What Belonging to INTA Means to Me: Meera Chature Sankhari

Meera Chature Sankhari is Co-Founder and Partner, Head of Trade Marks, General IP & IT practices at Jupiter Law Partners, Gurgaon, India. Here, she discusses what belonging to INTA means to her, and how her firm benefits from INTA’s services and resources throughout the year.

Why is your organization an INTA member, and how does it benefit from membership?
My organization is a member because INTA is one of the world’s largest associations of intellectual property (IP) professionals. As an Indian law firm, we use our INTA membership to help us serve our clients efficiently and seamlessly across the globe. For a variety of reasons, many of our international clients reach out to us for assistance in neighboring countries of the Indian subcontinent.

Our firm provides services in relation to trademarks, copyright designs, and patent prosecution, and offers IP transactional and litigation-related services. We frequently advise clients in the areas of technology, data protection, and privacy laws. Given the wide spectrum of services that we offer in the field of IP, we require assistance in relation to services such as due diligence, drafting, and negotiation of IP-oriented contracts over and above the regular IP prosecution and litigation services.

Given the wide scope of services that we offer, we often require assistance in numerous countries and in relation to diverse streams of IP practice. INTA helps us gain access to IP professionals worldwide, which in turn assists us in tailoring our services to suit our clients’ requirements. Through INTA, we are almost always able to reach out to IP professionals of varying expertise, experience, and strengths, and in jurisdictions as diverse as the African continent, China, the European Union, Japan, the United States, or any other part of the world.

How long have you personally been an active INTA member, and what does belonging to INTA mean to you?
I have personally been an active INTA member since 2004, which was when I was first appointed to the Alternative Dispute Resolution Committee. To me, belonging to INTA means opportunities and learning. INTA has such a wide array of activities, and I like the fact that I can choose the option that serves my goal best. The INTA Annual Meeting is also a great place to learn more about IP developments, whether it is through panel discussions or by simply talking to a fellow registrant. Most importantly, it is an opportunity to connect with global corporations as well as IP colleagues working in law firms worldwide with ease.

Outside of the Annual Meeting, how do you make use of your membership throughout the year?
I am a member of the Law Firm Practice of the Future Think Tank project. In September 2019, INTA conducted a full-day India Workshop, which also coincided with the Board of Directors’ maiden visit to India. I was a part of the Project Team and moderated a panel discussion entitled “Graphically Yours: Trademarks,” in the context of evolving nontraditional marks. In 2018, I also volunteered as a judge at the first-ever Asia-Pacific (APAC) Moot Court Competition organized by INTA in Singapore.

Of course I attend the Leadership Meeting, and I often refer to the resources that INTA makes available. These are some of the ways that I engage with INTA, and which help in furthering my own growth, network, and experience.

In a nutshell, why should trademark professionals join INTA?
In my view, INTA is relevant to independent or private practitioners from law firms and especially for in-house IP counsels. INTA is much more than a simple networking platform. It meets with global IP offices, helps to assess future trends, organizes panel discussions on current and upcoming topics, identifies and plugs into current issues, and meets with government departments across the globe. All of these resources make INTA relevant to IP professionals across the globe.

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