2018 Leadership Meeting

Annual Meeting of Members

Board of Directors Meeting

Workshop 1 (Managing Partners at Law Firms and Outside Counsel are invited to attend)
Columbia Law School Executive Education: Leadership at the Intersection of Law and Business

Dynamic Leadership:  Managing Others
Attorneys at all levels are called upon to lead, both in terms of managing others and engaging stakeholders across teams.  Being an excellent lawyer, however, does not always translate into being a good leader. This program explores what makes an effective leader and provides participants with tools they can use to hone their leadership skills including: understanding their own leadership styles; what kinds of methods of interaction facilitate effective communication, how to lead through influence from any position in an organization; how biases affect perception and interpretation; and how to successfully navigate challenging conversations.

Fee: US $75
Registration fee includes coffee break and access to session materials.
Participation in this event is limited to 50 registrants and the program is developed for Managing Partners in law firms.
If you are already registered for the meeting, please log into the Registrant Portal and click Add Sessions.

Registration and Information Desk

Workshop 2 (Exclusive to In-House Practitioners)
Columbia Law School Executive Education: Leadership at the Intersection of Law and Business

Executive Presence: Taking Your Seat at the Table with Confidence
An important part of being a successful legal practitioner is the ability to engage an audience and meaningfully command attention. This may be particularly true in the setting of a corporate legal department, where lawyers are expected to partner with their business counterparts to determine strategy and lead initiatives.  This session focuses on building lawyers’ executive presence, and explores how participants can develop their confidence, clarity, and composure to enhance their communication and leadership abilities. It will also address how understanding business strategy can help make you a more valuable and confident advisor.

Fee: US $75
Registration fee includes coffee break and access to session materials.
Participation in this event is limited to 50 registrants and is exclusive to In-House Practitioners.
If you are already registered for the meeting, please log into the Registrant Portal and click Add Sessions.

Offsite Volunteer Service Day: Housing and Homelessness

Join your peers for a day of service and give back to the city of New Orleans.

Committee Meetings

Welcome and Awards

Join us as INTA CEO Etienne Sanz de Acedo discusses some of the Association’s new initiatives to enhance member engagement, and as INTA President Tish Berard takes a look at the connection between corporate social responsibility and IP, and presents the President’s Award, Volunteer Service Awards and Tomorrow’s Leader Award.

The President’s Award recognizes exceptional INTA participants who, over the course of a career in trademark law, have made an outstanding contribution to trademark law and to the advancement of the Association.

The Volunteer Service Awards are given to individuals who have provided exemplary volunteer service to INTA during the past year in the advancement of trademark law, committee objectives, pro bono services, and the Association.

Tomorrow’s Leader Awards are given to two outstanding young practitioners for their early leadership merit in the IP industry. The award was established to strengthen the recipients’ professional and personal development and to raise the recipients’ visibility as tomorrow’s leaders within the trademark community.

Welcome Address
Etienne Sanz de Acedo, International Trademark Association (United States)

President’s Report and Awards Presentation
Tish Berard, Velcro Group Corporation (United States)

Welcome Reception

Join us in celebrating the INTA award winners and take the opportunity to network with colleagues over a cocktail and hors d’oeuvres before heading out to explore New Orleans.

Registration and Information Desk

Continental Breakfast

This breakfast is for registrants not participating in breakfast committee meetings.

Committee Meetings

Breakfast will be served at committee meetings.

NEW: INTA Influencers

Hear from some of INTA’s experienced leaders as they share personal stories about their careers, experiences, and interests beyond trademarks. These concise and compelling talks on topics that are meaningful to them will motivate and inspire your own personal and professional growth.

Emotional Quotient (EQ) and Emotional Intelligence (EI): The IQ of the Future
Rudy Gaines, Womble Bond Dickinson (US) LLP (United States). Rudy is a long-term INTA member and volunteer and currently serves on the Unreal Campaign Committee. Rudy will share his insight on Emotional Quotient (EQ) and Emotional Intelligence (EI), one of the most important abilities needed for a successful career, allowing you to build strong client relationships, manage occupational stress and minimize professional liability risks.

INTA Core Values: Taking your Career to the Next Level

Gustavo Giay, Marval, O’Farrell & Mairal (Argentina). Gustavo is a former board member and currently serves on the Data Protection Committee. Gustavo will share his personal experience with INTA core values and how he has used INTA’s member benefits to take his career to the next level.

More than Footprints: Utilizing the Power of INTA to Effect Positive Change

Marion Heathcote, Davies Collison Cave (Australia). Marion has been a member of INTA since 1994 and is also a former INTA Board member. She currently serves on the Pro Bono Committee and the Global Advisory Council- Asia-Pacific. Marion will share how her passions, her professional career and her years with INTA have intersected to create positive change.

Professional Headshots: Complimentary For All

Complimentary headshot if you upload the file to your INTA membership bio on the spot.

Have you recently updated your look or do you need to refresh your INTA membership bio? Make time to stop by and get a professional headshot and we will even offer a free makeup touch up as well.

Co-Chairs’ Introduction of Program
The 2018 Leadership Meeting co-chairs will welcome registrants to the Leadership Meeting and give a brief overview of the programming and what to expect during the meeting.

Co-Chairs:
A. Justin Ourso III, Jones Walker LLP (United States)
Pamela Weinstock (United States)

General Session 1
Branding for Restaurants: Strategizing the Branding of New Restaurants, The Branding of Restaurant Groups, and the Rebranding of Old Restaurants

This interactive panel, featuring some of the most significant players in the modern American culinary scene, will focus on branding issues across a wide spectrum of food-related retail ventures from a variety of angles: from the perspective of a renowned chef-restaurateur growing his personal brand to that of a wildly successful independent restaurateur overseeing a Michelin three-starred flagship restaurant; and from the view of the global CMO of the world’s largest restaurant franchise operation (who formerly served in the same role for the maker of the world’s most famous soft drink) to that of the general counsel of a food, beverage, and lifestyle–focused branding juggernaut (who started off as the company’s founder’s outside trademark counsel).

Some panelists will share their past experiences in growing a brand from the ground up. Other panelists will explain the challenges they faced in stepping into an existing brand and the strategies they developed and deployed to face those challenges, from both a business and legal perspective. The session will then move into a discussion of the future of restaurant branding, both from a grassroots perspective and in dealing with the digital age, and their views on the best legal and business practices in connection therewith. The discussion will conclude with the panelists’ assessment of the biggest challenges their respective brands face, and, time permitting, questions from the audience.

Moderator:
Steven Sidman, Carlton Fields (United States)

Speakers:
Kristen Fancher, Margaritaville Enterprises, LLC  (United States)
Chef Alon Shaya, Pomegranate Hospitality (United States)
Josh Siegel, Momofuku Group (United States)
Joseph V. Tripodi, The Subway Corporation (United States)

General Session 2
Your Brand in Crisis: Best Practices for Managing the Message in Facing Trademark Tribulations

In-house attorneys and experts in crisis management and public relations will converge on stage to address how to best protect a brand from a public relations tragedy in a variety of different scenarios. Speakers will offer a day-in-the-life approach to crisis management using hypotheticals to give their views and suggestions on how to deal with different types of events including:

• Consumer product issue.
• Public response to advertising campaigns.
• Response to IP litigation issues.
• Different strategies regarding messaging.

Moderator:
Ted Max, Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton LLP (United States)

Speakers: 
Molly Morse, Kekst (United States)
Julia Ruane, Crisp Thinking (United States)

General Lunch

This lunch is for registrants not participating in lunch committee meetings.

Committee Meetings

Lunch will be served. See schedule for exact meeting times.

Concurrent Session 3
Introduction of Certification Marks in the European Union

Speakers will discuss:

• Certification marks around the globe and how to distinguish from collective marks and guarantee marks.
• The EU perspective: why the EU has introduced certification marks and what action is needed for trademark owners with regard to the EU territory.

Moderator:
Alexander Spaeth, KLEINER (Germany)

Speakers:
Alexander Dröge, Markenverband e.V. (Germany)
Amy Cotton, USPTO (United States)
Marcus Höpperger, World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) (Switzerland)

Concurrent Session 4
Tips from the Media Industry: Pre-Publication Review of Brand Communications

The digital presence of a brand and its corporate owner no longer consists primarily of a website detailing information about the company and its brand. Brand digital marketing now includes a variety of social media platforms connected by links to corporate brand platforms and websites, which feature press releases, annual reports, magazine-style pieces, native advertising and brand-focused blogs. All of this content should undergo comprehensive legal review before publication, particularly when sourcing native advertising and content from third-parties. This session will feature leading outside counsel experts who advise media and publishing industry clients on a panel with an in-house counsel from a consumer brand that has partnered with media publications, influencers and more to develop marketing content. The panelists will discuss the best pre-publication practices that brands can adopt from the publishing industry to lessen risk and exposure when publishing brand content and communications.

Moderator:
Jessica Elliott Cardon, Perfumania Holdings, Inc. (United States)

Speakers:
Elizabeth A. McNamara, Davis Wright Tremaine LLP (United States)
Axel Nordemann, Boehmert & Boehmert (Germany)

Committee Meetings

Networking Reception

Join us for cocktails and a great opportunity to network with other volunteers.

Registration and Information Desk

Continental Breakfast

This breakfast is for registrants not participating in breakfast committee meetings.

Committee Meetings

Breakfast will be served at committee meetings.

Professional Headshots: Complimentary For All

Complimentary headshot if you upload the file to your INTA membership bio on the spot.

Have you recently updated your look or do you need to refresh your INTA membership bio? Make time to stop by and get a professional headshot and we will even offer a free makeup touch up as well.

General Session 5
Improvisational Leadership: Lessons from Jazz

Jazz music provides endless lessons on leadership.  And in fact, the music would not be possible without strong leadership in every sense.  From the importance of communication and listening, to teamwork and improvisation, to instilling and preserving a shared vision and culture, and overcoming obstacles along the way—this is the essence of jazz.  Renowned New Orleans jazz musicians and cultural leaders Wendell Brunious and Herlin Riley will bring their instruments and join Trombone Shorty Foundation Executive Director Bill Taylor to share leadership lessons from on and off the stage.

General Session 6
Virtual Reality, AI, and Trademarks: What Effects Might Virtual Reality and AI Have on Trademarks? 

Trademark practitioners must continually evolve to keep up with advancing technologies. Advances in Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality, and Artificial Intelligence will inevitably alter the practice of trademark law. In this session, learn about trademark issues in Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality from professionals working on the cutting edge of this space and how Artificial Intelligence is changing the future of the profession.

Moderator:
Kat Johnston, Facebook (United States)

Speakers: 
Thomas Hamilton, Ross Intelligence (United States)
Nikkya Williams, Facebook, Inc. (United States)
Kollin Zimmerman, Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton LLP (United States)

General Lunch

This lunch is for registrants not participating in lunch committee meetings.

Committee Meetings

Lunch will be served. See schedule for exact meeting times.

Concurrent Session 7
Ethical and Risk Management Considerations for Inside and Outside Trademark Practitioners

The panel will discuss situations that arise in the daily practice of U.S. trademark practitioners that can raise risk management as well as serious ethical concerns.

For example:

• What are the risk management and possible ethical issues raised by a practitioner with no or very limited trademark experience providing advice on trademark matters?
• Is it permissible for a U.S. lawyer to advise on the availability for use and registration of a mark in a country that is out of her/his jurisdiction and on the interpretation of IP transfer agreements that have foreign choice of law provisions?
• What are the ethical obligations and concerns faced by outside trademark lawyers when they conduct a clearance search and the research uncovers a mark owned by a third party that is their client or their firm’s client?
• Is the obligation different if the mark is similar but the lawyer is of the clear opinion that there would not be any likelihood of confusion, or, where the mark is facially dissimilar and any assertion of that mark by the owner would be frivolous?
• What ethical and practical issues are presented when trademark practitioners are asked to clear a trademark or when a client of a practitioner’s firm receives a cease and desist letter from another client of the practitioner’s firm where the mark is substantially identical, but the goods/services are not identical?

Moderator:
Steven B. Pokotilow, Stroock & Stroock & Lavan LLP (United States)

Speakers:
David Bernstein, Debevoise and Plimpton (United States)
Peter  Harvey, Harvey & Company (United States)
Laura Goldbard George, Stroock & Stroock & Lavan , LLP (United States)

Concurrent Session 8
The Challenges of Selecting and Protecting Brands for Mobile Applications 

In a world with millions of mobile applications increasing by the minute, selecting and knowing when to protect a brand is a challenging process. What? When? How? These are the questions that need the right answers. This panel will take a closer look at best practices, comprehensive searches, evaluating risks, monitoring, and enforcement strategies on the mobile application space.

Moderator:
Diana Arredondo, Amazon.com, Inc. (United States)

Speakers: 
Rochelle D. Alpert, Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP (United States)
Gustavo Giay, Marval, O’Farrell & Mairal (Argentina)
Christine K. Hsieh, Google (United States)

Committee Meetings

International Trademark Association Political Action Committee (INTA PAC) Reception
(By invitation only to non-corporate INTA members who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents)

Show your support for the International Trademark Association Political Action Committee (INTA PAC) by attending this reception. The requested minimum contribution of US $200 for this event will be used to support the campaigns of U.S. federal candidates identified by the INTA PAC Board as having shared interests with the trademark community. INTA accepts both personal checks and checks drafted from non-corporate INTA member firm accounts, as well as all major credit cards. Donations can also be made online.

Only non-corporate, non-reimbursed contributions to INTA PAC will be accepted. Contributions to INTA PAC are not deductible for income tax purposes.

Special Networking Event: Guest Chef Night at Liberty’s Kitchen

Liberty’s Kitchen is a New Orleans social venture that uses food to create opportunities for youth. Their signature programs include workforce readiness and job placement for young adults, leadership development programming, and food access all across the New Orleans area.

Their monthly Guest Chef Night series is a chance to invest in youth while inspiring your palate. They have agreed to host this special night for INTA’s members to participate and will feature Chef is Andrew Lu of Cavan. Local chefs work alongside their trainees to prepare special three-course meals in an intimate setting. During the dinner, they recognize recent graduates of their Youth Development Program

Fee: $75 USD

Price includes roundtrip transportation, appetizers, three-course dinner, water and soft drinks, gratuity and networking. Please note that the restaurant does not provide alcoholic beverages and you must bring your own to the dinner.  There is a grocery store next door for your convenience.

Registration and Information Desk

Continental Breakfast

This breakfast is for registrants not participating in breakfast committee meetings.

Committee Meetings

Breakfast will be served at committee meetings.

Co-Chairs’ Overview of the Day

Co-Chairs:
A. Justin Ourso III, Jones Walker LLP (United States)
Pamela Weinstock (United States)

General Session 9
Trade Dress: Lessons Learned from Iconic Designs 

This panel will look at best practice strategies for creating, protecting and enforcing iconic designs. We’ll look at historic lessons learned from success stories of such brands as COCA-COLA, VELCRO, and HERSHEY’S KISSES, as well as current challenges faced by brands such as LOUBOUTIN and ADIDAS, especially when it comes to protecting non-traditional trademarks.

Moderator:
Imogen Fowler, Hogan Lovells (Alicante) SL y Cia. (Spain)

Speakers:
Joshua Cohen, RatnerPrestia, P.C. (United States)
Rachel Li-Mei Tan, Rouse & Co. International LLP (China)
Yoo-Sun Park, The Coca-Cola Company (United States)

General Session 10
Branding and Music Concerts: Strategizing the Different Roles that Brands Play for Producers, Sponsors, Venues, and Performers 

Successful shows: what sets the tone for the best branding and licensing practices? Inspired by New Orleans’ musical vocation, this panel will address the role of trademarks and designs before, during, and after concerts, from the perspective of producers, venues, artists, and industries involved, such as sponsoring companies.

Learn how trademark issues impact entrepreneurship and business in the musical arena, where players must make challenging decisions about protection and transactions dealing not only with song names, band names, and iconic symbols, but also with lighting and sound equipment brands. Experts will also discuss key steps in brand development, contractual precautions, product placement, and enforcement aspects, pointing out possible issues and revealing how a harmonious relationship is constructed among the many professionals working on concert projects. This session raises commercial and legal questions that are critical to answer to keep these professionals playing in tune.

Moderator:
Elisabeth Kasznar Fekete, Kasznar Leonardos Intellectual Property (Brazil)
Speakers:
Michael J. Allan, Steptoe & Johnson LLP (United States)
Rebecca Roby, Hard Rock International (United States)
Gerard van Hulst, Novagraaf Nederland BV (Netherlands)

General Lunch

This lunch is for registrants not participating in lunch committee meetings.

Committee Meetings

Lunch will be served. See schedule for exact meeting times.

Concurrent Session 11
Managing Breakthrough Brands: Using Social Media, the Internet and Global Trademark Protection to Keep an Overnight Sensation from Turning into an Overnight Frustration 

An interactive panel featuring representatives from some of 2018’s biggest breakthrough brands will discuss how they try to keep pace with and manage trademark issues for brands that take off in both an expected and unexpected fashion. Speakers will discuss the following common issues that are seen when launching a brand and advise on what it is about such seemingly overnight sensations that keeps them up worrying at night.:

• Preparations in advance of the launch.
• How to address subsequent issues arising in different jurisdictions when a brand far exceeds expectations.
• How to determine if explosive growth of a brand may be more short or long lived.
• Best practices to manage client expectations.

Moderator:
Ian K. Boyd, Sideman & Bancroft (United States)

Speakers:
Arty Rajendra, Osborne Clarke LLP (United Kingdom)
Matt Stratton, Snap Inc. (United States)

Concurrent Session 12
The Features of the New Technology Platforms Available for Searching and Clearance

What is the future of trademark searching, clearance, and other trademark-related technologies? Attend this session in order to be on the cutting edge of technology for your practice.

This session features an interactive panel of representatives from the top and most innovative trademark search companies from around the world. The panel will discuss such topics as the role of AI in the searching and clearance of trademarks, images, and domain names; new image recognition technologies; and on-demand searches. The panelists will reveal the new and possibly disruptive searching and watching technologies that may be on the horizon and where they see the technology going in the coming years. The panelists will provide their views on how technology is changing the way people work in the trademark field today.

Following the panel discussion, the panelists will tackle a hypothetical search situation involving, among other items, new technologies for handling “knock-out” searches, searches for figurative and non-traditional marks, and new technologies for trademark watching. Panelists will share how available searching products and systems can better be used to more efficiently serve clients.

Moderator:
Andrew L. Goldstein, Freeborn & Peters LLP (United States)

Speakers:
Charles Hill, TrademarkNow (Ireland)
Barbara Barron Kelly, Corsearch (United States)
Ronda Majure, Clarivate Analytics (CompuMark) Inc. (United States)
Sandra Mau, TrademarkVision (United States)

Closing Cocktails

Celebrate a successful meeting! Take advantage of one last chance to network and spend time with colleagues while having a cocktail and enjoying hors d’oeuvres before heading off to enjoy the night life of New Orleans.