INTA Daily News

Style has always been the hallmark of the annual Brand Names Education Foundation (BNEF) Gala. The evening of Saturday, May 1 was no exception. Guests arrived wearing elegant gowns, bright corsages, bowties and pressed tuxedos to be transported back in time through the tunes of the live band Southern Charm and Swing. 

Held annually since 1996, the Gala is a chance for attendees to contribute to the Foundation’s goal of furthering global education about brands and brand protection. It also provides an opportunity to recognize the Foundation’s many contributors and volunteers from around the world and provides a showcase to highlight the accomplishments of the scholarship and award recipients who have distinguished themselves through the Foundation’s various programs in the past year. Perhaps unofficially, but significantly, the Gala marks the official start of INTA’s Annual Meeting. 

“Welcome to the 2004 Brand Names Education Foundation Gala,” said Board of Governors Chair David Gooder, from Jack Daniel’s Properties, Inc. “We appreciate you being here and your support of the Foundation. 2003 was a very successful year for BNEF, and work is well underway for 2004,” he added.
Gooder praised the hundreds of volunteers who donated time and money to BNEF in 2003. Among them, he thanked the sponsors and INTA which, under the guidance of Executive Director Alan C. Drewsen, donated both funds and staff to support the Foundation’s work. But the focus of yesterday’s talk were the award winners for the BNEF programs. 

This year, 50 teams from 44 schools participated in the Saul Lefkowitz Moot Court Competition, which was first established to introduce law students to the challenging and varied issues involved in trademark and unfair competition law. The competition was based on the mock trademark case of Skateen, Inc v. Sk18ink, which explored “trademark infringement versus extreme fan loyalty.”

The four regional winning teams advanced to the National Finals on March 13, 2004 in Washington, DC at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, where they argued the appeal before distinguished jurists from the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Boalt Hall, UC Berkeley won the awards for Best Team and Best Oralist Team and the Dolores K. Hanna National Best Brief Award. The University of Virginia School of Law won the Second Place Team and Second Place Oralist Awards. 

Regional winners included Boston College Law School (East), Marquette University School of Law (Midwest), University of Virginia School of Law (South), Boalt Hall, UC Berkeley (West).

Next, Gooder awarded the 2004 Pattishall Medal to Roger Schechter from The George Washington University Law School. The Medal is presented every four years to the university or graduate school academic nominated by his/her peers or students who best exemplifies the qualities of excellence and innovation in teaching subjects broadly related to trademarks and trade identity. Prof Schechter’s 24-year career as an educator at George Washington University has led his students to describe him as captivating, creative, knowledgeable, informative and a tough professor with a genuine sense of humor. 

The 2003 Ladas Memorial Award went to Patrick Curran, a student at the University of Chicago, for his article “Diluting the Commercial Speech Doctrine: Commercial Parody and the Noncommercial Use Exception of the Federal Trademark Dilution Act.” 

“I would like to congratulate all of the award winners for their hard work and dedication to the field of trademark law,” said Gooder, at the closing of his presentation.


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