Kim Tignor

Kim Tignor is the creator and founder of Take Creative Control (TCC) and executive director of the Institute for Intellectual Property & Social Justice (IIPSJ). Kim has grabbed the attention of creators of color by shining a light on a barrier to opportunity that’s been hiding in plain sight: our intellectual property laws.

We don’t always connect the dots between social justice and IP law. Like most social justice issues in America, IP law is ingrained in our system, silently tipping the scales against equality and opportunity. Think of an up-and-coming graphic artist who discovers a big brand stole her work. Or an entrepreneur who has great ideas but no army of attorneys to defend his rights. Or a breakout music artist trying to navigate inner-workings of fair use legal jargon. Without millions of dollars in lawyers or lobbyists, IP law seems like an immovable object that too often ends up protecting those at the top – sometimes at the expense of creators of color.

This injustice served as the catalyst for TCC. Founded in 2018, Tignor started by hosting local creative clinics that mixed music, art, and conversation with free legal advice. Her first goal is to make sure that creators know their rights and what they need to do to protect themselves. But soon, TCC took off and hasn’t slowed down. Tignor has built a growing community of artists, entrepreneurs, social justice activists, and top IP legal minds that collectively push for creative rights for creators.

Tignor has been featured on the WashingTECH Tech Policy Podcast with Joe Miller, C-SPAN, and The Mike Muse Show. She has served as expert speaker at the 21 Ninety Summit, Artomatic, and the Copyright Office.

Before IIPSJ, she directed policy at the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, and worked to diversify the federal bench with the VENG Group. Born and raised in Washington, DC, Tignor received her JD from Georgetown University and her undergraduate degree in Economics and Information Technology from the College of William and Mary.