Volunteer Spotlight: Scott Moran

Scott Moran (Duncan Cotterill, New Zealand) has had the privilege of representing a number of iconic New Zealand charities. Compared to businesses in the private sector, non-profit clients face very different issues and challenges in relation to protecting their brands.

As such, one of Mr. Moran’s INTA highlights was serving on the former Non-Profit Committee (whose work is now incorporated within the In-House Practitioners Committee). Being a part of this Committee gave Mr. Moran an excellent opportunity to contribute his own experience, as well as to learn from others, take that knowledge back to his own work, and bring real value to his clients.

Mr. Moran thrives on the variety of his broad commercial and trademark practice. In a single day, he could be advising one of his firm’s trusted international agents on Australasian trademark issues in the morning, negotiating a deep technology agreement later in the day, and catching up over coffee in his role as the key relationship partner for one of his local clients in the afternoon. This variety all serves to keep his job engaging, interesting, and rewarding.

An active INTA committee member since 2011, Mr. Moran is currently on the Public Information Committee. In addition to his involvement with INTA (and other organizations such as the Intellectual Property Society of Australia and New Zealand), Mr. Moran has a number of governance roles.

Reflecting on his love of sports, he sits on the Executive Committee of New Zealand Football and is the Netball New Zealand appointee to the Netball Central Zone Board. These roles require considerable levels of engagement and provide him with tremendous satisfaction.

Mr. Moran believes the ability of local trademark laws to adapt to what is an increasingly global market as one of the biggest challenges facing trademark law today. For example, he notes how in New Zealand and Australia, the argument that reputation and goodwill span both markets (when a mark may only be registered in one) is run in opposition proceedings often, and sometimes with success. With the global marketplace becoming increasingly borderless, he considers it is likely that there will be more challenges to the effectiveness of trademark registrations. It may no longer be sufficient to search and clear brands only in the market that one intends to file in, he suggests.

Mr. Moran applauds INTA’s efforts to support the harmonization of global practices in trademark law. He says that INTA’s continued effective promotion of efficient management of trademarks internationally on behalf of brand owners can make a real difference.

Outside his daily practice and volunteer roles, Mr. Moran is kept busy keeping track of the endeavors of his three teenage children, whether academic, cultural, or sporting. He also enjoys attending live sporting events and concerts.

Like any trademark practitioner, Mr. Moran closely follows the development of his clients’ brands. Asked to identify his favorite trademark, he highlights XERO cloud-based accounting software, which he has seen develop from its early days, through to being a global brand. Originating in Wellington as a start-up in 2006, XERO now has two million subscribers worldwide. Mr. Moran says he enjoys “following journeys like that, especially when you get to help out a little along the way.”