World's Largest Trademark Gathering Gets Underway in Boston, Massachusetts

BOSTON, May 18, 2019 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- More than 11,100 brand owners, trademark practitioners, and other intellectual property (IP) professionals from 150+ countries are gathering today through May 22 in Boston, Massachusetts for the 2019 Annual Meeting of the International Trademark Association (INTA) to discuss timely topics that impact brands, consumers, and local and global economies such as counterfeiting, data privacy, and blockchain and other technology.

Known for being the world's most widely attended trademark event, INTA's 141st Annual Meeting marks a record registration. The event comes at a time when the protection of intellectual property (IP) rights takes on increased importance, and when brand owners worldwide are considering the opportunities and challenges in the rapidly changing global IP environment.

During the Annual Meeting, INTA, as part of its corporate social responsibility initiative, will be giving back to the Boston community through several activities for registrants. The activities include assembling bikes for kids, packing food for The Greater Boston Food Bank, donating accessories to Dress for Success Boston and Solutions at Work to assist job seekers, and educating local high school students—through INTA's Unreal Campaign—about the importance of IP and the dangers of counterfeit products.

The Annual Meeting, taking place at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center, will pump an estimated $22 million into Boston's economy. It marks the fourth time that INTA has hosted the event in Boston.

With more than 300 educational sessions, the Annual Meeting dives into critical topics such as combatting counterfeits and piracy on the Internet and other digital media—including reforms and best practices. INTA's just-released attitudinal study, Gen Z Insights: Brands and Counterfeit Products, will be the focus of a session on May 19; the multi-country study explores Gen Z's relationship with brands and uniquely looks at purchasing decisions of both real and counterfeit products through a moral vs. practical lens.

At the Opening Ceremony on May 19, INTA President David Lossignol, Head of Trademarks, Domain Names and Copyrights at Novartis Pharma AG, Switzerland, will issue a call "to make counterfeiting socially unacceptable," as part of his presidential initiative, Brands for a Better Society.

Also at the Opening Ceremony, Michael Haddad, a United Nations climate change champion and record-holding professional athlete, will give an inspirational keynote address. After Mr. Haddad became paralyzed from the chest down due to an accident at age six, he taught himself to walk again through his belief in "turning disability into distinctive ability."

The Annual Meeting draws trademark and other IP professionals from major corporations and law firms, as well as small and medium-sized enterprises, service providers, and high-level officials from national, regional, and international IP offices.

Trademark-intensive industries contribute significantly to local economies, gross domestic product, and job growth. International trade in counterfeit and pirated goods, including digital piracy, is expected to skyrocket to as high as $2.81 trillion by 2020, according to study published in 2017 by INTA and the International Chamber of Commerce-BASCAP.

More on INTA's 141st Annual Meeting is available at https://www.inta.org/2019annual.

About the International Trademark Association (INTA)

The International Trademark Association (INTA) is a global association of brand owners and professionals dedicated to supporting trademarks and related intellectual property (IP) to foster consumer trust, economic growth, and innovation. Members include more than 7,200 trademark owners, professionals, and academics from 191 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, Santiago, Shanghai, Singapore, and Washington, D.C., and representatives in Geneva and New Delhi. For more information, please visit http://www.inta.org.

SOURCE International Trademark Association