Page 26 - 2017 INTA Annual Report

HIGHLIGHTS:
Brands and Innovation Committee (2016–2017 Committee Term)
The Brands and Innovation Committee examines and analyzes the relationship between brands/trademarks and innovation, with a focus on how brands promote innovation and drive the economy, and how innovation impacts brands, brand owners, and trademark-related issues.
• Developed working definitions of the terms “brand” and “innovation” for better alignment with usage by outside parties, such as the academic and governmental communities
• Prepared 130+ summaries of existing brands and innovation literature, with links to the original materials, as a dynamic and ever-growing resource for stakeholders
plans to expand it afterward to other countries. By year-end, 20 of the submissions we received were approved for pro bono assistance.
Increasing Multimedia
Broadband Internet access spreading to the far reaches of the globe presents organizations, including INTA, with exciting opportunities to access new audiences and share complex information in digestible formats. To this end, the Association has rolled out additional multimedia content and channels, with the aim of connecting with both IP stakeholders and the public.
In 2017, we published our first video content in the INTA Bulletin: The Future of IP. This five- part video series features the heads of eight IP offices who share their thoughts on how society will change over the next 5 to 10 years, how the relationship between brands and consumers is evolving, the future opportunities and challenges for IP, and the future role of both IP offices and IP associations.
INTA also unveiled microdocumentary-style videos. For example, to promote The Economic Impacts of Counterfeiting and Piracy study, we produced a short educational video targeted at non-IP audiences. The video introduces
the concept of counterfeiting and explains its negative social and economic impacts. It ends with calls to action for different constituents: for government officials, to promote innovation and support legal economic growth; for business leaders, to commit resources to IP protection; and for consumers, to buy legitimate brands and products.
The video has also been incorporated into an interactive exhibit presented by INTA in collaboration with the National Inventors Hall of Fame (NIHF) at the NIHF Museum in Alexandria, Virginia. Open since November, the exhibit presents an enormous platform for INTA to highlight counterfeiting, including its impact on individuals and economies. Approximately 30,000 visitors are expected to see the display, which runs through April 2019.
With members around the world engaging with each other and the Association across a variety of social networks, INTA has a thriving and active online community—one that continued to grow this year. In 2017, we made our debut on Instagram and WeChat, and we watched our followers multiply on our existing channels, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and YouTube. The
Association also leveraged the latest features on these networks, including broadcasting live on Facebook from our Brands and Fashion conference in New York City, the Association’s 139th Annual Meeting in Barcelona, Spain, and our Leadership Meeting in Washington, D.C.
Informing the Next Generation
This year also brought to fruition additional efforts by INTA to spark interest in trademark law among the next generation of professionals. Educational and inspirational, our expanded offerings of competitions and programs help us find, celebrate, and reward motivated law school students and young practitioners. They serve to get students excited about trademark law, spread awareness about INTA as a go-to source for trademark scholarship and assistance with career advancement, and groom newcomers to become engaged with the Association as members and as potential leaders of INTA in the future.
Highlighting INTA’s efforts, we have, for the past 26 years, been furthering trademark scholarship and helping students develop their brief writing and oral advocacy skills through the annual Saul Lefkowitz Moot Court Competition in the United
24