Page 29 - 2017 INTA Annual Report

HIGHLIGHTS:
Unreal Campaign Committee (2016–2017 Committee Term)
The Unreal Campaign is INTA’s public awareness initiative designed to educate students (ages 14–18) about the importance of trademarks and the dangers of counterfeiting.
• Educated 6,300+ students through 77 events in 28 countries
• Reached 120,000 teens on social media through collaborations with online influencers
States. The competition has progressively grown in popularity, and many of the participating students have gone on to become trademark practitioners and are now among INTA’s most active members. The 2016–2017 competition was just as popular, with 71 teams from 55 law schools across the United States participating in a mock courtroom experience. Ten teams advanced to the national finals, and the University of San Francisco (California) School of Law was named the winning team.
Building upon the success of the U.S. event, in 2017, the Association announced a new moot court competition in the Asia-Pacific region. Exceeding even our own expectations, 24 teams from across the region have applied to participate in the inaugural competition. It will be held in Singapore in February 2018.
In addition, in an initiative spearheaded by INTA’s Young Practitioners Committee, we introduced a new award to inspire the next generation of trademark leaders. The “Tomorrow’s Leaders Award” recognizes outstanding performances by two young professionals with less than five years of experience who have demonstrated early leadership qualities. The first two recipients— Ana Letícia Allevato of Di Blasi, Parente & Associados, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and Erica B.E. Rogers of Ward and Smith, P.A., in Raleigh,
North Carolina—received their awards during the 2017 INTA Leadership Meeting and earned the opportunity to serve on an INTA committee, receive complimentary registration to the 2017 Leadership Meeting and the 2018 Annual Meeting, and be assigned an INTA member mentor.
A Plan for the Future
As INTA put together the final pieces to complete our 2014–2017 Strategic Plan, much of 2017 was also spent putting the finishing touches on our strategic direction for the future. Thanks to the enormous efforts of the Planning Committee in crafting the 2018–2021 Strategic Plan, the Association finalized the content this year, and the Board of Directors approved the plan at its meeting in May.
INTA communicated the 2018–2021 Strategic Plan and subsequent Implementation Plan to members and other stakeholders in several ways, including presentations by the Association’s officers and CEO at the 2017 Annual Meeting and 2017 Leadership Meeting, video recording of the Implementation Plan presentation posted on our website, emails, and a press release disseminated to IP media.
Over the next four years, INTA is set to focus on three directions that will serve to guide our activities and engagements: (1) Promote the
Value of Trademarks and Brands; (2) Reinforce Consumer Trust; and (3) Embrace Innovation and Change.
While the Association’s core mission to protect trademarks, harmonize trademark laws, and advocate for effective enforcement mechanisms around the world continues, the new Strategic Plan recognizes that the relationship between brands and consumers has evolved. It emphasizes INTA’s commitment to provide safety and security for consumers, and to promote the important role of trademarks and brands in the global economy as drivers of innovation and competition for the benefit of consumers, workers, brand owners, and society.
Over the course of the next four years, INTA’s 3,000+ talented and dedicated volunteers, serving on INTA’s nearly 200 different committees, subcommittees, and project teams, will work diligently—as always—to implement the new Strategic Plan’s directions and goals.
This new plan is bold and ambitious. It is designed to be inclusive and forward thinking. We accomplished what we set out to do in 2017, thanks to the dedication and hard work of our volunteer members and staff and the support of the global trademark community. We are equally poised to accomplish the goals of our new Strategic Plan in the years to come.
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