Association Presents 2018 President’s Award, Volunteer Service and Tomorrow’s Leaders Awards

INTA recognized nine individuals and one law firm across seven categories during the Association’s Leadership Meeting in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA, in November.

INTA’s Volunteer Service Awards recognize those who provide exemplary volunteer service to the Association and to the broader public during a specific year. Subcommittee chairs, committee members, and non-committee volunteers, such as speakers at INTA education programs and authors of INTA publications, are eligible for Volunteer Service Awards. Nominees must have shown exemplary volunteer service above and beyond their regular activities in the Association since the 2017 Leadership Meeting.

This year’s awards were presented as follows:

The President’s Award is given to the most distinguished and deserving INTA volunteers for a career dedicated to trademarks and intellectual property (IP) protection and advancement. This year’s winner was Kathryn Barrett Park (USA). Learn more about Ms. Park’s impressive career and her INTA service in her interview with the INTA Bulletin.

The Tomorrow’s Leader Award, which was introduced in 2017, encourages young trademark practitioners to participate in and contribute to the Association and recognizes outstanding performances by two young professionals with less than five years of experience who have demonstrated early leadership qualities. It is meant to inspire the next generation of IP professionals and to accelerate the growth and development of the recipients within INTA and the global trademark community. Mina Jovanovic (ZMP Zivko Mijatovic and Partners, Serbia) and Gaurav Bhalla (ALG India Law Offices LLP, India) were this year’s winners.

The Advancement of Trademark Law Award is presented to someone who, through participation in INTA throughout the year, has contributed to the advancement of substantive law and its practice. Motasem Abu-Ghazaleh (Abu-Ghazaleh Intellectual Property, United Arab Emirates) earned the award this year for his five years of service on the Middle East Global Advisory Council, on which he currently serves as chair. Mr. Abu-Ghazaleh has advanced INTA’s message in the Middle East across all three objectives of the Global Advisory Councils: to advise on advocacy efforts; to grow membership; and to support communications. As a result of his efforts, INTA has deepened its understanding of the local IP landscape; is becoming a known player in the region; is growing its membership in the region; and is building relationships with key government agencies and industry players.

The Advancement of Committee or Subcommittee Objectives Award goes to members whose initiatives and creative thinking have led to the advancement of committee or subcommittee objectives. This year, Felicia Boyd (Barnes & Thornburg LLP, USA) and Kevin Hartley (Trust Tree Legal, PC, USA) were the recipients. As members of the Alternative Dispute Resolution Committee, Ms. Boyd and Mr. Hartley have elevated mediation education opportunities on a global scale. Together they have promoted mediation educational programming, roundtables, and Annual Meeting Table Topics, attracting more than 300 participants to these events. They also integrated INTA’s Panel of Trademark Mediators as speakers and mediators into these sessions, helping to raise awareness of the panel itself. Ms. Boyd, who serves as a Chair of the Europe, Middle East, and Africa Subcommittee, is also responsible for several global mediation roundtables, including an event in Lagos, Nigeria, for more than 100 participants. Mr. Hartley was the moderator of the Committee’s session at the 2018 Annual Meeting, which focused on the psychology of mediation.

Two individuals received this year’s award for Advancement of the Association, which awards work that has helped to advance INTA’s strategic goals. Rudy Gaines (Womble Bond Dickinson, USA) spent many years with the Leadership Development Committee and has become a trailblazer within the Association. He conceived of the idea of Leadership Labs, which provides committee leaders with training on effective thought leadership and INTA committee management. He has served on various committees since 2008, making a name for himself in INTA as an innovator and out-of-the-box thinker. The second recipient, Bienvenido Marquez (Quisumbing Torres, Philippines) has been an active volunteer since 2014 and has made a considerable contribution to INTA’s advancement in the Asia-Pacific region. Over and above his committee work, Mr. Marquez has hosted numerous Unreal Campaign events, educating more than 100 students about trademarks and counterfeiting. He has also aided INTA in developing a strong relationship with the Philippines’ Bureau of Customs and has represented INTA in meetings with the customs office on many occasions.

The Outstanding Pro Bono Service by Individual Award is for someone who has shown commitment to providing trademark pro bono legal services. The 2018 award went to Jennifer Visintine (Thompson Coburn LLP, USA). Ms. Visintine is on the board of St. Louis Volunteer Lawyers & Accountants for the Arts and has taken part in several volunteer projects with the firm as long as she’s been practicing, some of which involve trademark search and clearances. Through the INTA Pro Bono Trademark Clearinghouse she has helped a number of small businesses with federal trademark registrations. Ms. Visintine has also represented various arts-related pro bono clients on trademark and copyright matters.

The Outstanding Pro Bono Service by Organization Award is for an organization that has provided exceptional trademark-related pro bono services. This year’s award was presented to Charles Russell Speechlys LLP, based in London. The firm affords its staff a variety of ways to give back and provide pro bono legal advice. This includes through the Legal Advice Centre in Bethnal Green, where the staff on the firm’s legal team provide legal counsel to local residents on a wide range of issues covering benefits, housing, employment, education, and family and commercial law. They also volunteer through the Royal Courts of Justice Advice Bureau, which delivers free legal advice to people who cannot afford a solicitor and need assistance with preparing or dealing with a court case. The firm supports the UK IP Pro Bono scheme and, on an individual level, encourages its lawyers to take on pro bono cases covering IP-related issues. Kate O’Rourke accepted the award on behalf of the firm.

Although every effort has been made to verify the accuracy of items in the INTA Bulletin, readers are urged to check independently on matters of specific concern or interest. Law & Practice updates are published without comment from INTA except where it has taken an official position.

© 2018 International Trademark Association