Each week, Sheppard Mullin brings you News of Note in IP: The latest news in the IP-related fields of technology, privacy, fashion, advertising, music, and social media, curated by our IP team.  Here are some of the stories that we’ve been reading:

Engineers Smash World Record for Solar Power

Australian engineers successfully harvested an unheard-of 34.5 percent of the sun’s energy without concentrators, demonstrating there are still advances to be made in photovoltaics research.

How the Hyperloop Will Change Travel

The internet is abuzz with the news of the recent Hyperloop test—even the Chinese Military is getting involved.  But what can the average traveler expect from advances in the tubular transport system?  Here are four ways the Hyperloop is expected to revolutionize travel.

Brewery Invests in Edible Six-Pack Rings to Save Marine Life

In your feel-good story of the week, a Florida brewery has developed biodegradable and compostable six-pack holders that are edible for marine wildlife.  Cheers to Saltwater Brewery for helping us save the world one six-pack at a time.

And the Patent goes to . . . Kevin Spacey!

The House of Cards star has been awarded U.S. Patent No. 8,306,877, which is directed to providing a way to screen and manage non-authorized emails—or, as his co-inventor put it, creating “a digital doorman at a velvet rope.”

Explosion of the Week: Scientists Blow Up Water with Lasers

For the first time ever, physicists were able to film X-ray bursts splitting a beam of water at speeds as fast as five-billionths of a second.  What did you do with your week?