INTA Daily News

More than 200 INTA Annual Meeting first-time attendees were given a high-speed rundown of Annual Meeting dos and don’ts at the Orientation and Reception meeting in the Marriott on May 2, 2004.

Three INTA old hands – Steve Levy of The Home Depot, Jim McCarthy of McDonnell Boehnen Hulbert & Berghoff and Ken Taylor of Marksmen – launched the session with a competition to get delegates talking. One trademark attorney won an INTA travel pillow for having endured a 30 hour trip to Atlanta. Another, who said he had managed to lose his wife in Canada en route to the Annual Meeting, was given a bottle of spirits for having experienced the most eventful journey, fighting off stiff competition from a lawyer whose airline had lost his luggage and whose hotel had double-booked his room. 

After a short introduction to INTA’s history, work and senior officials from Daryl G. Grecich, director, marketing and communications, the panel encouraged first-time attendees to become involved with activities organized by one of the latest INTA committees, the Young Practitioners Group. The committee aims to help trademark specialists still relatively new to the profession – regardless of age – to network and share experiences.

Ken Taylor and Jim McCarthy ended the session with a summary of top tips for getting the most out of the Annual Meeting. Private practitioners – the INTA sharks – were urged to avoid overwhelming their in-house counsel prey with hard-sell techniques. IP service providers were recommended not to foist materials on attendees or to ask leading questions at sessions aimed at advertising their services. 

In-house counsel were reminded that sharks are not all bad and that since it can be good to have a shark on your side in times of trademark trouble, the Annual Meeting provides an ideal opportunity to seek out and develop relationships with trademark counsel in other jurisdictions. 

The panelists encouraged everyone to get used to the “completely acceptable” INTA badge glance to check who they are networking with, remember to swipe their INTA badges at sessions if they want to claim CLE points and to join the sports and social events. Attendees were urged to pace themselves when drinking at the receptions taking place throughout the week and, failing that, to eat plenty of grits at breakfast to soak up the damage.


  Top