INTA Board of Directors Spring Meeting

Despite being the first full day of spring in New York City,the first Board of Directors meeting of 2018 took place in the middle of aNor’easter on March 21.

The weather did not deter us from having a productivemeeting that started by welcoming the new Board members elected last Novemberfor a term ending in 2020:

·            Marie-Laure Bonnaffous, FENDI ADELE SRL (Italy)

·            Annabelle DanielVarda, Google (USA)

·            Cecilia Emanuelson, Inter IKEA Holding ServicesS.A. (Belgium)

·            Elisabeth Kasznar Fekete, Kasznar LeonardosIntellectual Property (Brazil)

·            Jeremy Kaufman, Netflix, Inc. (USA)

·            Uche Nwokocha, Aluko & Oyebode (Nigeria)

·            Joan Pinaire, Realogy Holdings Corp. (USA)

·            Melody Schottle, Exxon Mobil Corporation (USA)

·            Kowit Somwaiya, LawPlus Ltd. (Thailand)

I was pleased to report on the success of INTA’s inauguralAsia-Pacific Moot Court Competition on February 23-24, 2018, at SingaporeManagement University. An impressive 23 teams from 8 countries participated inthe first-ever competition, and it was a privilege to be a part of thishistoric event.

After Singapore, I participated in the India workshop anddelegation. The workshop,  €œA  €˜Brand’ New Day: Preparing for the Present and Futureof Trademarks, € brought together brand owners and practitioners to discusschallenges and opportunities resulting from changes in the social, cultural,and technological landscape. The delegation also had the opportunity to meetwith IP attachés and officials from Customs, the Department of IndustrialPolicy and Promotion (DIPP), the Cell for IPR Promotion and Management (CIPAM),and the High Court of Delhi, as well as owners of SMEs and other brand ownersin the region. The delegation visit generated many new opportunities for INTAto collaborate with members and officials in the country and solidified theAssociation’s commitment to the region. Look for more detailed information onthese activities in the April 15, 2018, issue of the INTA Bulletin.

The Board approved the creation of a Brand Value SpecialTask Force, to be co-chaired by Heather Steinmeyer, Anthem, Inc. (USA), andDoug de Villiers, Intergroup (South Africa), to examine this complex topic andprovide a set of recommendations and actions for INTA to pursue.

The Board also received a report from Chris Oldknow, Chair,Data Protection Committee, on the main activities of the Data ProtectionCommittee, which was first established in 2016 to focus on data privacy andsecurity issues that intersect with trademark and brand protection. He alsoprovided an update on the work of a rapid response team, which includes membersfrom the Data Protection and Internet Committees, on the impact of the GeneralData Protection Regulation on WHOIS at ICANN and beyond.

We look forward to keeping up the great momentum that wehave started with this year, and I look forward to seeing all of you at the2018 Annual Meeting in Seattle!