Engaging Government at INTA’s Annual Meeting: Three Questions for INTA CEO Etienne Sanz de Acedo

Etienne Sanz de Acedo, INTA (USA)

The INTA Annual Meeting brings together the global intellectual property (IP) community under one roof for one week. It’s our industry’s premier event of the year and the largest such annual gathering of IP and brand professionals. Registration for the 147^th Annual Meeting, taking place in San Diego, California, USA, from May 17 to 21, 2025, is well underway. So far, close to 7,000 registrants from 126 jurisdictions have already signed up. Among those participating in the Annual Meeting are hundreds of officials, not only from the IP offices but from the judiciary, enforcement and custom authorities, and various other government agencies and non-government organizations.

Given the size and scope of the event, and with the global IP community gathered in one place, the Annual Meeting presents all registrants with a unique opportunity to interact and learn from each other. INTA CEO Etienne Sanz de Acedo sat down briefly to explain how government and IP office officials, the users, and the Association itself, all have much to gain from coming together at the Annual Meeting.

From your perspective, what do government and IP office officials gain by participating in INTA’s Annual Meeting?
We have many government officials attending the Annual Meeting. This has historically been the case. It’s going to be the case again this year in San Diego. No doubt, most major IP offices are attending this year’s Annual Meeting, and that’s a good thing for all registrants.

It’s important for the IP offices to participate in the Annual Meeting as it gives them the opportunity to interact with industry practitioners. It’s an opportunity to learn a lot about what the industry is doing and to identify trends—in terms of technology, in terms of solutions, in terms of providers, or in terms of simple behavior from the users of their systems.

We shouldn’t forget that the role of an IP office is to serve the community, to serve the businesses, and to serve the users—and this interaction is really important to them. Those who join us year after year, really understand this and make concerted efforts to get involved and engage with the Meeting registrants.

How about the users—the IP and brand professionals from around the world—what do they gain with so many government officials and IP offices represented at the Annual Meeting?
The Annual Meeting is the largest IP gathering on an annual basis worldwide. It’s also the largest IP trade fair. So, it’s a unique opportunity for users to meet with almost all IP offices from around the world, to ask questions, to discuss issues that might happen with an IP office, and to learn about updates and new services.

There are also many sessions in the educational program featuring IP office representatives. These sessions are extremely informative and very often the officials are also willing to take audience questions. This is a really unique opportunity to learn, to advance your skills, and to have closer interaction with the IP offices.

I really encourage all IP offices to join us, and I encourage the users to go to those sessions and to interact with representatives from IP offices and governments in general.

We’ve talked a lot about the IP offices, but we also have many government representatives from the judiciary, enforcement agencies, and customs authorities joining us. So, it’s a really unique opportunity for everyone.

Finally, how does INTA take advantage of this unique opportunity with so many government officials and IP offices represented at its Annual Meeting?
For INTA, for our Representative Offices, for our External Relations Team, and for me personally—we have a completely different Annual Meeting than everyone else! And this is precisely because we have so many governments represented at the Meeting.

During the days of the Annual Meeting, we have back-to-back meetings with officials from all around the world. We get updates from them, share industry insights, make suggestions and recommendations, and discuss the issues that are most relevant to our members. It’s also a great opportunity for INTA to interact with governments and government representatives from all around the world.

Learn more and register for the 2025 Annual Meeting. Early-bird registration closes March 14.

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