[Excerpt from 2009 Leadership Meeting President’s Report & Volunteer Service Awards Speech given by INTA President Richard Heath on November 11, 2009]

The President’s Award is given to distinguished and deserving INTA volunteers for a career dedicated to trademarks and intellectual property protection and advancement. Like all of our winners today, this year’s recipient combines a commitment to trademark work with a generous spirit of giving and volunteerism.

The winner of the 2009 President’s Award is:
Jerre B. Swann of Kilpatrick Stockton LLP.

As a long time INTA volunteer and proponent of trademark law, Jerre Swann has captured what it means to devote one’s career to making his practice perfect.

Jerre Swann’s roles at INTA include serving as Editor in Chief of The Trademark Reporter in 1989, followed by his tenure on the Board of Directors from 1989 to 1991. Jerre was the principal drafter of INTA’s Amicus Brief to the Supreme Court in the Victoria’s Secret dilution case, and also one of the intellectual engines that drove the Special Committee on the Federal Trademark Dilution Act, which led to the amendment of that statute to re-establish the “likelihood of dilution” standard.

Always the scholar of trademark law, Jerre has devoted himself to writing on the most important IP topics of the day, and remains a prolific contributor to the TMR. Because of his outstanding scholarship, it’s no surprise that Jerre was also the recipient of the Ladas Memorial Award in 2000 for the best paper in the field of trademark law, and the Volunteer Service Award for the Advancement of Trademark Law in 2002.

Jerre’s ability to understand and distill for the rest of us the role that trademarks play in business and among consumers has been important to the development of new ways to think about brands and branding. There are few better commentaries than Jerre’s articles on trademark dilution and issues like the need for interdisciplinary research on brand strength and the consumer. Many of Jerre’s articles have focused on the psychological effects of trademarks and brands on the consumer and in the marketplace. Even more so today, this central idea is critical to the IP community as it adapts to threats from numerous and sometimes unexpected quarters, and to a fast changing world where trademarks expand through the global economy and online.

Jerre has devoted himself to a lifetime of learning, and sharing that knowledge, so that brand owners, practitioners and the public can better understand and protect trademarks.

Thank you, Jerre, for all that you have contributed, and it is our hope that you will continue to share with us your intellectual curiosity, which inspires us to be better stewards of trademarks for brand owners around the world.

Please join me in congratulating Jerre on winning the 2009 President’s Award.

There are three Volunteer Service Award categories, including:

 The Advancement of Trademark Law,

 The Advancement of Committee or Subcommittee Objectives, and

 The Advancement of the Association.

The first award is for the Advancement of Trademark Law, presented to one or more individuals whose participation and efforts during the year have led to the advancement of substantive trademark law and practice.

This year's winners are:
Marion Heathcote of Davies Collison Cave
And
Adam Scoville of RE\MAX International Inc.

Marion Heathcote has been a tremendous leader and an active committee member for nearly a decade at INTA, and she is currently the chair of the Indigenous Rights Subcommittee of the Emerging Issues Committee. It is here where Marion’s passion and energy for this subject is instantly recognizable, and committee members have benefited from her enthusiasm and dedication to the subcommittee’s approach and goals. Marion has been a champion of this issue both in her home country where this is such an important issue but then looking at the issue regionally and globally, applying successful solutions and advocating their widespread adoption. Her creativity in engaging other members has drawn them to participate in new ways, including field trips that add context to current IP issues. Marion has shown us a great example of what the Association does best in an area like this – identifying an emerging issue and advocating effective solutions to it at national, regional and global levels.

Her work also extends beyond committees, as Marion has been a speaker numerous times at INTA events, has authored articles and questionnaires that have helped INTA partner with the World Intellectual Property Organization. And on a personal note, Marion and her husband also actively support a local theatre company which encourages and develops new and emerging and indigenous artists.

Thank you, Marion, for your hard work, in and out of the office, and dedication to INTA.

Adam Scoville, chair of the Whois Subcommittee of the Internet Committee, has worked extensively over the last several years on maintaining open and free public access to contact information on registered Internet domain names – a critical issue for trademark owners. This data, contained in what is commonly known as the Whois database, is vitally important to trademark owners and, among other purposes, is used to identify and take action against trademark infringement.

This year, Adam led two important efforts on behalf of INTA; he supervised the submission of INTA’s response to the United States Department of Commerce’s Notice of Inquiry on ICANN’s performance under the Joint Project Agreement, and he coordinated the Internet Committee’s comments on the Implementation Recommendation Team final report.

Thank you, Adam, for making trademark law objectives your priority, and for your terrific stewardship of these important and absolutely critical Internet-related issues.

The next Volunteer Service Award is for individuals whose initiative and creative thinking have led to the Advancement of Committee or Subcommittee Objectives.

This year’s winners are:
Mary Beth Besler of Lewis and Roca LLP
And
Glenn A. Gundersen of Dechert LLP.

Mary Beth Besler, chair of the Young Practitioners Subcommittee, has encouraged and inspired many new IP lawyers. Mary Beth was instrumental in developing this year’s Mentor Program and the inaugural Next Level forum that was held in New York City. With her outstanding work and dedication, her subcommittee has become one of the most active within the Member Services Committee.

During her tenure, Mary Beth has overseen the launch of several Young Practitioner Receptions, both at the Annual Meeting and locally for those who could not travel, along with Volunteer Service Projects, which have not only benefited young INTA members, but also the community.

Thank you, Mary Beth, for your outstanding leadership, especially to our young practitioners, and for your constant motivation and example to give back to our Association and the community.

Glenn A. Gundersen, a past volunteer service award winner for the Advancement of the Association in 2004, developed the proposal for the very successful Next Level Forum. Glenn recognized a growing demographic within INTA, the young and mid-level practitioners, who need specific quality programming that can help them build their careers and promote active membership within INTA.

This well-received and popular program, having had such success in New York City, will be extended to Europe in 2010.

Thank you, Glenn, for having the vision to see the needs of our diverse membership and working to develop programming that speaks directly to them.

Please join me in congratulating these two winners for their extraordinary commitment and contribution to INTA.

The third Volunteer Service Award is for the Advancement of the Association, which is presented to those who have most notably advanced the objectives of INTA, specifically those that are outlined in our strategic plan.

Today, our four winners are:
Peter W. Becker of Microsoft Corporation
Karina Dimidjian-Lecomte of Casalonga Avocats
Kelly McCarthy of Sideman and Bancroft
And
Iris V. Quadrio of Marval O'Farrell and Mairal.

Peter Becker is an invaluable asset in the ongoing goal of strengthening relations between INTA and Governmental Trademark Offices. As a member of the Regular Member Committee, Peter participated in both the INTA\UPSTO and the INTA\OHIM Industry Training Seminars in 2008. Peter was also co-chair of the Trademarks on the Internet Forum that was held in February 2009 in San Francisco. His contributions have been instrumental to the Association this past year and we applaud his hard work and commitment to INTA.

Regrettably, Peter could not be here with us today, so we congratulate him in absentia.

Our next award winner, Karina Dimidjian-Lecomte, will accept both her award and the award for Kelly McCarthy, who also could not be here with us today.

Karina and Kelly are being recognized for their joint efforts and tremendous success in advancing student membership and involvement at INTA. Karina and Kelly have worked diligently as committee and project team members to increase student membership and provide career advice for students through the Student Panel Presentations. These presentations, seen at both the Annual Meeting and locally in cities throughout the world, have helped to introduce many law students to the excitement and rewards of trademark law.

Because of their work, our Association now enjoys its highest student membership, and that number continues to grow. Thank you Karina and Kelly for all that you have done.

Iris V. Quadrio, a 2004 VSA winner for Advancement of Committee Objectives, is known for her tireless work in cultivating INTA’s presence in Latin America.

Iris has been an integral part of the Latin American Task Force and has focused on ways in which both INTA and the entire trademark community can better understand and support the needs of the region. Under her guidance and with her dedication, the formation and leadership of the Latin American Council has increased substantially our interaction with trademark offices, supported numerous legislative initiatives and built new partnerships with IP organizations throughout the region, all helping to firmly establish INTA in Latin America.

Thank you, Iris, for leading INTA’s work in Latin America and for bringing new programs and initiatives to a region that we care about deeply.

Please join me in congratulating all of our winners for their extraordinary commitment and contribution to INTA.