April 2008

INTA launches its new Committee Portal that facilitates the retention, search and retrieval of committees’ institutional knowledge and enhances committee performance by allowing committee members and staff to collaborate on work and to communicate online.

December 2007
INTA launches its first ever Media Center Web page, specially geared to members of the media as a one-stop hub for all of the Association’s communications and public relations information. The Media Center features INTA’s latest press releases, advertisements and resources for both journalists and consumers.

 
August 2007
INTA launches its new Country Portals, which serve as a gateway to country-specific online trademark information. Country Portals is a full-service resource for the trademark practitioner, designed to make the practitioner’s job easier when searching for trademark-related online resources on a particular country.

July 2007
INTA continues its commitment to internationalization by hiring a representative in Mumbai, India. The India Representative will provide a valuable link to both members and prospective members in the region. The India Representative works closely with INTA Headquarters in New York to ensure that INTA continues to serve its members, educate, and inform the public.

October 2006
The Trademark Dilution Revision Act of 2006 is signed into law by the President of the United States on October 6, 2006.

September 2006
INTA strengthens its presence in Europe by opening a representative office in Brussels, Belgium. The Europe Office highlights a new dimension of INTA’s ability to represent its members before European and national policy makers. The Europe Representative provides more direct access to Association members in the region and promotes the need for effective and harmonized protection and enforcement of trademark rights within and at the borders of the internal market.

INTA welcomes its 5,000th member – Tempur-Pedic International, Inc. of the United States, a Swedish mattress and pillow manufacturer.

August 2006
INTA offers the first In-House Idea Exchange teleconference, where corporate members participate in a conference call to discuss metrics and how to justify the value of the trademark department. This serves as the first of quarterly teleconferences meant to address the needs of in-house counsel

June 2006
INTA is recognized for its significant Anti-counterfeiting efforts by the Global Anticounterfeiting Group (GACG) during the Global Anti-Counterfeiting Awards 2006, which are presented in Paris on World Anti-Counterfeiting Day on June 14.

Members of INTA voice the views of trademark owners directly to the Board of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) when they attend the ICANN meeting in Marrakech, Morocco.

May 2006
INTA hosts the 10th Meeting of the Interpol Intellectual Property Crime Action Group (IIPCAG), which assists Interpol in undertaking a collective response to the threat posed by organized criminal involvement in IP crime.

March 2006

INTA publishes the inaugural issue of the Chinese-language Bulletin. This quarterly publication provides information on international developments in trademark law and practice, as well as INTA activities of interest to the Chinese trademark community. INTA plays a key role in a coalition of intellectual property groups that help shape the Stop Counterfeiting in Manufactured Goods Act, legislation approved by the United States Congress.

INTA participates as an observer organization at a diplomatic conference of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) member states, held in Singapore, to adopt a revised Trademark Law Treaty. The revised Treaty, called the Singapore Treaty on the Law of Trademarks, is ratified on March 27, 2006.

January 2006
INTA brings online trademark education to its members as it expands its Online Programs with courses on legal ethics and professionalism and the Madrid Protocol.

INTA works with the European Union as it launches the first regional top-level domain (.eu) and supports the registry and vendors to establish a sunrise mechanism. The clause effectively allows trademark owners to participate in an early registration period for .eu domain names that correspond to their trademarks.

INTA leads the campaign to enact a new U.S. trademark anti-dilution statute (H.R. 683) that is designed to protect famous marks from uses that blur their distinctiveness or tarnish their reputation. The bill is signed into law on October 6, 2006 by the President of the United States.

Based on INTA's previously submitted factum on the case "Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin v. Boutiques Cliquot Ltee.", the Canadian Supreme Court issues a ruling in favor of famous marks protection in Canada.

INTA executives participate in annual meetings with high-level Chinese trademark officials in China and in New York to discuss ways to advance trademark protection in China. These meetings are only part of a multi-city series of educational programs sponsored by INTA specifically for the region.

November 2005
INTA partners with the Office for Harmonization in the Internal Market (OHIM) to hold its annual Industry Training seminar for trademark examining attorneys, this time on the computer and telecommunications industries.

June 2005
INTA actively participates in the consultation process that leads to the June 29, 2005 adoption of amendments to the Community Trade Mark (CTM) Regulation including the fees payable to Office of Harmonization for the Internal Market (OHIM).

INTA publishes the Special Report on Trade Dress, which features articles and reports on trade dress (to non-traditional marks) efforts within INTA and throughout the world.

The U.S. House of Representatives passes the Trademark Dilution Revision Act, which was supported by INTA to provide a more focused statute that addresses the specific harm of dilution, while giving trademark owners a provable cause of action.

INTA releases Practitioner’s Guide to the Madrid Agreement and Madrid Protocol, the Association’s third online publication; Madrid offers practical information and guidance on the application of local practice and procedure of the Madrid system.

March 2005
The Asia-Pacific Forum, jointly organized by Intellectual Property Office of Singapore and INTA, marks the first time INTA has partnered with a local trademark registry in the Asia-Pacific region.

The INTA Board of Directors approves a resolution endorsing seven measures to combat trademark counterfeiting. The new resolution covers fines, trafficking, damages, allocation of resources and access to information, enforcement and time limitations.

February 2005
INTA’s first Anticounterfeiting Forum brings more than 180 trademark lawyers, brand managers, industry representatives and law enforcement officials from 36 countries together to share success stories and legal strategies for combating trade in counterfeit goods.

INTA President Anne Gundelfinger appears before the U.S. House of Representatives Subcommittee on Courts, The Internet and Intellectual Property, to support the Trademark Dilution Revision Act of 2005. The bill, which protects famous and well-known marks from the dangers of counterfeiting and other illegal business practices, is based on the work of a select committee of INTA experts.

January 2005
INTA holds its first annual Learned Professors Trademark Symposium in San Francisco, California. This marks INTA’s first program designed specifically for professors – a new category of membership.

INTA’s New York office moves to a new location within New York City, steps from the United Nations and Grand Central Terminal at the southeast corner of Third Avenue and historic 42nd Street.

INTA releases a Model Free Trade Agreement to provide the parties of free trade agreements with a set of baseline proposals to consider when negotiating trademark-related provisions.

INTA’s interest in geographical indications (GIs) influences the United States and Australia in requesting a World Trade Organization (WTO) dispute settlement panel to be formed. The panel examines European Council (EC) Regulation 2081/92, as amended, which governs the protection of GIs for agricultural foodstuffs. The panel renders a positive decision for trademark owners.


December 2004
INTA releases International Opposition Guide (IOG), the Association’s second online publication; IOG provides practical information on the structure of local trademark opposition and related practices in 130 jurisdictions.

November 2004
INTA offers its first Trademark Examiners Industry Seminar for OHIM.

October 2004
INTA introduces student and professor memberships.

September 2004
INTA introduces online e-learning with a course on Trademark Basics, specifically designed for less experienced practitioners. E-learning allows members to participate in a program from any location, at any time of day or night; programs includes text, audio and visual materials, as well as access to links and other online resources that provide additional in-depth information.

March 2004
INTA partners with the Asociación Interamericana de la Propiedad Industrial (ASIPI) in Buenos Aires on a forum on trademark issues that pertain to Latin American practitioners.

December 2003
INTA introduces distance learning, enabling members to participate in a program via satellite.

INTA releases Country Guides: Basic Information on Trademark Registration Worldwide, the Association’s first online publication; the guide provides crucial information on trademark filing, prosecution, registration and maintenance in more than 90 jurisdictions.

October 2003
INTA opens its first office outside the United States in Shanghai, People’s Republic of China, a milestone in INTA’s efforts to represent the interests of trademark owners in the region.

May 2003
INTA holds its first Annual Meeting outside North America in Amsterdam, Netherlands.

2003
INTA celebrates its 125th anniversary and produces a video chronicling the Association’s history. The video wins a Silver Telly Award for excellence.

September 2002
INTA holds its first Board of Directors meeting outside the United States in Brussels, including an accompanying government relations program with European Union officials.

May 2002
INTA offers its first Trademark Examiners Industry Seminar for the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

2000
INTA completes a comprehensive analysis of Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) compliance by developing countries.

1999
WIPO adopts a resolution on the protection of well-known marks, which INTA was instrumental in developing.

INTA plays an instrumental role in the creation of ICANN’s Uniform Dispute Resolution Policy (UDRP) to safeguard against the bad faith registration of domain names.

1998
INTA approves the Model Examination Guidelines, which relate to statutory and procedural issues for national trademark offices.

INTA participates in an advisory body for the Office for Harmonization in the Internal Market (OHIM) on the Community Trade Mark (CTM) System of the European Union.

An INTA delegation visits regional trademark offices in Africa, facilitating the acceptance of INTA’s proposals on updating the governing treaties for the African Intellectual Property Organization (OAPI) and the African Regional Industrial Property Organization (ARIPO).

INTA approves the Model Examination Guidelines, which relate to statutory and procedural issues for national trademark offices.

1997
INTA approves the Model Law Guidelines, incorporating the Association’s policy positions of harmonizing trademark law worldwide.

1996
INTA launches its first website; since then, the site has been redesigned five times, becoming increasingly dynamic and user-friendly.

1995
The Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS), which stresses the importance of harmonization of enforcement standards, comes into effect under the jurisdiction of the World Trade Organization (WTO). INTA serves as the voice of trademark owners before the WTO Secretariat and with a number of WTO Member States on intellectual property rights.

The U.S. Congress passes the Federal Trademark Dilution Act (FTDA), one of INTA’s initiatives.

1994
INTA participates in the drafting of the Trademark Law Treaty; it restricts the use of formalistic administrative requirements of the national offices of signatory countries by establishing standards for registration and renewal of trademarks.

1993
The Association votes to change its name to the International Trademark Association to reflect the diversity of its membership; today, more than half of the members are from outside North America. The name change eliminates what had become a restrictive and geographically mis-descriptive characterization of the Association.

1991
USTA sponsors a forum in Sao Paulo, Brazil, its first in South America, with the Brazilian Association of Intellectual Property Lawyers.

1990
USTA hosts its first joint trademark information exchange in Hong Kong and Beijing.

1989
USTA participates in the Diplomatic Conference for the conclusion of a Protocol Relating to the Madrid Agreement Concerning the International Registration of Marks, in Madrid. Here, the “Madrid Protocol” is adopted and signed by 19 countries. In 1993, INTA testifies on Madrid Protocol implementing legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives. As of May 2005, 66 countries had joined the Protocol.

1980
The Association is accredited by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) as a “non-governmental observer;” giving the Association the right to attend WIPO’s meetings and to represent its membership in all trademark matters that come before WIPO.

1979
USTA hosts a program in London, its first outside North America.

1978
The Association celebrates its centennial anniversary.

1960
USTA sponsors its first educational forum, a three-day session on trademarks conducted by the Practicing Law Institute; since then, INTA has produced a number of forums and other programs covering trademark-related issues.

1955
The Association publishes its first book, Trademark Management – A Guide for Businessmen, which serves as a practical source for the “what, why and how” of trademarks; since then, INTA has published a dynamic array of print publications covering trademark-related issues.

1954
The first USTA committee, the Information Committee, is created; by 2005, 2,200 volunteers from INTA’s member companies and firms would serve on 27 committees and more than 100 subcommittees to drive the work of the Association.

1951
USTA hires its first Executive Director, and a professional staff soon evolves to run the day-to-day activities of the Association.

1949
USTA’s advocacy leads to the creation of the Model State Trademark Bill (MSTB), responding to the continuing threat of mandatory state trademark registration and legislation; the MSTB still serves as the foundation for the trademark statutes in 49 states and provides a set of standards for the establishment, maintenance and enforcement of U.S. trademark rights.

1947
The first issue of the Association’s newsletter, the Bulletin, is published.

1946
With support from USTA, the Lanham Act becomes law in the United States, defining a trademark as “any word, name, symbol, or device of any combination thereof adopted by a manufacturer or merchant to define his goods and distinguish them from those manufactured or sold by others.”

1930
Concerned with the misuse of trademarks and genericide (the act of a previously source-identifying mark becoming a common, generic word for a good or service), USTA urges that the use of trademarks in patent specifications be discontinued. The Association meets with publishers of leading English-language dictionaries to secure agreements from them not to define trademarks as common descriptive terms to protect brands as indicators of quality and safety. As a result, nearly all English dictionaries adopt the practice of identifying trademarks as “proprietary” or “sui generis.”

1926
The Association becomes a not-for-profit member organization.

1916
USTA files its first amicus curiae (“friend of the court”) brief. The concept of amicus curiae briefs is unknown in most jurisdictions at this time, so the Association’s activities are initially limited to U.S. court cases; it would not be until the later part of the century that INTA would advocate for trademark owners and consumers and file amicus curiae briefs around the world.

1908
The Association becomes a business corporation under the Business Corporation Law of the State of New York; it is given broad powers to act for the protection of trademarks in the United States and around the world.

Ecuador asks the Association to propose a trademark law for that country; the Association’s proposal becomes the model for other South American trademark laws.

1906
Argentina invites USTA to comment on its national trademark law.

1900
The Association participates in the Paris Exposition, where it receives the Grand Prix Award for its collection of journals and periodicals.

1898
U.S. President William McKinley invites the USTA president to lead a commission to revise statutes relating to patents, trademarks and other marks, and trade and commercial names. The commission’s report, submitted to Congress in 1900, reviews the entire history of trademark protection and makes recommendations that form the basis of the Trade-Mark Act of 1905.

1891
The Madrid Agreement Concerning the International Registration of Marks is adopted.

1890
The Association works to obtain protection in Austria for a class of U.S. marks not previously recognized by the Austrian government.

1879
Only months after its creation, USTA’s mission to safeguard the rights of trademark owners and advance public interest is challenged when the U.S. Supreme Court declares the Trademark Act of 1870 unconstitutional, on the ground that it is based improperly on the patent and copyright clause of the U.S. Constitution. The nascent USTA immediately springs into action and works to expedite passage of the Trademark Act of 1881.

1878
USTA holds its first Meeting of Members in New York, a one-day affair that brings together all 17 members to discuss the Association’s business for the year. Since then, INTA’s Annual Meeting has grown to attract more than 7,500 participants from around the world who not only discuss Association business, but also take advantage of educational programming, networking, benchmarking and business development opportunities.

November 1878
The United States Trademark Association (USTA), predecessor organization to the International Trademark Association (INTA), is established in New York City by 17 merchants and manufacturers “to protect and promote the rights of trademark owners, to secure useful legislation and to give aid and encouragement to all efforts for the advancement and observance of trademark rights.” USTA is the first association of its kind in the United States, preceded internationally only by the Union des Fabricant, which was founded in Paris in 1872. Since then, INTA has grown to more than 5,500 member companies and firms from more than 190 countries.

Our Association
INTA has changed significantly over the years, but it has remained true to its original purpose: to promote and support trademarks. INTA has maintained a continuous record of integrity, activity and service. The Association is continually expanding its member benefits and services to meet the needs of its international membership. These critical components, together with its strong historical roots, have made INTA the world’s leading trademark association.