You Need to Dig In (and Have Fun!): An Interview with Janet Hoffman, 2015 President’s Award Winner

Janet Hoffman (Fross Zelnick Lehrman & Zissu, USA)

INTA members are currently invited to submit nominations for the President’s Award—the Association’s highest honor—which recognizes individuals who, over the course of their careers, have made a profound and lasting impact on the global trademark and intellectual property (IP) community. This year’s INTA awards, including the President’s Award, will be presented during a ceremony at the 2025 Leadership Meeting in Hollywood, Florida, in November.

Janet Hoffman, of Fross Zelnick Lehrman & Zissu (USA), was honored with the President’s Award in 2015. Ms. Hoffman has volunteered with INTA for more than 20 years and played a pivotal role in the Association’s international expansion into Russia and surrounding jurisdictions during this time. Through her expertise and involvement in trademark matters in Eastern Europe, and on the global stage, Ms. Hoffman has also encouraged, recruited, and mentored many new members from the region and beyond.

During her more than two decades of continual service to INTA, Ms. Hoffman has served on the Board of Directors, as well as on more than 15 committees, including as a contributing author and editor of The Trademark Reporter and co-chair of the INTA Bulletin Committee.

In a conversation with the INTA Bulletin, Ms. Hoffman reflects on how her education in languages helped her find her niche in the trademark world, traces the evolution of the Association over the course of her impressive career, and advocates for the importance of mentorship in the IP profession.

Please tell us what drew you to a career in IP.
When I started out in the legal world, I clerked for a federal judge, and then I took an associate position at one of the big New York litigation firms. That was an important part of developing my lawyering skills. I had some exposure to IP there, but there was no opportunity to do it in depth. I wanted to specialize. In an effort to achieve that goal, I reached out to recruiters. And one day, as luck would have it, I was approached by a recruiter who told me about a trademark firm called Weiss Dawid Fross Zelnick and Lehrman (later named Fross Zelnick Lehrman & Zissu, P.C.). I was immediately attracted to the firm, especially given its rich international practice. When I was interviewed, I remember being asked, “What qualifies you to be a trademark lawyer?” And I guess I felt comfortable enough with this senior partner to get a bit nervy and replied, “Well, I like to shop!” And they hired me anyway, so…

This response, however, was not as “nervy” as it might have appeared. Rather, trademarks clearly play a crucial role in the marketplace and, indeed, they do help consumers to shop. And as professionals in this field, it’s our role to make sure that the marketplace is safe and predictable for everybody—trademark owners and consumers alike. That same partner who interviewed me later once declared, “Everything you ever knew in life becomes useful in trademarks.” As my professional development evolved, that was certainly the case for me—given my PhD in Slavic linguistics and having had the experience of teaching college-level Russian language and literature for several years.

Because of my litigation experience at the big firm, I was first hired to join the domestic litigation practice group at Weiss Dawid. But when an opportunity arose to join the international group, I went for it. For starters, Peter Weiss brought me into an international conflict that involved virtually every country in the world, even some I’d never heard of. So, from the get-go, I was introduced to an unparalleled breadth and depth of experience in the international trademark field—a world that was rarely touched on, if at all, in law school. The rest is history!

How has your involvement with INTA influenced your professional journey?
My involvement with INTA greatly influenced my professional journey because it played a significant role in my international work even back when INTA was the United States Trademark Association (USTA). In my view, INTA was always international. And, early on, I met and worked with professionals from all over the world and was exposed to a wide range of laws and practices.

Thanks to my background in Slavic languages, I was later able to dig into a special niche. When the Soviet Union turned into a plethora of new jurisdictions, I was able to read the new laws in Russian. And—equally if not more important—I was also able to communicate with trademark professionals in those jurisdictions, not just in English, but in Russian. And I made a point of inviting several colleagues from the new states, as well as other jurisdictions in the region, to speak at Association meetings about the evolving legal environments in their countries. These developments presented an unexpected but fortuitous opportunity in the evolution of my professional career.

Also, early on in my involvement with INTA, I was brought into a task force that was developing ways to “internationalize” the organization. I have a photo in my office of the little group that got together to work on this in Switzerland, which included Bruce MacPherson, Henning Skovmose, and Dan Bereskin, among others. We talked in depth about practical ways to expand the international footprint of INTA. Obviously, this has become quite successful over the years, certainly over the past 10 years.

You played a pivotal role in INTA’s expansion into Eastern Europe and have encouraged, recruited, and mentored many members from this region. In your opinion, why is it important for INTA members to help the Association reach new audiences?
INTA is international, but its international reach is only as far and wide as its membership. And as a member-driven organization, expanding our reach to every corner of the world brings us closer together in the overall mission to protect and expand members’ IP rights. So, expansion and participation by members is important. And mentoring is an important part of that.

I was mentored in my own career, and I continue that tradition with the next generation, both at our firm and through the Association. At INTA, this seems to happen organically as new members join, and then they bring other new members in, and so on. I am really impressed with how this aspect of INTA has evolved over the years.

You have served on more than 15 committees during your years of service to INTA. Do you have a favorite committee assignment?
It’s hard to pick a favorite, but one of my favorites—if not THE favorite—was the INTA Bulletin Committee, which I co-chaired for several years. At the time, the INTA Bulletin was printed on paper and physically shipped all over the world. And its inevitable transition into the electronic age was certainly swift and welcome.

The great thing about working on the INTA Bulletin Committee was that it kept me up to date on international developments as they happened and put me in touch with colleagues all over the world. And since reported items must be independently verified, that meant connecting with at least two people in every jurisdiction. I can’t think of a better way to expand the IP community than that.

I would like to add here that when you apply for a committee, you don’t always get your first choice. I often did, possibly because of my expertise in international matters and especially in Eastern Europe, but there were times when I was offered a committee that wasn’t in my special area of interest. I gladly accepted those assignments, understanding that this was a good way to expand participation into new areas. And I worked with colleagues with whom I would not necessarily have worked otherwise, so we learned a great deal from each other that way.

When did you attend your first Annual Meeting and what memories stand out from the experience?
I joined the firm in 1987, and I think I was able to go to an Annual Meeting a year or two after that in Miami. There were maybe 1,000 attendees and we all fit into one hotel! The firm’s partners all gave me names of colleagues to meet, most of whom were from outside the USA. That was my introduction to the international fabric of INTA. It opened a whole new world to me. Ultimately, I became involved with committee work and speaking engagements, but the first Meeting provided my initial exposure to the International Trademark Association (before it was called that).

What advice do you have for young practitioners who aspire to one day follow in your footsteps and win the President’s Award?
This reminds me of a question that was posed to my late husband, Len Rosenfeld, who attended every Meeting with me and was an INTA “groupie.” Everybody knew him. He was an artist, and he loved meeting people from all over the world. When he was interviewed in 1986 before a big show he was having in New York City, he was asked the same question: What advice would you give to young artists today? His answer was short and to the point: “The same advice I would give to any artist—work. Work, and don’t neglect history.” This answer is interesting to me. Work is important, obviously, but it’s also important to remember where our field came from, its history, and its purpose.

My advice would be, dig in. Ask questions. “Embrace change,” which I believe was the theme of one of our Meetings a number of years ago, but also create change. INTA has been very involved in that and provides many opportunities to participate in efforts to improve and expand the reach of trademark law worldwide.

It’s also important to follow your passion. This is the nut of it, in my opinion. Find an area that really interests you, and dig in. Become an expert. Learn from and teach others. I never thought of the President’s Award as a specific goal. In fact, it didn’t even exist when I started out. And I never expected to be accepting an honor that has been bestowed on so many luminaries and pioneers in the field, including three of our firm’s partners: Al Fross (one of the first honorees), Marie Driscoll, and Ron Lehrman. I can’t say I come close to filling their shoes, but they were significant mentors and an inspiration to me throughout my career. And that is what I hope to do for others—inspire, teach, mentor, and bring in the next generation. That is the key to the success of any organization, including INTA and its members. My advice would be to become an active part of this community. Join a committee or contribute in other ways. Get to know your colleagues, including INTA staff. Think about what you can offer to the conversation. Listen to and learn from others. Everybody has something to contribute. That is the reward. And don’t forget—there’s plenty of fun to be had in the process!

Nominations for the President’s Award and the INTA Service Awards are due August 27. Learn more about the Awards.

The 2025 Leadership Meeting will take place November 18–21 in Hollywood, Florida, USA. This invitation-only event brings together the INTA Board and its member volunteers to advance the Association’s mission and strategic objectives, build connections, and take advantage of an advanced-level educational program. Learn more and register.

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. The opinions expressed in this interview are that of the person being interviewed and do not purport to reflect the views of INTA or its members.

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