INTA 2013: A look ahead
They say everything is bigger in Texas, so what better venue for the world’s largest (and growing) trademark event than Dallas, where the International Trademark Association (INTA) is holding its 135th national meeting.
This year’s varied programme features discussions about a broad range of issues, including sessions on the new challenges for trademark owners from the rise of cloud computing, and the increasing role of social media as a marketing channel.
General sessions start on Monday, after Dallas Cowboys president and general manager Jerry Jones gives the keynote address in the Omni-Dallas ballroom.
His address follows speeches by INTA CEO Alan Drewsen and the 2013 INTA president Toe Su Aung, general counsel of anti-illicit trade at British American Tobacco subsidiary BATMark Ltd.
On Monday morning Bayer Intellectual Property’s Christian Schalk will host a session about the difficulty of finding a suitable trademark that can be registered and used globally, rather than in just one region or country.
He’ll be joined by Larisa Colton of Colton Consulting, Estela Mariel De Luca from Moeller IP Advisors and Andreas Popper of naexasCompass, who will share tips about how to have a ‘balanced’ approach to global trademark searching.
Neal & Devitt LLC’s Lisa Iverson will oversee a talk about how to avoid the pitfalls of using social media when creating an online presence. Speakers Janice Housey from Symbus Law Group LLC , Timothy Lockhart of Willcox & Savage PC and Jeremy Roe from Anheuser- Busch Companies LLC will discuss the measures brand owners can take to maintain privacy and prevent defamation, and tackle the ethical issues around a tricky subject.
Later on, Adam Scoville, senior counsel at real estate brokerage firm RE/MAX LLC, will assess the new gTLD programme and the opportunities it can create. He’ll be joined by speakers Frank Schilling of Uniregistry Corp and Stephane Van Gelder of Stephane Van Gelder Consulting Ltd to discuss the new gTLDs’ impact on ICANN. There’ll also be a look at the potential for a secondary market in TLD registries.
An afternoon session chaired by Christopher Turk of the HD Lee Company looks at how luxury brands can ‘go big’ without losing their lustre.
Tuesday kicks off with a discussion about geographical indications and the new challenges to trademark protection as the TRIPS Agreement approaches its 20th year. Moderated by Stephen Stern of Australian firm Coors Chambers Westgarth, the board will discuss whether passing off or unfair competition can adequately protect geographical indications in countries without sui generis legislation, and what the Lisbon Agreement will mean for IP.
Amazon.com’s Dana Brown Northcott will oversee a talk with David Cho of AT&T Services, Alica Del Valle from Salesforce.com and Sanjiv Sarwate of Dell about what cloud technology can bring to the table in terms of brand protection, trademark enforcement and privacy.
Judy Branzelle of Goodwill Industries International will chair a late morning talk about brand protection issues faced when using social media.
If a brand is repinned on Pinterest or retweeted on Twitter, has it been copied? Branzelle will be joined by Gina Durham of DLA Piper and Traci Berry, also of Goodwill Industries, for a discussion about how reposted media are viewed under the law on different platforms.
On Wednesday WIPO director Erik Wilbers will speak at a session about the legal issues that arise when enforcing online trademarks over jurisdiction lines. What legislative initiatives are taken in jurisdictions around the world and what can brand owners do to protect themselves in the Internet’s ‘wild west’ environment? Wilbers will be joined by Rodrigo Azevedo from Silveiro Advogados and Tanja de Coster from eBay.
Last year Australia’s government adopted legislation to require the plain packaging of cigarettes. Chief legal, government & corporate affairs officer of advertising firm Leo Burnett Worldwide Carla Michelotti will be joined by James Davidson of Polsinelli Shughart PC, Richard Gilbey from Gilbey Legal and Sarah Matheson from Allens for a talk about the potential implications of plain packaging.
