INTA’s Response to COVID-19: Helping Brands to Help the World and Adapt to the Times

Social distancing-a critical measure for curbing the spread of the coronavirus-has had a huge impact on companies worldwide. As people adjust to staying indoors, companies are finding innovative ways not only to support the response to COVID-19 but to remain in operation, primarily, by serving their customers, clients, constituents, and communities online, rather than in person.

INTA, which is first and foremost a community, is doing the same. In light of the crisis, the Association’s staff and dedicated volunteers have been working tirelessly to keep members around the world engaged, to make necessary adjustments to events and programming, and to lend our support to COVID-19 response efforts. Here are the details about some of the recent activities:

INTA Community Cares-COVID-19 Donation Campaign: INTA has established a donation drive which will, depending on the country: (1) fund the purchase and distribution of masks and other personal protective equipment to public hospitals and/or nonprofit organizations; and/or (2) contribute monies to local charitable organizations assisting health care institutions and the public in dealing with COVID-19. While INTA recognizes the enormous and growing need worldwide, as a start, the Association has identified areas around the world where it believes the donations can make the biggest difference. In calling on members to contribute, INTA President Ayala Deutsch and INTA CEO Etienne Sanz de Acedo emphasized, “Let’s show our compassion as a united INTA community!” Learn more about the campaign here.

2020 Annual Meeting and Leadership Meeting: INTA will be holding its 2020 Annual Meeting and Leadership Meeting from Monday, November 16 through Friday, November 20 in Houston, Texas, USA, combining for the first time the Association’s Annual Meeting and Leadership Meeting. Registration will open in early June. The new date and location reflect scheduling changes in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and INTA’s prioritization of the health and safety of registrants, staff, and the community at large. Activities will begin on Sunday, November 15 for those eligible to attend the Leadership Meeting (current and incoming Board of Directors and Counsel; Past Presidents and Counsel; 2020‒2021 committee chairs, vice chairs, members, and subcommittee members; current project teams and advisory councils; and staff from government IP offices). In this video and in written messages to the Association’s members and other stakeholders, Mr. Sanz de Acedo noted that despite the challenging times, “It is important to look to the future.”

INTA TO-GO: INTA has launched a new e-learning platform-INTA TO-GO. The platform’s enhanced content, with both on-demand and live webcasts, offers multiple opportunities for members and other professionals to learn remotely and stay engaged with the global intellectual property (IP) community. To introduce INTA TO-GO, the Association highlighted an on-demand webcast most relevant during these challenging times: Mental Health in Your Workplace: How to Be Part of the Solution. INTA is developing a full calendar of content and will provide regular updates about new programming.

Virtual Speed Networking: INTA has introduced Virtual Speed Networking, providing remote access to other trademark and business professionals around the globe. Inspired by the successful in-person speed networking sessions that the Association holds at our Annual Meetings, free virtual Speed Networking sessions will be offered three days a week in various time zones.

INSIDE INTA: Last month, INTA rolled out an INSIDE INTA video series to provide the global IP community with updates from Association insiders. Staff and volunteers film these short videos from their telecommuting locations, giving an inside look at recent and upcoming activities. Watch for INSIDE INTA episodes and view them on YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

In this INSIDE INTA episode, INTA Chief Governance Officer Randi Mustello discusses the Association’s first-ever virtual Board of Directors meeting, which was held last month.

Brand & New Podcast: During its current second season, INTA’s podcast, Brand & New, has been focusing on IP and change-exploring changes and dynamics in the new age of IP. The subject of change could not be more relevant given the situation we find ourselves in today. As such, in upcoming episodes, host Audrey Dauvet will be interviewing myriad experts, visionaries, and influential people from all over the world on crisis management, business strategies and pivoting, and other topics related to the current crisis. The complete Brand & New podcast catalogue is available here.

Most recently, Ms. Dauvet spoke with INTA member Peter McAleese (Akran Intellectual Property, Italy), who offers insight into these disquieting times through the lens of an IP attorney based in Rome, one of the cities in Italy hit hardest by the COVID-19 pandemic. An excerpt of this interview is published here in the INTA Bulletin.