2022 Leadership Meeting Registrant Resources

Susan L. Crane is Group Vice President, Legal – IP, Brands & Marketing at Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, Inc., where she heads the Intellectual Property practice. Wyndham is the world’s largest franchisor of hotels and is the owner of such well-known brands as WYNDHAM, RAMADA, HOWARD JOHNSON, DAYS INN, SUPER 8 and LA QUINTA. Susan’s advises the company on all aspects of trademark, copyright, domain name, marketing, social media and patent issues.

Ms. Crane is Vice Chair of the Brands for a Better Society Committee and a past member of the INTA Board of Directors.

Ms. Crane recently received a New Jersey Law Journal In-House Impact award for her pro bono activities.

Ms. Crane is also the mother of three children, a rowing judge/referee, college football statistician and avid reader.

Listed among the world’s leading trademark law practitioners, Sheja Ehtesham is a trademark attorney from India. Her practice covers enforcement, prosecution & strategy within India and internationally. She is the Managing Partner of ALG India Law Offices LLP, an Intellectual Property & Litigation law firm in India.

Sheja has experience in international trademark portfolio management, and works with clients to devise global filing strategies that align with their business requirements. She advises clients in strategizing negotiations carried out with adversaries and on structuring successful and profitable settlements. She assists clients in creating and executing effective enforcement and lawsuit strategies. She has also successfully represented several domestic and international clients in domain name administrative proceedings under the INDRP and UDRP.

Gustavo Giay is a partner at the Argentine firm Marval O’Farrell Mairal. He specializes in Trademarks, Intellectual Property and Information Technology.

He has more than 25 years of trademark litigation experience, and advising businesses and individuals in matters related to trademarks, intellectual property, and Internet Law, including the assessment on legal and contractual questions in new and developing technologies. He also has extensive experience advising clients on licensing, franchising and commercial agreements.

He graduated as a lawyer from the Universidad de Buenos Aires in 1994 with a concentration in business economics and in 1997 he earned his LLM degree from Northwestern University in Chicago, Illinois. In 2002 he completed a postgraduate course on Intellectual Property at the Universidad de Palermo in Buenos Aires.

He is a frequent lecturer on intellectual property law and currently serves as Professor on Advanced Trademark Law, Internet Law and IP Contracts at the Center of Intellectual Property of the Universidad Austral in Argentina, which offers a Master of Laws focusing on IP

He is a licensed intellectual property agent, and a domain name panelist of the World Intellectual Property Organizaion Domain Name Center. He is a former member of the Board of Directors of INTA. He is currently president of Licensing Executive Society Argentina (LES Argentina), member of the Argentine Association of Industrial Property Agents (AAAPI), and member of the International Association for the Protection of the Industrial Property (AIPPI), and the Interamerican Association of Intellectual Property (ASIPI).

Clark Lackert is consistently placed in the top ranks of IP lawyers globally, currently acting as Deputy General Counsel of the World Trade Centers Association and previously a partner at law firms such as King & Spalding and Reed Smith. He has been very active in INTA over the years, serving on the Executive Committee of the Board of Directors, and chairing a number of INTA committees. Clark has been an active speaker at conferences at the WIPO, WTO, EUIPO, various national IP associations, and law schools such as Yale, NYU, and USC. Clark has also published a number of articles, and been interviewed for them, on the cutting edge issue of protecting IP in space, as well as speaking on a NASA webinar and at Florida Space Day for aerospace executives on the subject.

Joe Ankus knows, firsthand, the pressures and stresses attorneys face on a daily basis. He has billed thousands of hours, worked on all-night projects, dealt with demanding clients, argued with irrational opposing counsel and understands the blessings and curses of the so-called “attorney lifestyle.” He is acutely aware of the high levels of anxiety, depression, substance use, bipolar disorder and suicide in our legal communities.

As an attorney, Joe has the credibility and expertise to teach Mental Health First Aid to legal professionals. He earned his JD, with honors, from the University of Florida and was a Senior Editor of the Florida Law Review. He is also a member of the Florida Bar and a past member of the Pennsylvania and New Jersey Bars. He earned his B.A., magna cum laude, in Communications, from the University of Pennsylvania at the Annenberg School of Communications.

In addition, for over 25 years, as an Adjunct Professor at leading South Florida educational institutions, Joe has taught hundreds of professional and paraprofessional students a wide range of legal subjects- which has enhanced his presentation skills. Simply put, Joe loves to teach and his students enjoy his straightforward and entertaining style.

Since 1991, Joe has been a legal recruiter for many of South Florida’s most prominent law firms after having practiced with two AmLaw 100 firms- Dechert and Holland & Knight. Joe has successfully placed over 600 attorneys in his career and knows that his Mental Health First Aid training enhances his recruiting practice. He is nationally recognized among his peers and in the legal community about all aspects of legal recruiting, attorney retention and lateral hiring.

In 2017, he was selected to be a member of the Florida Bar’s Special Committee on Mental Health & Wellness whose mandate- in part- was to offer solutions to educate Florida attorneys on mental health education. On the Special Committee, Joe worked closely with members of the Judiciary, Bar staff, a double Board certified psychiatrist, and other passionate Florida attorneys in addressing the growing need for attorney mental health
related education. After some discussion and research, Joe realized Mental Health First Aid was a logical choice.

In his experience, he has seen first-hand the urgent need for an evidence based, concise and user-friendly format for basic mental health education. Attorneys, as a profession, are under significant stress, have competing demands for their time and are often untrained in fundamental mental health education. The Florida Bar, other state Bars and the ABA all point out that this educational gap needs to be addressed. Joe is confident that Mental Health First Aid is one part of the multi-faceted solution. To this end, the earlier the program is taught, the better off we will all be.

Laura Echols is an experienced trademark paralegal with over 20 years of both in-house and private practice experience. In her practice, Laura particularly enjoys international work and enforcement, but she is also very keen on data management and docketing. Laura is also one of the few people who can say that they’ve met Leo Stoller in person as part of a team ferociously working to maintain a client’s trademark that had been threatened by Stoller in the early to mid-00’s.

She currently co-chairs the Culture Subcommittee of the Trademark Administrators Committee and has served on various INTA committees since 2004, the year she attended her first INTA Annual Meeting. In connection with her work with INTA, Laura has moderated numerous roundtables and table topics, spoken as a panelist on rebranding, co-hosted multiple INTA Idea Exchanges–both in-person and virtually and has attended numerous Leadership and Annual Meetings.

Laura graduated from the University of Georgia with a BA in English, and later received her ABA-approved paralegal certificate from the University of Memphis.

Originally from Memphis, Tennessee, Laura now lives just outside Austin, Texas with 2 cats, 2 dogs and a growing population of native plants. When she’s not working with trademarks, Laura volunteers with Central Texas Pig Rescue, fights the Texas heat to keep her garden going and enjoys all things British, with a special affection for the Shetland Islands.

Laura Hartnett is the founder and legal consultant at Law By Design. She has over 15 years of experience as a management consultant, litigation attorney for national and international law firms, and in-house counsel for a Fortune 100 company. Today, she teaches lawyers how to redesign their practice of law from a human-centered approach, one that works better for both lawyers and clients. She is also a yoga addict, karaoke enthusiast, and proud mom of two creative girls.

Leslie Mullins is the Vice President of Strategic Accounts for Virgin Pulse. She has 15 years of experience working with Fortune 500 HR and benefits leaders, passionately focused on bringing employee health and wellbeing benefits and solutions to market for the past decade. Leslie specifically works with large global employers to thoughtfully configure health and wellbeing programs to support the needs of their globally diverse workforces, while positively impacting the organizations top and bottom line.

JULIA M. CHESTER is a lawyer in the IP Litigation and Technology and Life Sciences Transactions practice in Sidley’s Dallas office. Ms. Chester’s practice focuses on brand development, trademark protection, and copyright procurement and enforcement for the global intellectual property portfolios of Fortune 500 companies, high growth ventures, and start-ups. Ms. Chester has experience in all aspects of U.S. and international trademark law including international cross-border transactions, enforcement, prosecution and opposition of trademarks; social media, cybersquatting and the Internet; recovering trademark domain names through Uniform Dispute Resolution Proceedings (UDRP); global management of intellectual property counsel; IP transactions due diligence analysis, transfers and securitization; IP licensing; technology outsourcing agreements; and U.S. Customs enforcement for the seizure of infringing imports. Ms. Chester also has extensive experience in connection with strategies for acquisition, ownership, management and enforcement of copyrights, entertainment rights agreements and publishing agreements.

At Southern Methodist University, Ms. Chester was Articles Editor for the Computer Law Review and Technology Journal. Julia has been named by D Magazine as a Best Lawyer in Dallas for 2017 and 2020. She has also been recognized as one of the world’s leading trademark professionals for 2017 – 2020 by World Trademark Review.

Starting as trademark paralegal at SABMiller in Rotterdam, Pieter qualified as certified trademark attorney in 2009. He then transferred to the company’s UK head office in 2015, and subsequently moved to Belgium in 2018 after SABMiller was acquired by Anheuser-Busch InBev to form the biggest brewing company in the world, owning more than 500 brands including some of the world’s most value brand such as Budweiser, Corona and Stella Artois.

During his 15 years as in-house counsel, Pieter gained unparalleled practical experience in managing intellectual property in a highly commercial and competitive environment. Pieter was responsible for everything that related to intellectual property, including trademarks, patents, litigation, conflict settlement, licensing, joint development agreements, and merger and acquisitions.

Some of his highlights include the development of a revolutionary intellectual property management tool in collaboration with Stobbs, managing an international patent dispute, being responsible for the dispute between Anheuser-Busch and Budejovicky Budvar over the Budweiser trademark, and the US$11.3 billion divestment of his former employers’ Australian business unit that was highly complex from an intellectual property and brand licensing point of view.

Pieter joined Stobbs in 2022 to set up the new office in the Netherlands.

Brian M. Daniel is a vice president of Charles River Associates in Chicago, and since 1995 he has managed valuation, litigation, and strategy assignments in a wide variety of manufacturing, retailing, and service industries.

In the context of litigation, Brian has significant experience with trademark, patent, trade secret, copyright, and other matters involving accounting, finance, economics, marketing, and statistical issues. He has testified on matters including the determination of economic damages and monetary relief in deposition, arbitration, and federal district court.

In the context of corporate transactions, Brian has authored numerous intellectual property appraisal and business valuation reports and managed a wide range of projects involving trademarks, patents, and legal entities for purposes of supporting tax and financial reporting requirements.

Brian received his Master of Business Administration degree from Indiana University with a major in Finance and a minor in Business Economics and Public Policy, and graduated with High Distinction from The University of Michigan, where he received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics. Brian holds the designation of Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA), Accredited Senior Appraiser (ASA) specializing in business valuation from the American Society of Appraisers, and Certified Licensing Professional (CLP).

Jeffrey Rubinger is a partner in Baker McKenzie’s Tax Practice Group. A skilled legal practitioner with more than 20 years of international tax experience, he also served for many years as a certified public accountant at a major accounting firm, giving him a unique and thorough understanding of the business issues his clients face every day. Jeff has been recognized as one of America’s leading tax lawyers by Chambers USA. From US companies expanding overseas to foreign businesses investing in the United States, clients turn to Jeff for his extensive knowledge of the tax laws in a wide variety of jurisdictions, including countries in South America, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. Jeff is distinctive in Florida for his significant experience with outbound matters.

Elliot Basner, VP and Associate General Counsel at Chewy, Inc. Elliot is an experienced legal executive who is focused on finding the best outcomes and innovative solutions to achieve his company’s goals. At Chewy, Elliot is responsible for all IP, Commercial Agreements, Pricing, Private Brands, Advertising, Technology, Product (website), Native Mobile App, Data Privacy and Security, Payment and Gift Cards. Elliot is also involved in litigation, M&A, and Compliance. Before working at Chewy, Elliot was Senior Vice President, Associate General Counsel at Diageo North America, Inc. and started his career at two prominent IP law firms.

Jeremy Roe is the General Counsel for Ferrero USA. Ferrero is one of the largest sweet packaged foods companies in the world with a well-known portfolio of brands including Nutella®, Tic Tac®, Ferrero Rocher®, Kinder Joy®, Keebler®, and Butterfinger®. Jeremy and his team are responsible for all commercial legal matters for Ferrero USA’s cookies and confectionary business units.

Prior to joining Ferrero, Jeremy worked for Anheuser-Busch InBev and later Unilever, in roles primarily focused on intellectual property and marketing law matters. At AB InBev, he was the first general counsel for the company’s craft beer division.

Jeremy received his bachelor’s degree from Ball State University and his law and master’s degrees from DePaul University. He began his legal career as an associate attorney with Neal & McDevitt.

Angela Wilson joined Hershey in May 2021. She is the lead Intellectual Property lawyer at The Hershey Company. In this role, Angela leads the IP paralegal team and is responsible for developing and overseeing Hershey’s global brand protection and enforcement strategy for the company’s iconic brands, including Hershey’s, Reese’s, Twizzlers, and Jolly Rancher, as well as managing the patent portfolio. She also serves as a key business partner to Hershey’s Global Licensing business, which boasts a food licensing program that is ranked #1 in the world. Angela is also the lead commercial lawyer for Hershey’s retail business, Hershey’s Chocolate World.

Before joining Hershey, Angela was assistant general counsel for Hallmark where she advised on trademark and licensing issues for Hallmark’s licensing business, as well as its subsidiaries, Hallmark Media (formerly Crown Media) and Crayola. Prior to joining Hallmark, Angela was senior counsel at GlaxoSmithKline where she managed the oncology trademark portfolio and led the anti-counterfeiting enforcement strategy for the Americas.

Angela is a member of the International Trademark Association (INTA) and has served on the Enforcement and Anti-Counterfeiting Committees. She is currently a member of the Inhouse Practitioner’s Committee where she co-chairs of the Development of Inhouse Counsel Professionals subcommittee.

Angela volunteers her time mentoring diverse students, including law school interns participating in the Hershey’s Dinisa H. Folmar Internship Program.

Anthonia is a curious and innovative IP litigator and co-head of Hogan Lovells’ gaming and esports practice. She advises her clients, online service providers in the ecommerce, gaming and fintech space, as well as global well-known brands, on all aspects of provider liability, brand enforcement and unfair competition. Anthonia’s client base is strongly centered on internet services and software, consumer electronics and entertainment. She advises leading online service providers on EU provider liability regimes, with a focus on Digital Services Act implementation and compliance.

Anthonia also has extensive experience in global brand enforcement strategy and litigation. The integrated cross-border and online enforcement of her clients’ IP rights is a focus of her practice and she develops and coordinates cross-border enforcement programs for well-known brands. Anthonia advises her clients on all steps of the way in the enforcement of their IP rights against imitations, scams, misleading and false advertising and other forms of misuse.

Anthonia is a member of the Anticounterfeiting Committee, and previously chaired the EU subcommittee of the UNREAL Campaign. She is a German qualified lawyer and holds an MJur degree from Oxford University. She speaks English, German and Italian.

Tamara Rabenold is a licensed investigator and CEO/owner of Vaudra International, a company specializing in Intellectual Property (IP) and corporate investigations. Over the past 18 years, Tamara has handled thousands of cases, supporting clients’ IP efforts with comprehensive investigations and innovative brand protection strategies. In April 2022, through her efforts, Vaudra became a WBENC-Certified Women’s Business Enterprise (WBE).

Tamara’s IP-industry involvements include serving on INTA’s Anti-Counterfeiting Committee (second term) & the Automotive Aftermarket Suppliers Association’s (AASA) IP Committee. In September, she authored an article for the Alt Legal Blog on tips for successful expungement & reexamination proceedings as it relates to the TMA’s reasonable investigation requirement. As the TMA & the investigation requirement has become a slight obsession, she also has presented to industry groups on this topic.

Back home in North Carolina, she was reappointed by Governor Cooper to a second term as a member of the Private Protective Services Board (PPSB). This regulatory body administers the licensing, education, and training requirements for those engaged in related services, i.e. private investigators and security guards, in the state. She is chair of the Emerging Technologies committee and DFE subcommittee, the latter of which is tasked to define the newly created Digital Forensics Examiner license.

While Tamara enjoys these activities, her volunteerism would not be possible without the strength & support of the Vaudra team, and her loving husband, Randy.

Mark Schonfeld concentrates his practice in complex business and intellectual property litigation, especially protection of corporate intellectual property through effective methods of trademark, copyright and patent litigation. He has represented many of the world’s leading brands against e-commerce counterfeiters and infringers.  He has developed innovative methods of protecting intellectual property, often without the need for lengthy litigation.  Mr. Schonfeld designs anticounterfeiting programs for many prominent companies and advises them of the best and most practical methods of safeguarding their intellectual property.  He has been recognized for years by Best Lawyers in America as a leading IP litigator.  He is the founder of LawProtectIP, a law firm in Boston, Massachusetts, is Adjunct Professor of Law at Cornell Law School and lectures on intellectual property legal topics at CLEs and law schools.

Janice Bereskin is a partner with Bereskin & Parr LLP, leader of the firm’s Trademarks practice group and a member of the firm’s Executive Committee.

Her practice focuses on Canadian and international trademarks. She has in-depth experience in search analysis, filing applications, oppositions and cancellation proceedings. Janice manages large trademark portfolios of Canadian and international companies and portfolio management. She offers clients strategic advice for protecting and managing their trademarks in Canada and abroad.

Janice was a recipient of the Intellectual Property Institute of Canada (IPIC) Education Foundation Prize for achieving the highest mark overall in the Canadian Trade-mark Agent Examination. Janice also completed the Intellectual Property Summer Institute (IPSI) program at the Franklin Pierce Law Centre.

Janice is an active member of the International Trademark Association (INTA). She served on INTA’s Board of Directors and co-chaired an INTA Presidential Task Force. In 2015, INTA honoured Janice with the Volunteer Service Award in the Advancement of the Association. Managing Intellectual Property recognized Janice in the 2021 edition of Top 250 Women in IP.

Heather Barnes, a partner at Tucker Ellis LLP, serves as outside counsel to numerous middle-market and Fortune 500 companies. With more than 20 years of experience with trademarks, patents, copyrights, trade secrets, licensing, and mergers and acquisitions, she is in a unique position to provide executives and in-house counsel various – and valuable – perspectives as they adopt domestic and international intellectual property strategies. She takes great pride in guiding clients through this critical decision-making process while simultaneously leading a variety of client-service teams to execute strategies. Heather has a particular emphasis on trademarks as it is a significant portion of her practice. She routinely advises clients on the value of their brands and strategies for protection and enforcement.

Heather is an active member of a variety of intellectual property organizations. She serves on the Programming Subcommittee for INTA’s Professional Development Committee. She is also a Co-Vice Chair for the Women in IP Committee for Intellectual Property Owners Association and is also active with its U.S. Trademark Committee. In her local community, she is the treasurer for Portage Path Behavioral Health, which is the largest behavioral health agency in Summit County, Ohio, serving clients with mental illness and related substance abuse issues.

Phil coaches IP attorneys to become as confident in business development as they are in their legal work. He’s passionate about helping people overcome their business development anxiety and knows from experience that anyone with the brains to become an attorney can learn the science behind sales and marketing.

Phil has front-line sales experience, communications know-how developed as a publisher of two IP industry magazines, and is personally involved in the associations and conferences IP attorneys attend to build business. Phil has refined his coaching and training methodology over the past decade by working with hundreds of IP attorneys worldwide.

Phil published several articles focused on business development and frequently speaks at IP events, including INTA, NYIPLA, New York City Bar Association, ASIPI, AIPF, LMA, and at numerous law firm retreats.

David S. Gooder is the Commissioner for Trademarks at the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). The Commissioner serves as the primary agency official for trademarks, domestically and internationally, and is responsible for all aspects of the Trademarks organization, including policy, petitions, operations, register protection and administration relating to trademark examination, registration, and maintenance.

Mr. Gooder has worked for more than 25 years on intellectual property and brand-protection challenges facing iconic global brands, notably in the distilled spirits and wine industries. Prior to joining the USPTO, he served as the founding Managing Director and Chief Trademark Counsel at Jack Daniel’s Properties. In that position, Mr. Gooder directed the company’s global intellectual property work, including its trademark portfolio, rights clearance, brand protection, licensing, and entertainment deals for the brands. Before that, Mr. Gooder practiced trademark, copyright, and entertainment law in Los Angeles and San Diego.

For the International Trademark Association, Mr. Gooder has been an officer and served two terms on the Board of Directors. He has also served as Chairman of the INTA Foundation.

Prior to his legal career, Mr. Gooder was a drummer and a video and music director. He is also an Eagle Scout. Mr. Gooder is a member of the State Bar of California. He received his Juris Doctor from the University of Arizona College of Law.

Russell Pangborn is a partner at Seed IP Law Group in Seattle, Washington, where he specializes in trademarks and internet policy and is the chair of the firm’s trademark practice.

Previously he was global head of trademarks at Microsoft and a senior trademark attorney at Intel.

Mr Pangborn is active with INTA, having served on the INTA Board of Directors, as an Officer, and a member of its Executive Committee. He is now the Subcommittee chair of the Internet Committee’s ICANN Engagement Subcommittee.

He is also an active member of ICANN’s Intellectual Property Constituency.

Adraea M. Brown is assistant general counsel – trademarks at Harley-Davidson where she leads the Company’s trademark team and serves as Vice President of H-D U.S.A., LLC, the owner of all Harley-Davidson trademarks. In her role, Adraea oversees the Company’s 5,000+ global trademark portfolio, brand protection and enforcement, trademark litigation, and serves as primary counsel to the general merchandise and licensing business, with products ranging from apparel to garden gnomes. Adraea is Leadership Counsel of Legal Diversity Fellows alumnus (2018), she has been recognized as a “Diversity Champion” in 2021 by the World Intellectual Property Review, and named as a Rising Star – Top Corporate Counsel by the Milwaukee Business Journal in 2020. Adraea is a member of the INTA’s Commercialization of Brands Committee and is co-chair of the Brand Evolution and Emerging Issues Subcommittee.

Adraea earned her Juris Doctor from the University of New Hampshire Franklin Pierce School of Law and her Bachelor of Arts degree from Spelman College.

Isabella Cardozo – woman, mother, feminist, partner of Daniel Law with 20+ years of experience in trademark related matters, activist for gender and race equity, participant in the collective construction of Daniel Plural and of ColetivA Santa LutA, resolute in transforming the legal segment into a more diverse and inclusive segment that is engaged in community actions that promote social inclusion. Co-coordination of the Brazilian Intellectual Property Association – ABPI’s Diversity Committee, Former Member of 2020/2021 INTA`s DEI Presidential task force formed to expand diversity, equity and inclusion at the Association and current member of Inta Women Leadership Project Team and of Professional Development Committee.

Laura Ganoza is a partner in the Miami Office of Foley & Lardner LLP, where she is the head of litigation for the office. Laura is also the Co-Chair of Foley’s Fashion Apparel & Beauty practice. Laura represents clients in a variety of intellectual property litigation matters, including trademark, copyright and patent infringement matters, and in complex commercial litigation matters. In addition to enforcing and litigating her client’s valuable rights, Laura manages the trademark and copyright portfolios for a wide range of clients and advises clients about how to obtain, maintain and protect their intellectual property rights. Combining her litigation skills and in depth knowledge of intellectual property law, Ms. Ganoza has found success in solving problems for her clients domestically and internationally.

She has been recognized as a leader in the field of trademark law by World Trademark Review in its “WTR 1000 – The World’s Leading Trademark Professionals” directory since 2021. She has been Peer Review Rated as AV® Preeminent™, the highest performance rating in Martindale-Hubbell’s peer review rating system

Myrtha Hurtado Rivas joined Société des Produits Nestlé in October of 2021 as General Counsel Brand and Marketing Properties, Licensing and Anti-Counterfeiting to lead these areas across Nestlé globally. Her breadth of experience comes from an extensive and diverse education; time spent at the Swiss Federal Institute of Intellectual Property, five years at Novartis Pharma, five years at Sandoz and five years at Novartis International. She has expertise in IP, anti-counterfeiting, consumer safety, domain name law, licensing, international business law and change management.

She is also the founder and executive producer of Leaderching, a podcast in Spanish and English which covers topics around leadership and diversity.

Myrtha is involved in various IP associations, in particular she is the Trademarks Rapporteur at ICC, Chairwoman of the Pharmaceutical Trademark Group (PTMG), Chair of the INTA Brand Restrictions Outreach Sub-Committee and Chair of the ECTA WIPO-Link Committee.

Her Peruvian heritage provides a final layer to an IP professional who truly encapsulates what it means to be a global citizen.

A Jordanian qualified lawyer with extensive years of experience working in the Middle East region. Rasha specialises in intellectual property rights with an emphasis on trademarks and copyright. Currently a Partner at Al Tamimi & Company and based in the UAE and manages a team across the Middle East region.

Rasha’s practice is diverse and covers a wide range of IP services, from portfolio management, IP litigation/disputes, anti-counterfeiting campaigns, IP transactions, IP commercial agreements. Rasha heads the IP transactions practice within the IP department at her firm. She has handled major IP projects in commercial transactions, such as mergers and acquisitions, IPOs and joint ventures, as well as conducting IP audits. Rasha has extensive experience in managing and handling complex IP litigation cases for cancellation and infringement cases before Courts throughout the Middle East Region.

With her experience, Rasha has been involved in the drafting of IP legislations in the UAE, including the DIFC IP Law. In addition to commenting on draft IP laws.

At the INTA, Rasha has been a member of several committees over the years, currently a member of the Brand Commercialisation Committee. She has also been a member of 2021 Presidential Task Force on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, as well as 2022 Presidential Task Force. Rasha was also a member of INTA Global Middle East Advisory Board.

Shareholder and Chair of the U.S. Customs and International Trade Law Group at the Florida-based law firm of Gunster. Mr. Quinter began his career as an attorney in the Office of Chief Counsel for U.S. Customs in Miami, Florida. For the last 25 years, he has represented companies importing cargo into and exporting cargo from the United States related to investigations, audits, detentions, and seizures of merchandise, including for suspected trademark violations. He daily interacts with Federal law enforcement agencies, especially U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), and the Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS), along with litigating in Federal courts around the United States, including the U.S. Court of International Trade. Peter is Board Certified in International Law by the Florida Bar, ranked by Chambers Global legal as one of the top lawyers in the world in the area of International Trade, and is a member of directory the Embargoes, Sanctions, and Treaty Compliance Subcommittee. On a personal note, Mr. Quinter met his wife while running the Boston Marathon, was the legal advisor for the first triathlon held in Havana, Cuba, and has travelled to 54 countries.

Anthony leads Blank Rome’s National Security team. A dual U.S./UK-qualified practitioner with on-the-ground experience spanning four continents, he counsels companies and private equity sponsors regarding cross-border trade, operations, investments, and geopolitical strategic planning.

Anthony has been recognized as a leading practitioner by the Legal 500, Who’s Who Legal, and Global Investigations Review. A former member of the Law360 International Trade Editorial Advisory Board, he is a trusted advisor to clients on matters involving economic sanctions, export controls, and investment screening involving the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (“CFIUS”).

Anthony has advised clients across a broad range of industries, including aerospace and defense, manufacturing, automotive, aviation and aviation-adjacent, technology/software, semiconductors, telecommunications, maritime, financial, shipping, freight forwarding and logistics, and energy.

Michael is Vice President, Head of Corporate, M&A and IP at Dapper Labs. Michael is currently responsible for Dapper’s corporate strategy, M&A practice and their venture portfolio. Michael’s team built a captive fund off of Dapper’s balance sheet with 120 portfolio companies that have gone up to raise more than a billion dollars in venture funding. On the legal side, Michael also leads the corporate, employment, IP and legal ops teams.

Michael also sits on the boards of Aalyria Technologies, a recent Google spin-out, and mBition GmbH, the technology incubator of Daimler AG.

Prior to joining Dapper, Michael was a product manager and Head of Open Source at Facebook, where he was charged with defining the vision, strategy and execution for open source products, programs and partnerships. For three years, Michael also served on the board Linux Foundation, and led the creation of dozens of open source tech foundations, such as GraphQL, MLCommons, eBPF and others.

J. Janewa Osei-Tutu is the Associate Dean for Diversity, Culture & Inclusion, and a Professor of Law at Florida International University College of Law. Osei-Tutu has published widely on international intellectual property law, with a focus on cultural intellectual property, human rights, and human development. She is active in professional and community organizations and is the Chair-elect for the Intellectual Property Section of the Association of American Law Schools, she is is the Editor in Chief of the African Journal of Legal Studies, and a member of the Editorial Board of the American Intellectual Property Law Association Quarterly Journal. In addition, ss the founder of JotKulture, she offers strategic expertise on cultural issues, human rights, and intellectual property.

Lorenzo has 20 years of experience working in the IP industry both as litigator and consultant. Before joining Brandit where he is currently CBO and Managing Partner of Brandit Legal, Lorenzo worked for the Italian Government to create IP desks in Italian embassies, has worked for some of the leading European IP firms.

Lorenzo is currently part of the INTA Board of Directors and serves or has served in the board of other IP associations and start up incubators and is an appointed expert at the EU Observatory on IP & Piracy. He has chaired several conferences, including INTA AM 2021, and committees, including INTA’s Unreal Campaign Committee, and is regular speaker and lecturer at universities.

Over the last 20 years he has represented in trademark matters most of the Fortune500 companies and has been recognized as leading IP attorney and IP strategist and has received INTA Award in 2016 for the Advancement of the Association.

Besides his IP business, he is an intermediary in international transfers of soccer players and is an investor in start ups and is a shareholder of JAM Labs, a Web3 company which helps brands in setting up their presence in the metaverse and in developing NFTs strategies.

Lorenzo is extroverted, intuitive, creative, open hearted and open minded and loves to embrace big ideas and big projects.

Flavia M. Murad-Schaal is and experienced IP attorney in Brazil, dealing with IP protection, transaction and litigation. She is a tech enthusiast, a Professor in IP innovation and the co-author of Artificial Intelligence and Intellectual Property in Brazil (2021). Flavia is the founder of Mansur Murad IP Law Firm based in São Paulo with its international hub in London. She is also the founder of the consulting Firm CAPTER TREND, which structures businesses based on tokens and digital assets focusing on regulatory issues. Flavia also founded the start-up Pytuna, which registers works of arts in Blockchain (NFT’s) and promotes networking and licensing opportunities for artists with adverse social economic circumstances.

Mark Stein opened Mark Stein Law on January 1, 2015 in Miami, Florida. Mark Stein Law practices exclusively in the areas of intellectual property law. This includes litigation of patent, trademark (including TTAB), copyright and computer and internet matters, prosecution of trademarks before the USPTO and a variety of transactional matters from licensing to technology agreements. Mark also frequently serves as a mediator and arbitrator and is a member of the INTA Panel of Trademark Mediators.

Before opening Mark Stein Law, Mark was the chair of the intellectual property law group at Higer Lichter and Giver. And prior that that he was a partner at the intellectual property law boutique, Lott & Friedland.

Mark holds a law degree from the University of Florida and an undergraduate degree from Florida State University. He is Board Certified by the Florida Bar in Intellectual Property Law and is a Florida Supreme Court Certified Circuit Mediator. Mark is also a member of the American Arbitration Association Master Mediator Panel and is also an arbitrator on the Commercial Arbitration Panel of the American Arbitration Association.

Kim has 30+years of experience in the IPfield, with both in-house and private practice background. In addition to rights and availability clearances, trademark and copyright prosecution and proceedings before the TTAB, Kim has experience in IP-related commercial transactions, IP portfolio audit and analysis, brand protection strategies and enforcement. A particular concentration of Kim’s practice is on global trademark licensing negotiations and transactions.

Having handled all aspects of IP licensing and brand extension management of large brand portfolios, Kim’s depth of knowledge in global licensing programs adds a unique dimension to her practice serving a diverse array of clients across a myriad of industries, product categories and retail channels.

In addition, Kim provides strategic brand architecture guidance for portfolio and program management; redesign of IP operational processes; and the development of innovative deal structures that result in revenue growth tied to the IP assets.

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Jon leads Gowling WLG’s MENA IP practice in the UAE. He is a Legal Consultant with Dubai Legal Affairs Department and a UK Registered Trademark and Design Attorney. He has been practising in the Middle East since 2006.

He started his IP career in 1991 when he joined the UK IPO. He moved into private practice in the UK in 2001, later relocated to the UAE. He has extensive experience in managing global portfolios for clients, as well as the strategic management of regional and international portfolios, and the enforcement of these rights. His practice also covers the management of IP litigation matters in the UAE and elsewhere for clients.

Since 1994 he has held supervisory/management roles in his positions with the UK civil service and also in private practice law firms. In his current role, he directly heads a team of 11 (8 women and 3 men), from 7 countries.

With over 20 years experience, Bruna is the head of the firm’s IP and Data Protection practices. She has deep knowledge about prosecution as well as complex litigation and transactional issues. She is an author, speaker and teacher.

She holds the CIPP/E certification, an LLM in IP from the George Washington University and a Master’s Degree in IP from the Academy of the Brazilian PTO. Currently she is one of LES Brasil’s Vice- President and Social Media Champion of WILA (Women in Licensing Alliance). Hallem Advogados is a proud member of WeConnect, a global network that connects women-owned businesses to qualified buyers around the world.

Founding and Managing Partner of Deris, Serra has implemented a number of progressive litigious strategies that have brought significant advancement to intellectual property practices. After qualifying, Serra was involved with the introduction of new Decree-Laws and trademark opposition, and later with the establishment and representation of Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) applications in Turkey.

A fluent French and English speaker, Serra is regarded as an international and local expert in the establishment of industrial and IP rights for companies. She also has significant experience in the granting and tracking of licenses. An active litigator in numerous fields including IT law media, advertising, competition and telecommunication, Serra advises renowned brands in the food and beverage, consumer goods and luxury goods sectors. In addition to providing counsel on protection, enforcement, and anti-counterfeiting strategies, Serra has been recognized for her experience and expertise in filing strategies, genericness, litigation and anti-counterfeiting programmes.

Experineces / Highlights

Contributor to principles of landmark court decision regarding unfair competition and trademark protection, published in INTA’s Annual Review. Led resolution of notable consumer brand cases for anti-counterfeiting and customs representation with multi-jurisdictional conflicts associated with trademarks and patents. Supported a highly publicised programme to raise awareness of image rights in media and entertainment law.

Implemented a balanced scorecard system, integrating client satisfaction with process and productivity.

She is also counselling the clients in the data privacy matters. She has led the in house Project team for 27001 certification and she has an in depth experience concerning the data privacy and data security.

She has received many awards from various platforms such as IAM 1000, WTR 1000, IPSTARS, Legal 500. She was also recognized as one of the TOP 250 Woman in IP in 2020 by IPSTARS and Leading Individual in 2022 by Legal 500.

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Maria is the Executive Director of the FAIRR Initiative.  She joined in September of 2016 and is responsible for the oversight and delivery of the FAIRR strategy and work plans.  Maria has over a decade of experience in sustainability and finance, partnering with global institutional investors to address some of the world’s most critical ESG challenges.  During her time at FAIRR, the team has ambitiously driven the narrative around the risks and opportunities in the global protein supply chain to direct capital towards a more sustainable and equitable food system.  In just over five years, the FAIRR investor network has grown to almost $70 trillion in combined assets while its expert projects have expanded across five key pillars: Research, Data, Collaborative Engagements, Policy and Investor Outreach.

Prior to joining FAIRR, Maria worked for the UN-supported Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI) where she cultivated and expanded the ESG community, managing the PRI’s Signatory Relations strategy and raising awareness of material ESG issues with institutional investors.  Maria started her career in global finance and capital markets, working at both J.P. Morgan and Deutsche Bank.

She has served on the Sustainability Accounting Standard Board Standards Advisory Group. She is also a member of the Intentional Endowment Network’s (IEN) Steering Committee.

Maria is based in London but has lived and worked in San Francisco, New York and Madrid. She holds a MA (Distinction) in Environment, Politics and Globalization from King’s College London and a BA in International Business, Latin American Studies and Spanish from San Diego State University.

Giacomo Moleri is a partner at Spheriens, an IP boutique firm with offices in Florence, Milan and Rome. 

Giacomo handles both extrajudicial and contentious matters and has extensive experience in the protection of intellectual property rights on the Internet. He assists clients in domain name dispute resolutions and in protecting their intangible assets on all digital platforms. Giacomo also manages anticounterfeiting programs, both domestically and internationally, and handles administrative proceedings before the Italian PTO (Patent and Trademark Office). 

Giacomo has worked for Siblegal, now Spheriens, since its foundation in 2009 and became a partner of the firm in 2017. In the summer of 2007, he was a visiting lawyer at the Washington offices of Arent Fox. 

Giacomo regularly holds lessons at the Master course in Luxury Goods Management – EMLUX organized by the Università Cattolica of Milan and the Master program in Management of Artistic and Cultural Heritage and of Private Collections organized by Intesa San Paolo. 

Within INTA has served in several committees and is currently chairing the Programming Subcommittee of the Brands for a Better Society. 

Valeria Piani is Head of Stewardship at Phoenix Group. She joined the firm in September 2021 to lead a stewardship team and collaborate with Phoenix’s Asset Management partners to influence ESG performance by investee companies.

She has over 14 years of experience in the industry and has held a number of senior positions at different firms. She joined UBS Asset Management in 2017 as Strategic Engagement Lead responsible for the manager’s climate change engagement programme, stewardship reporting and integration research in the industrial sector. Prior to this, Valeria worked for nine years as Associate Director at the UN-backed Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI) where she managed a team of 11 members responsible for coordinating investor collaborative engagement activities with companies on a range of ESG issues. When at the PRI, she supported over 30 investors coalitions involving more than 200 asset owners and investment managers. Topics included among others director nomination, gender diversity, emissions reduction and human rights.