NEW YORK, NY – The International Trademark Association (INTA) announced in a press release the winners of its annual President’s and Volunteer Service Awards (VSAs).
“It is our talented and committed volunteers who enable INTA to achieve its mission, to advance trademarks, to protect consumers and to promote fair and effective commerce,” said INTA President Mei-lan Stark. “On behalf of the Association and its members, I’d like to thank all of this year’s winners for their participation, for their dedication and for the tremendous value they have brought to the global trademark community.”
The President’s Award is presented to the most distinguished and deserving INTA volunteer for a career dedicated to trademarks and intellectual property protection and advancement, and whose contribution has advanced INTA’s mission and had a lasting impact on the Association.
The VSAs honor those who go beyond their regular duties as INTA volunteers in service of the Association and the broader public. INTA subcommittee chairs, committee members and non-committee volunteers are eligible for VSAs in the following categories:
Advancement of Trademark Law
Advancement of Committee or Subcommittee Objectives
Advancement of the Association
Pro Bono Legal Services by an Individual
Pro Bono Legal Services by a Member Organization
2014 President’s Award: Cynthia Rowden of Bereskin & Parr LLP and Virginia Taylor of Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton LLP.
During two decades of continual service to INTA, Ms. Rowden has served on more than 20 committees, subcommittees and project teams, as well as on the Board of Directors. Most recently, as a member of the Trademark Office Practices Committee, she went above the call of duty to help INTA and the Canadian trademark community understand, and make recommendations on, the significant changes made to the Canadian Trade-marks Act. Ms. Rowden is recognized by fellow INTA members not only for her devotion to the Association but as a true leader within the global trademark community.
In her work and as an INTA volunteer Ms. Taylor has generously dedicated many years to improving the trademark industry. While her insight and influence touched upon all areas the Association, her most notable contributions were in meetings and publishing. Ms. Taylor played a crucial role in organizing some of the Association’s earliest conferences outside the United States, in Budapest and Tokyo. She was also the creator and original editor of INTA’s State Law of Trademarks and Unfair Competition and the original author of the U.S. Chapter of World Trademark Transfers.
Advancement of Trademark Law Award: Theodore Davis of Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton LLP and Verena von Bomhard of Hogan Lovells (Alicante) S.L. & Cia.
For the past 15 years Mr. Davis has co-presented the “United States Trademark Law in Review” session at the INTA Annual Meeting. This is not only one of the most highly anticipated and well-attended sessions of the Annual Meeting, but also one of the most well-organized, where attendees gain a concise analysis of the recent, major decisions rendered by the U.S. courts and the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB). Mr. Davis’ influence on trademark law and practice extends far beyond the Annual Meeting educational program though; since 1995 he has also served on a number of INTA committees, very often as a contributor to various publications. In the current committee term, Mr. Davis is serving on The Trademark Reporter Committee and as an author and editor for Famous and Well-known Marks.
Serving on the Trademark Office Practices Committee’s OHIM Subcommittee since 2012, on INTA’s Global Advisory Council in the current committee term and on a specially-formed rapid response group, Ms. von Bomhard has been instrumental to INTA while the European Union has been grappling with European Trademark Reform. During this time she has provided excellent and timely comments on the EU legislative proposals, enabling INTA to effectively represent the global trademark community’s concerns and to advocate for a more efficient and harmonized European trademark system.
Advancement of Committee or Subcommittee Objectives: Mark Feldman of DLA Piper LLP and Michael Hawkins of Noerr Alicante IP, S.L.
Through various committee positions, Mr. Feldman has been involved in INTA’s Saul Lefkowitz Moot Court Competition for nearly 15 years. In recent years, and as the competition has grown, Mr. Feldman has enthusiastically filled positions which can be both stressful and time-consuming. These include Regional Coordinating Subcommittee Chair and Competition Coordinating Chair—roles that involve the efficient coordination and execution of five regional events all taking place on the same day. The success and growing popularity of this competition has led to its expansion into a sixth region, and is a testament to Mr. Feldman’s dedication to his committee and its objectives, and to INTA student members.
Since 2012 Mr. Hawkins has done a remarkable job of guiding the work of the Legislation & Regulation Committee’s Europe & Central Asia Subcommittee on both EU Trademark Reform and the EU Tobacco Products Directive. Covering complex issues under very tight deadlines, his committee has consistently provided excellent comments on draft proposals. He has also been instrumental in obtaining INTA members’ input and delivering INTA’s position to the relevant stakeholders, and is working to ensure that INTA has continued engagement within the European legislature.
Advancement of the Association Award: Mona Lee of Hanol Law Offices and Paul McGrady of Winston & Strawn LLP.
Ms. Lee has worked in all areas of the Association, including education, policy, publishing and membership. Her influence is felt in South Korea as well as regionally and globally. She has spearheaded the Roundtables program in the Asia-Pacific region and hosted numerous non-member receptions. In doing so, Ms. Lee has helped to advance the Association’s goal of globalization, grow its membership and increase member satisfaction in the Asia-Pacific region.
Mr. McGrady has served on various subcommittees of INTA’s Internet Committee since 2010. INTA has placed due importance on Internet-related issues as they pertain to the global trademark community. During his career, Mr. McGrady has become an influential writer and speaker on these issues and regarded as a true ambassador for INTA within the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), the non-profit responsible for governance and expansion of the Internet's global Domain Name System. Mr. McGrady’s dedication and tireless efforts have bolstered the Association’s ability to advocate for the global trademark community’s position in the ongoing ICANN process.
Pro Bono Services Provided by Individuals: Loreto Bresky of Alessandri & Compania.
As Pro Bono Coordinator for Alessandri & Compania, Ms. Bresky assisted America Solidaria—a Chile-based nonprofit network with offices across the Americas which promotes effective volunteer engagement in the poorest and most underprivileged communities—to register its trademarks in many Latin American countries. During this project, Ms. Bresky provided advice on trademark and logo registration in multiple countries. She also played a key role in the firm committing to the “Pro Bono Attorneys for the Americas” agreement, through which each of the firm’s lawyers conducts a minimum of 20 hours pro bono work each year.
Pro Bono Services Provided by an Organization: Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP.
Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP has a long history of pro bono and, in 1993, became one of the first law firms in the United States to employ a partner to lead its pro bono program on a full-time basis. As a firm that encourages its attorneys to take on pro bono projects, it has worked with a number of different organizations over the years. In recent years the Katten Internet Practice has been the advising the dotHIV Initiative on its new generic Top Level Domain application for .HIV. The firm’s Internet practice also manages the trademark portfolio for The Tranquil Space Foundation and The Trevor Project, and manages many trademark portfolio matters for the United Cerebral Palsy Association. As a firm that promotes a culture of pro bono, Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP sets a high standard within the legal industry.
The winners will be recognized for the achievements during an awards ceremony at INTA’s Leadership Meeting in Phoenix, Arizona on Thursday, November 13, 2014.
The International Trademark Association (INTA) is a global association of trademark owners and professionals dedicated to supporting trademarks and related intellectual property in order to protect consumers and to promote fair and effective commerce. Members include more than 6,400 trademark owners, professionals and academics from more than 190 countries, who benefit from the Association’s global trademark resources, policy development, education and training, and international network. Founded in 1878, INTA is headquartered in New York City, with offices in Brussels, Shanghai and Washington, D.C., and representatives in Geneva and Mumbai.