How I Maximize My INTA Membership: Jan Morton

Jan Morton, Young Life, USA

For Jan Morton, INTA is about career-changing, one-stop-shop education.

Ms. Morton is an in-house senior paralegal at Young Life, a global nonprofit organization located in Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA, and has been on staff for two decades. A member of INTA since 2005, she currently serves on INTA’s Trademark Administrators Committee—Outreach Subcommittee, and previously was a member of the In-House Practitioners Committee.

Ms. Morton spoke with the INTA Bulletin about how her membership in INTA has provided most of her education and knowledge about intellectual property (IP) for utilization in her role at Young Life.

How has being an INTA member helped you in your professional career?
When I was first hired by Young Life, IP was unfamiliar territory for me since my previous experience had been working in the areas of corporate law, estate planning, real estate, and securities law. Young Life utilized outside counsel to manage its IP matters, and they recommended that I join INTA in order to access resources that would be helpful to me in that arena. After spending some time self-educating, primarily from INTA resources, I was able to bring in house all the domestic and global trademark prosecution matters, which provided significant cost savings to the organization.

Apart from attending the Annual Meeting, how does Young Life maximize its membership throughout the year?
The networking opportunities for INTA members have been critical for me. Over the years, I have attended several TMAP [Trademark Administrators and Practitioners] meetings and several Annual Meetings, all of which proved to be incredible learning and networking experiences. I also utilize the resources on the INTA website, specifically the sections on trademark administration and practitioners’ checklists found within the Practice Tools. INTA also offers numerous webinars throughout the year that [I attend].

Can you share an example of a challenge IP professionals and brand owners are facing, and how INTA is helping address that challenge?
The ever-changing landscape of brand protection is of great concern to all IP professionals. For-profit and nonprofit companies are struggling with budgeting for staff and services adequate to tackle and rein in all the places where infringement exists. The list is endless for brand owners to counteract fraudulent websites, social media scams, domain name issues, and on and on.

In sum, why should brand owners and IP law firms join the Association?
The website resources and networking opportunities offered by INTA are beneficial in so many different ways depending upon the needs of the professional. I’ve always considered INTA’s resource materials  like a one-stop shop that provides so much information if you can only take the time to research the site to see all the amazing tools posted. Specific jurisdictional Practice Guides are available that are helpful for all global companies.

My current INTA committee is working on a project to educate all INTA members that their group membership is available for all IP professionals in their company and that they receive their own personal login from INTA at no extra charge. If companies can afford to send only attorneys to the live INTA events, their associates, paralegals, and trademark administrators can greatly benefit from the resources on the website and webcasts . And, like they have been for me, the INTA resources are invaluable for in-house practitioners. I so appreciate that INTA provides a way for everyone to engage. It’s a win for all of us!

Although every effort has been made to verify the accuracy of this article, readers are urged to check independently on matters of specific concern or interest. 

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