INTA Meets U.S. Copyright Office Officials to Discuss Key Issues

On September 11, INTA visited the U.S. Copyright Office in Washington, D.C., to meet with senior officials. Dale Cendali (Kirkland & Ellis, USA), chair of the Copyright Policy Subcommittee of INTA’s Copyright Committee; Axel Nordemann (Boehmert & Boehmert, Germany), Copyright Committee chair; and Debbie Cohn, INTA Senior Director, Government Relations attended in person and several Copyright Committee members, including Noel Cook (Owen, Wickersham & Erickson, P.C., USA), Copyright Committee vice-chair, attended remotely.

The meeting focused on copyright registration of logos and other current topics of interest to the committee, as well as potential future collaboration on programs and events. The discussion was extremely productive and served to enhance INTA’s relationship and future work with the Copyright Office through the Copyright Committee.

INTA Hosts USPTO Stakeholder Roundtable and Reception

On September 17, INTA hosted a United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) stakeholder roundtable at headquarters in Alexandria, Virginia. USPTO Trademark Commissioner Mary Boney Denison and her executive team discussed current USPTO trademark issues and initiatives, including holding an interactive dialogue with attendees and informal discussion following the roundtable.

INTA PAC Receptions

On September 26, INTA’s Political Action Committee (INTA PAC) hosted an INTA PAC reception at the offices of Jones Day in Washington, D.C. INTA PAC Chair Michael Moore (Mattel, USA) kicked off the reception and focused on the goals of INTA PAC, which include providing crucial opportunities for INTA to advocate and represent brand owners’ interests in Congress. The INTA PAC reception then welcomed Congressman Hank Johnson (D-GA-4th), who spoke about the importance of strong intellectual property (IP) laws and the need for enhancing IP enforcement.

On October 17, INTA PAC hosted a West Coast reception in Los Angeles at the downtown Los Angeles offices of Morgan Lewis, with special guest Congresswoman Judy Chu (D-CA-27th), a member of the Congressional Trademark Caucus and a strong advocate of IP rights. Representative Chu spoke about the importance of strong IP protections, especially in the creative industries, which are a crucial component of the California economy.

U.S. Congressional Legislative Review and Elections Update

On November 6, elections will be held in the United States for the entire House of Representatives and a portion of the U.S. Senate. The 115th session of Congress will conclude on January 3 and the 116th Congressional Session will begin later in January with new committee leadership.

Following INTA’s goals throughout this Congressional session, INTA has advocated for strong IP protections and adequate funding for the USPTO. Last month, the Orrin G. Hatch-Bob Goodlatte Music Modernization Act (H.R. 1551) was signed into law, which creates a compulsory blanket licensing system for music recordings, updates the rate standards applicable to music licensing, provides copyright royalties to pre-1972 artists, and provides compensation to producers, mixers ,and sound engineers. Additionally, the Small Business Innovation Protection Act of 2017 (S. 791) was signed into law, which amends the Small Business Act to expand IP education and training for small businesses. Both pieces of legislation will assist with creating stronger IP enforcement frameworks and provide opportunities for expanded education and outreach initiatives.

INTA’s Washington, D.C., Representative Office represents the Association’s 2,361 members in North America. Working in collaboration with staff at INTA’s headquarters in New York City, the Washington, D.C., Representative Office leads the Association’s policy, membership, marketing, and communications initiatives in Canada and the United States. To learn more about INTA’s activities in the region, please contact INTA Senior Director of Government Relations Deborah Cohn, at [email protected].

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.