Education Tracks

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We’re offering 12 educational tracks at our 2020 Annual Meeting & Leadership Meeting to help guide you toward sessions that meet your specific interests and needs.

Ever wondered what is top of mind for in-house practitioners today? Want an inside view of the pain points for brand owners?

This track will apply a business lens to legal issues facing in-house practitioners. While there are some in-house only sessions, most of the sessions in this track are intended for both in-house and law firm practitioners to provide important insights into what brand owners are focused on today.

Though the global pandemic is one of the worst crises in recent history, brands also face other types of crises, albeit certainly not on the same scale, Whether it is a data breach, a negative social media post that goes viral, or an unintended public relations misstep, brands have to deal with these situations far too often.

The sessions in this track will help identify the questions to ask and solutions to consider as you address a crisis in your own organization.

The last 10 years have seen tremendous changes across the world. In the last six months, we have seen even more changes as the world has had to pivot to working remotely and interacting virtually, and brands have had to adapt how they market and sell their products and services to their customers. These changes influence every aspect of our lives—the way we work, play, and interact with each other—and have had a profound effect on consumer expectations and norms. How IP is created and protected is also experiencing a shift.

This track will provide insights on the impact of innovation on brands and on the protection of brands, and will provide practical tips to help attendees successfully navigate and harness new innovations to benefit their own day-to-day jobs.

The global counterfeit trade as we know it is an ever-changing realm that forces brand owners around the world to constantly adapt and adjust. Whether it be a global pandemic or just the Internet itself, practitioners must keep up with all of the latest developments.

These sessions will explore global topics with a brand protection lens and provide industry insights and best practices.

Every day, brand practitioners need to address regulatory issues that face brands―from brand restrictions to advertising issues to claims made about their products or services and more.

The sessions in this track will give you a better understanding of the regulatory issues that brands need to consider before going to market and how-to tips and strategies that you can incorporate into your practice.

Brands don’t exist in a vacuum, there is an ecosystem that creates, markets, and sells products and services. Brand practitioners need to address issues in supply and distribution agreements, agency agreements, tax issues, and more. When you look at the world today, the terms and enforcement of licensing agreements are likely top of mind for many practitioners as are sustainability efforts. Moreover, what a brand is worth is central to a business valuation―and is one of the hardest things to quantify for a brand legal team.

Sessions in this track will provide insights and practical tips on a broad range of issues such as sustainability, use of customer data to build brand value, and effectively communicating the value of your IP.

Understanding the differences in marketplaces, trademark laws, and issues facing brand owners in different regions is fundamental to all practitioners to be effective counselors to their business clients. Brand owners may take pride in their “global” brands but practitioners know that the protection systems vary nationally or regionally. Understanding the differences in the marketplaces, and the state of the law and practice is critical for our success.

This track also features some of our year-on-year favorite sessions, such as the Annual Review of Leading Case Law in the European Union as well as the Annual Review of U.S, Federal Case Law and TTAB Developments

More and more, trademark practitioners are required to be brand practitioners, supporting all legal issues facing brands today. The ideal practitioner needs to be well versed in issues found in social media, right of publicity, copyright, designs, and much more.

This track will provide tools to help every practitioner be more nimble in addressing the issues facing brand owners today.

Legal knowledge is not the only skill needed to be successful in business today. Being an effective manager, developing and marketing your practice, and enhancing your communication abilities are all necessary skill sets to advance your career.

This track will provide insights into managing stress, being a more effective manager to build an effective team in a positive, innovative and collaborative environment, and more.

In 2018 alone, China had over seven million trademark applications—so a comprehensive understanding of developing matters in China is a critical tool in any practitioner’s toolbox. The ability to follow and adapt to new and developing legislation will continue to be at the forefront of any evolving practice.

Join us for this track on developing issues in China, including topics on AI, big data, geographical indications, and bad faith registrations.

The sessions in this track will be offered in Mandarin.

Research shows that being diverse and inclusive leads to more innovative products and services, long-term employee retention, and higher financial performance. Diversity and inclusion should be reflected in all aspects of an organization, including its legal team.

Sessions in this track will offer exclusive workshops relating to INTA’s 2020 Women in LeadershIP initiative, town hall discussions, and insights into what companies are doing in this important area, and how brand legal teams can support these efforts.

Business clients prefer having a “general counsel for brands” as opposed to having to seek out different specialists throughout the legal organization. And as innovation continues to spike in growth, the brand legal team is usually in discussions with business teams that relate to potential protection and enforcement issues across all areas of intellectual property.

Hear from leading experts on the state of patent law today and the questions to ask to ensure that your business teams have a robust strategy to protect and enforce their innovations.

INTA gratefully acknowledges the Intellectual Property Owners Association for their collaboration, commitment and expertise in helping to develop our Patent Track for this Meeting.