Page 10 - 2017 INTA Annual Report

HIGHLIGHTS:
Enforcement Committee (2016–2017 Committee Term)
The Enforcement Committee develops and advocates the Association’s policy regarding the timely and effective enforcement of trademarks and business identifiers.
• Held three Judges Workshops—in Costa Rica, Ecuador, and Paraguay—to advance knowledge of trademark law and procedure
• Drafted a Board resolution on INTA’s position on the Hague Convention on Recognition and Enforcement of Judgments and submitted intervention to the Special Commission in The Hague in support of a draft Convention
increased presence and engagement in Africa have been helping to fill that knowledge gap.
Given the potential for expansion and increased visibility in the Middle East, the Association selected this region for our first-ever membership roadshow. INTA staff and local members traveled to Doha, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). This was undertaken in September in conjunction with a Free Trade Zone (FTZ) workshop hosted by INTA in Dubai, UAE. As a result of this campaign, which led to the enrollment of several new corporate members, and the success of the FTZ workshop, INTA decided to return to Dubai for a region-focused conference in November 2018.
Fostering Relationships
In the Asia-Pacific region, March marked the one- year anniversary of the opening of INTA’s office in Singapore, Southeast Asia. The office covers 30 countries outside of Mainland China. INTA gained notable momentum through numerous activities,
including those related to policy and advocacy. In its first year of operation, the office participated in 29 official engagements with governments. These included several delegations led by 2017 INTA President Joseph Ferretti, policy dialogues, and attendance at government-hosted events.
It has become increasingly important to have a presence in this region since the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) established the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) in 2015. With a combined GDP of US $2.6 trillion and more than 622 million consumers (2016), the AEC, which has resulted from the economic integration of ASEAN’s 10 members (Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam), presents huge opportunities for brand owners across the region and globally. On the other hand, the establishment of the AEC also presents its members with a number of challenges, including many relating to IP and cross-border trade.
In February, the ASEAN Working Group on IP Cooperation invited INTA to address its 52nd Meeting in Vientiane, Laos—the first meeting since the publication of the ASEAN IPR Action Plan 2016–2025. INTA’s presentation focused on the 19-item Action Plan, emphasizing the need to look for areas of cooperation, especially with respect to enforcement and support of the local IP community.
Maintaining this momentum, in August, INTA held a policy dialogue in Banda Seri Begawan, Brunei, with government representatives of the country on best practices for trademark enforcement. With this dialogue—the first event organized by INTA in Brunei—the Association is now active in all 10 ASEAN countries, engaging government, industry, and the public on trademarks through education, training, and advocacy.
In another historic event, which occurred toward the end of the year, INTA led a delegation of staff and members to Dili, Timor-Leste. This was the first time an international organization facilitated a government–industry dialogue on trademark law in this Southeast Asian nation, which does not have a trademark law and protects marks through a system of cautionary notice publications. INTA has begun working with Timor- Leste officials to draft a trademark law and to improve the IP rights enforcement environment.
Through the Association’s office in Shanghai, China, INTA also continued to develop productive relations with the government, other associations, brands, and INTA’s growing membership in China. In 2017, the global business community focused much of its attention on China and the
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