcription of Jazz” was published during the residential phase of the Joint Master’s Degree Program by ArtHuss Publishing featuring a photo of herself on the cover taken by Mykola Zavaryka and designed for publication by Victor Baryba. She relied heavily on her editor Lidia Ryzhkova to refine her work and realize the value of her poems.
As a novice to the publishing world, Tetiana sought publishing houses herself and ensured that the appropriate intellectual property (IP) considerations are implemented at every step of the process. She signed a publishing agreement with ArtHuss Publishing outlining that she owns the rights to her book, and she signed an agreement with several independent photographers to use their photos in the book.
Tetiana is now in charge of promoting and distributing her book online through social media and third-party websites. She is also working on translating her poems into English so she can reach a wider international audience that may resonate with her poetry.
Be confident in your creative ability as there will always be someone who will enjoy your creative output. Get IP knowledge because it is how you can profit from your creative work, and it is very important to protect yourself and your work. Keep writing and protect your writing!
Tetiana Shkoda, Poet and WIPO Academy Alumna
Embodying IP theory and practice
Besides pursing poetry, Tetiana has been teaching entrepreneurship and IP at the Department of Business Economic and Entrepreneurship of Kyiv National Economic University named after Vadym Hetman, in addition to supporting her university’s Technology and Innovation Support Center (TISC) since 2021. The head of the TISC at her university encouraged her to apply for a WIPO Academy Joint Master’s Degree Program so that she could then use her knowledge to help the TISC grow and benefit more students and researchers on campus.
In fact, Tetiana decided to focus her dissertation on IP strategies for non-rights holders because she felt it was an important angle to explore, as most SMEs in the European Union are not IP rights holders and the SMEs in Ukraine usually do not apply for international IP protection. Even her dissertation supervisor, Dr. Dariusz Kasprzycki, found her topic to be very innovative as most research focuses on rights holders while the perspective of competitors who are not rights holders is neglected, particularly in the context of market entry by SMEs. Through her dissertation Tetiana hoped to contribute to research that could improve the economic competitiveness of her country as it prepares to join the European Union.
However, the highlight of the Joint Master’s Degree Program for her was the diversity of perspectives on IP as she got to meet classmates from all over the world.
“I am happy with the friends I gained from different corners of the world through the Joint Master’s Degree Program at Jagiellonian University. The diversity of opinions of the participants really helps open your mind and enriches you.” – Tetiana Shkoda, Poet and WIPO Academy Alumna
Interested in building your IP knowledge and skills?
The WIPO Academy offers year-long opportunities for those wishing to develop their IP knowledge and skills through its Executive Training Program, Distance Learning courses, IP Training Institutions, Joint Master’s Programs and WIPO Summer Schools.
To learn from our alumni and their experiences, please connect to our growing alumni community on LinkedIn by joining the WIPO Academy’s official “Academy Community”.