INTA News

INTA PAC Reception Features U.S. Representative Hank Johnson

Published: May 19, 2021

The INTA Political Action Committee (INTA PAC) hosted its second-ever virtual reception on the evening of May 5 during the Association’s 2021 Leadership Meeting. The reception featured U.S. Representative Hank Johnson (D-GA-4th), whose remarks focused on intellectual property (IP) priorities and anticounterfeiting.

Congressman Johnson chairs the House Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on Courts, Intellectual Property, and the Internet. The Subcommittee has jurisdiction over trademark law, as well as over administration of U.S. courts, federal rules of evidence, civil and appellate procedure, judicial ethics, patent law, information technology, and the Internet.

The congressman explained the IP priorities of his Subcommittee. High among those is the fight against counterfeiting, which he defined as a “growing out-of-control threat to intellectual property.” He stressed the importance of protecting consumers from the increasing problem of unsafe counterfeit products sold online.

He also discussed the current climate in Congress and characterized IP as a rare area where bipartisanship is possible. He lauded the recent enactment of the Trademark Modernization Act as a tool to improve the integrity of the federal trademark register.

At the invitation-only event, Chair of the INTA PAC Board of Governors Michael Moore (Mattel, Inc., USA) represented the INTA PAC, and Jenny McDowell, INTA’s director of government relations, Washington, D.C., moderated. INTA President Tiki Dare (Oracle, USA) opened the event and welcomed the guest speakers and attendees. The event also included a discussion with INTA’s political consultants in Washington, D.C., Thorsen French Advocacy, as well as an explanation of PAC membership benefits.

The INTA PAC appreciates all the generous donations and welcomes all eligible members to join.

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.

© 2021 International Trademark Association

Topics