Volunteer Spotlight: Sébastien Vitali

Sébastien Vitali (Johnson Controls International PLC, Switzerland)

Sébastien Vitali leads the trademark team at Johnson Controls International PLC in Switzerland, a business that helps create healthy and sustainable buildings.

Mr. Vitali attended his first INTA Annual Meeting in 2010 in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. He found it exciting and a bit overwhelming. With a full agenda of one-on‑one meetings, a symposium for outside counsel, and many roundtables and forums, he quickly saw the true scale of the industry. The lesson he took from that first year was simple: plan early, focus on the right events, and schedule meetings that truly move the needle. That approach now makes his Annual Meetings far more efficient. And, over time, INTA has been central to his professional network.

At the 2025 Annual Meeting in San Diego, California, USA, he enjoyed speaking on one of his longstanding focus areas: enforcement in China. He praised the moderators for their excellent preparation.

For Mr. Vitali, nothing replaces face-to-face conversations when selecting and assessing partners across key jurisdictions. Trust is built over years, and personal meetings make a real difference compared to online interactions.

His career spans the health care, food and beverage, and security equipment industries. He notes that trademark protection is tied to specific goods and services, which helps intellectual property professionals transfer core skills across industries. Still, strategies vary: consumer-facing sectors tend to be brand-driven, while B2B markets are often technology- or science-driven, shaping portfolio structure and messaging. He also points out that pharmaceutical naming is unique due to health ministry approvals, which can lead to the registration of backup marks—a practice less common in other fields.

Asked about today’s biggest challenge, Mr. Vitali highlights online enforcement and anticounterfeiting. The step from digital monitoring to targeted, on-the-ground actions is still not seamless across the industry. There are useful tools and strategies, but no definitive solutions yet.

He believes INTA can further increase its corporate focus by offering even more in-house sessions at the Annual Meeting. What he enjoys most each year is the ability to meet with global partners, colleagues, and friends in one place and resolve multiple matters quickly within a compact week.

Among notable matters at his current company, Mr. Vitali cites key civil and criminal wins in China—with infringements stopped, significant damages awarded, and, in some cases, jail sentences—creating a clear deterrent effect. His advice to first-time Annual Meeting registrants: “Take it easy and don’t overschedule yourself.”

His favorite brand is CAILLER, especially FRIGOR and RAYON—Swiss chocolate classics that marked his childhood.

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