Opening Ceremonies Celebrate Brands as a Force for Growth and for Good
The IP community is ready to come together, connect, and look to the future, James Nurton reports.
Mr. Edwin Tong SC, Minister for Culture, Community and Youth, and Second Minister for Law (Singapore) welcomed more than 8,000 registrants from 3,750 organizations to INTA’s Annual Meeting Live+ at yesterday’s Opening Ceremonies.
“I am thrilled that we are able to host all of you and host this event in Singapore for the first time,” he said in a speech into which he wove famous brand taglines as a way to engage the audience. “As trade increases, especially cross-border trade involving multinational companies, and consumers become more discerning, trademark filings also increase. The ultimate driving machine is markets and consumers—and we see this trend specifically in Asia,” added Minister Tong.
Studies by the Intellectual Property Office of Singapore (IPOS) show that companies with strong brands and/or patents have almost double the revenue and market capitalization of those that do not, and the 2021 Singapore IP Strategy aims to position the country as a global hub for intellectual property (IP) activities and transactions.
Later this year, Singapore (together with the International Valuation Standards Council) will launch the Intangibles Disclosure Framework and conduct a study to understand how to strengthen the valuation of intangible assets. IPOS and the Singapore office of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) will also launch an ASEAN Mediation Program.
Minister Tong was Guest of Honor at the Opening Ceremonies, which featured keynote presentations from Rotary International, Tencent, and WIPO, speeches by INTA’s President and CEO, a welcome from the Annual Meeting Co-Chairs, a quiz, some singing ... and a hyper-real digital human.
“As trade increases, especially cross-border trade involving multinational companies, and consumers become more discerning, trademark filings also increase.”
- Mr. Edwin Tong SC, Minister for Culture, Community and Youth, and Second Minister for Law (Singapore)
Creating Lasting Change
In her presentation, Jennifer Jones, President of Rotary International (USA) said Rotary International and INTA share a mission: “Together we see a world where people unite to create lasting change across the globe in our communities and in ourselves. And that last part is the most important.”
Ms. Jones said: “For us, strong brand means impact … Part of my journey is to understand that impact is developed through storytelling.” These include stories such as the eradication of the wild polio virus (expected to be achieved by the end of this year) and training health workers to diagnose and treat malaria in Zambia, where the mortality rate has dropped by mor than 50 percent in two years.
“Every one of us has a chance when we get out of bed to make a difference. It doesn’t matter what community you are in, it’s about lasting change, it’s about brand promise,” said Ms. Jones. “When we have brand promise, others look at us, and they know there is trust in what we will provide—and that leads to great impact.”
In her speech, INTA President Jomarie Fredericks, Deputy General Counsel, Chief Intellectual Property Counsel and Brand Counsel at Rotary International (USA) talked about identity and belonging, saying: “From the very beginning, I have always felt a sense of belonging at INTA. I have always felt that just being myself was enough … Through the more than 25 years as an INTA volunteer, I’ve always felt comfortable speaking up, letting my voice be heard, asking questions.”
INTA’s great knowledge base and global reach give the opportunity to share that knowledge and reach people in more meaningful ways, said Ms. Fredericks. But, she added: “It’s not enough to have the opportunity. It’s what you do with it that matters. I had many choices of what to speak about to you today. I chose this topic because I knew I wanted to use my opportunity for good … When you leave here at the end of this week, think about how you can parlay this experience into an opportunity for good.”
““IP is a powerful catalyst for jobs, business growth, and investment. But we need to bring this message to the 99 percent out there.””
- Daren Tang, World Intellectual Property Organization (Switzerland)
Force For Good
WIPO Director General Daren Tang (Switzerland) also spoke about how trademarks are a force for good. He said: “IP is a powerful catalyst for jobs, business growth, and investment. But we need to bring this message to the 99 percent out there, so let us work together to make IP a force for good in the world.”
Citing examples from Brazil, Jordan, and Ethiopia, he explained how WIPO is building a more inclusive IP ecosystem, helping grass-roots groups to see trademark protection as a gateway to new markets, good jobs, sustaining communities, and generating growth. WIPO recently launched a High-Level Conversation on IP financing and Mr. Tang yesterday presented a new list of IP valuation experts developed in collaboration with the IP Office of Singapore. “Reliable valuation is key to moving IP financing forward and we are hopeful that this expert group can have a positive impact here in Singapore and inspire similar initiatives around the world,” he said.
With the number of active trademarks globally having grown from 30 million to over 70 million in the past 10 years, WIPO will continue to prioritize helping its customers, said Mr. Tang. To support users of the Madrid System, WIPO yesterday presented its future eMadrid portal for the first time. “Based on extensive consultations with system users around the world, this is a major step forward in the functionality of Madrid, providing a secure one-stop shop for the filing and management of international trademarks over their lifetimes,” said Mr. Tang.
Hyper-Digital Reality
Assisted (and interrupted) by a digital avatar, Danny Marti, Head of Public Affairs and Global Policy, Tencent (USA), a Platinum Plus Sponsor of this year’s Annual Meeting, provided insights into “hyper-digital reality”—integrating the digital world with reality to create a blended experience. ‘Digital Danny’ provided “an early glimpse of how digital advancements will create exciting new ways for realistic, high-functioning avatars to support operations, from presentations to customer service, educational instruction, marketing and sales, and new entertainment characters and experiences as just a few examples,” said Mr. Marti.
Tencent’s activities span games, eSports, TV/film, the Weixin and WeChat social and messaging apps, and music. “As a company, as a brand, as a content creator and partner to global brands, Tencent shares the Asia region’s enthusiasm for the future and what this era of accelerated digitalization will bring to the world,” said Mr. Marti. “Let us all keep in mind how we as brands, as marketing companies, as service partners, as platforms can contribute responsible to the continued development of the digital space around us—be it in the form of the metaverse or extended reality.”
“When you leave here at the end of this week, think about how you can parlay this experience into an opportunity for good.”
- Jomarie Fredericks, Rotary International (USA)
A Landmark Annual Meeting
Annual Meeting Co-Chairs Karina Dimidjian-Lecomte, Casalonga (France) and Zaheera Hashim, Procter & Gamble (Singapore) acknowledged the more than 200 speakers in more than 50 educational sessions, thanking the 40-strong Project Team. “From receptions to table topics to speed networking to the fun excursions and activities, this year’s Annual Meeting stands out not only in the variety of options but in how the Association has very intentionally evolved its Business Development offerings to cater to all of us,” said Ms. Dimidjian-Lecomte.
“Another reason why 2023 is special is that it is the Associations’ 30th anniversary as ‘INTA’ rather than the ‘USTA’,” said Ms. Hashim. “We’re a community and the strength of our community lies in the strength of our individual connections and relationships. Zaheera and I invite you, encourage you, implore you to put yourself out there and connect!” added Ms. Dimidjian-Lecomte.
In the final speech, INTA CEO Etienne Sanz de Acedo explained how, during the COVID-19 pandemic, INTA decided to be proactive, reinvent itself, project into the future, and focus on serving its members and community. Recent initiatives have included advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion; researching the future of IP for in-house IP teams, law firms, and IP offices; and investigating IP protection in outer space, the metaverse, and NFTs.
INTA has launched its first certificate program (Finance for Non-Finance Professionals), planned its next certificate program for trademark administrators, and begun to analyze the impact of recessions on IP to learn from the past and project into the future. It is working on unlocking IP for the media, academia, and the public at large, and asking what would an IP right created from scratch look like?
Mr. Sanz de Acedo reported that INTA has an 87 percent member retention rate and has added 936 new Associate Members and 191 new Corporate Members. “We are stronger and more resilient, more global, and more engaged, we’re assuming greater social responsibility, and serving all of you better,” said Mr. Sanz de Acedo.
He closed by announcing that the 2024 Annual Meeting will be held in Atlanta, Georgia and the 2026 Annual Meeting will be in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
