In Memoriam: Nils Montan - International Trademark Association

Nils Montan, INTA Past President

It is with heavy hearts we announce that INTA Past President Nils Montan passed away on January 7, 2024, at age 74. He was a respected leader within the intellectual property field and a dear friend, colleague, and mentor to many in the INTA community. He served as INTA President from May 2001 to December 2002.

Mr. Montan received his JD from the American University Washington College of Law and an MS in Forensic Science from George Washington University and went on to earn his LLM from the University of Virginia School of Law. He served as Vice President, Senior Intellectual Property Counsel at Warner Bros. (USA) and as a legal consultant at Dannemann Siemsen (Brazil), among other accomplishments.

In addition to his volunteer service with INTA, which included rising through the ranks to become Association President, Mr. Montan served as President of the Western Anticounterfeiting Coalition in 2004 and was a member of the adjunct faculties of the University of Southern California, University of California at Los Angeles, and Loyola University law schools.

“Nils was my good friend for 25 years. At INTA, Nils was an extremely effective leader and, for me, a great working partner and wise counselor. More than his professional achievements, however, he was a fine man—intellectually curious, politically engaged, hopefully cynical, and a friend and mentor to so many people. He was widely respected and admired. I miss him, and we all grieve with Teresa and the rest of his family on their loss.”—Alan Drewsen, former INTA Executive Director

“There are so many in the IP community who will miss Nils. He was a mentor and friend to many of us. I’ll always remember Nils as an early adopter of online life. Well before digital worlds and social media took off—let alone metaverses—Nils had an avatar. At the time, I thought this was terribly cool. It was par for the course for Nils and just one more outward manifestation of the Renaissance person he was. We join his family and friends in keeping Nils’ generous legacy going for future generations of IP professionals.”—Heather Steinmeyer, Chief Policy Officer, External Relations, INTA

“Nils was my inspiration for becoming so involved in INTA. I was elected to the Board in 1998 shortly before Nils became President, and in 2009 I became President myself. It’s also because of him that I became a professional photographer and joined Getty Images in 2017. He was a legend in his own lifetime—my close friend from over 5,000 miles away—a colleague and mentor for over a quarter of a century. He will be forever remembered and sorely missed.”—Richard Heath, INTA Past President

“While I did not have the pleasure of knowing Nils personally, I have been humbled by the outpouring of heartfelt messages and the celebration of his legacy that has occurred since his passing. They speak volumes to his character and the impact he made on INTA and the IP community.”—INTA CEO Etienne Sanz de Acedo

Mr. Montan is survived by his wife, Teresa, and his daughter, Nicole.

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