Interviews

Three Questions with Alison Caless: New Interactive Case Study Session at TMAP 2026

Published: August 3, 2026

The 2026 Trademark Administrators and Practitioners (TMAP) Meeting will take place September 27–29 in Baltimore’s Inner Harbor, with a program designed to move beyond theory, giving registrants practical frameworks, workflow insights, and real-world guidance that they can take back to their teams.

Built by and for trademark administrators (TMAs) and practitioners, this year’s program is designed around the issues shaping day-to-day trademark work, including artificial intelligence, portfolio health, dupes and lookalikes, transactions, customs recordals, enforcement strategies, and broader intellectual property protection.

For trademark administrators, the Meeting is also a forum for recognition. As the responsibilities of TMAs continue to expand, TMAP highlights the expertise, judgment, and problem-solving skills they bring to global portfolio management

Lunch and Learn Circles, networking receptions, business development excursions, and peer-to-peer exchanges offer registrants opportunities to benchmark practices, build relationships, and learn directly from professionals facing similar operational and strategic challenges.

Alison Caless, Cantor Colburn LLP (USA)

The program will debut an Interactive Case Study session on Tuesday, September 29 (3:40 pm–4:40 pm). Registrants will receive a short set of materials to review in advance of this highly interactive session. Guided by a moderator, participants will work through a realistic trademark scenario involving risk assessment, portfolio management, enforcement trade‑offs, and strategic decision-making.

The INTA Bulletin spoke to Alison Caless, partner at Cantor Colburn LLP (USA) and moderator of the session, about what registrants can expect from this new addition to the program, what she is looking forward to most at TMAP, and the collaborative spirit that has long made TMAP distinctive.

Can you tell us a little more about this new interactive format?
There is always so much great content at INTA events, and we wanted to build on that by giving registrants a chance to actually work through some of the issues being discussed. The session follows a hypothetical scenario involving a series of realistic trademark portfolio challenges, and we will use live polling and audience input as we move through the different decision points.

I think the format is especially well suited to TMAP because the audience includes trademark administrators and practitioners, not just attorneys. TMAs are often on the front lines of identifying problems, proposing solutions, improving processes, and addressing issues in real time. I am really looking forward to hearing how registrants approach the hypothetical scenario and seeing where the room agrees, disagrees, or comes up with an option we had not considered.

I am really looking forward to hearing how registrants approach the hypothetical scenario and seeing where the room agrees, disagrees, or comes up with an option we had not considered.

What else are you looking forward to at the Meeting?
It is honestly hard to choose. We have a powerhouse Project Team made up of motivated people with great ideas, strong connections, and a real interest in putting together useful programming.

Dennis Escalante is organizing the global trademark developments session, If I Were Filing There Tomorrow: A Practical Tour of Global Trademark Developments (Monday, September 28, 11:00 am–12:00 pm), which I know will be fantastic. He assembled a terrific panel from around the world to turn regional updates into practical guidance registrants can use when managing global portfolios.

I am also very interested in the programming around communicating and proving the value of trademarks, including how trademark professionals can increase the visibility of their work within their organizations. Beyond that, I am looking forward to the latest thinking on enforcement strategies, software and vendor tools, and practical ways to incorporate artificial intelligence into trademark work. I already know my hand is going to cramp from all the note-taking!

I am looking forward to the latest thinking on enforcement strategies, software and vendor tools, and practical ways to incorporate artificial intelligence into trademark work.

Can you tell us what TMAP means to you and about your history with the event?
TMAP has always stood out to me because it has a slightly different feel than some of the larger INTA meetings. Because it is smaller, it feels more close-knit, and the connections tend to happen very naturally. People attend a session and keep talking about it afterward, meet while waiting in line for lunch, or introduce mutual contacts during a coffee break. It is a very friendly and inclusive environment, and I think that is a significant part of the value of the Meeting.

My first INTA committee was the Trademark Administrators Committee, which has that same welcoming feel and is very active, both socially and substantively. It was a great first experience with committee work and gave me a much stronger connection to INTA. TMAP reflects much of what I valued about that experience. It recognizes the important role trademark administrators play and creates a setting where people can share ideas, ask practical questions, build skills, and develop real relationships within the trademark community.

One final thought: send your TMAs to TMAP. Investing in their growth keeps strong team members engaged, recognizes the value they already bring, and sends them home with practical ideas that can benefit the entire organization. I’ve witnessed a TMA resolve a dispute through a connection at an INTA conference, saving her organization significant time and thousands of dollars. The value of investing in your professionals is very real.

Learn more and register for TMAP 2026.

Although every effort has been made to verify the accuracy of this article, readers are urged to check independently on matters of specific concern or interest. The opinions expressed in this interview are those of the person being interviewed and do not purport to reflect the views of INTA or its members.