Networking Break 9:15am - 10:00am EDT
Welcome and Opening Remarks 10:00am - 10:15am EDT
Welcome and Opening Remarks
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Speakers
Etienne Sanz de Acedo, International Trademark Association (USA)
Conference Co-Chairs:
Signe Naeve, Starbucks Coffee Company (USA)
Pieter van den Bulck, Anheuser-Busch InBev S.A. (Belgium)
Session 5 - Diversity and Inclusion: Diversity and Inclusion: How to Live Your Values to the Benefit of Your People and Your Brand 10:15am - 11:15am EDT
Diversity and Inclusion: Diversity and Inclusion: How to Live Your Values to the Benefit of Your People and Your Brand
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Overview
Listen to law firm and company representatives explain the importance and value of diversity and inclusion programs for companies and law firms with respect to employee wellbeing, talent retention,
product design and customer experience. And hear how they have transformed their businesses to the benefit of their people, their reputation, and, dare we say it, their bottom line.
Speakers
Sanjana Sharma, UL LLC (USA)
Kim Culmone, SVP Global Head of Design Barbie & Fashion Dolls, Mattel, Inc. (USA)
Peter Dernbach, Winkler Partners (Taiwan)
Michael Moore, Mattel, Inc. (USA)
Capsule Keynote: Growing Brand Value Through Sustainability 11:15am - 11:40am EDT
Capsule Keynote: Growing Brand Value Through Sustainability
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Overview
Corporate social responsibility does not end with donations to NGOs or engaging employees in volunteer activities. Instead, sustainability has to become a core way of doing business. In this session, you will learn about how companies and
brands can transform themselves through a focus on sustainability across their value chain.
Speakers
Venkatesh Kini, Co-Founder & COO, Ubuntoo (USA)
Session 6 - CSR and Brand Value: The Economic Benefit of CSR Initiatives 11:40am - 12:30pm EDT
CSR and Brand Value: The Economic Benefit of CSR Initiatives
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Overview
Corporate social responsibility is not just a “nice to have” to make us better citizens, but a “must have” for our community and our planet. And, it is good business!
Studies have shown that CSR initiatives increase brand recognition, enhance brand image, and ultimately grow brand value.
Hear from leading experts, using real-world examples, not only showing you how to measure the value of CSR initiatives, but also providing practical advice on how to make sustainability issues a part of strategic planning and marketing decisions.
Speakers
David Lossignol, Novartis Pharma AG (Switzerland)
Maria Jose Sanchez Ray, Federacion Nacional de Cafeteros de Colombia (Colombia)
Phil White, Co-founder & Chief Strategy Officer, Grounded World (USA)
Networking Break 12:45pm - 1:10pm EDT
Session 7 - The Fourth Industrial Revolution: How Legal Teams Are
(Should Be) Changing 1:10pm - 2:25pm EDT
The Fourth Industrial Revolution: How Legal Teams Are (Should Be) Changing
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Overview
The fourth industrial revolution is the current environment in which we live. Disruptive technologies have had an enormous impact on how we communicate, consume, work, and interact—from smart phones, search engines, artificial
intelligence (AI), and ride shares, to self-driving cars and drone deliveries. Twenty years ago could we have contemplated an online world where we read our news, talk to our friends, and find obscure facts in real time on a phone? Would we
ever have expected an immediate response and action?
The changes in technology have had a significant impact on the role and responsibilities of a brand legal team. Not only are brand teams practicing law at the speed of light, the technological changes have created new issues for teams to
address on a daily basis. Get the inside view of trends and issues in current practice and some insights for the practice of tomorrow. This session will include discussion of a variety of topics, including:
- Best practices in digitizing and automating a trademark practice, including clearance, brand use information, smart contracts, and online enforcement.
- Online tools for day-to-day practice—what the legal team loves and what tools they wish would go away.
- Leveraging machine learning, AI, and blockchain technologies in your legal practice
- The impact of “need for speed” and balancing information overload—prioritizing and staying relevant when bombarded with information.
Speakers
Juan Felipe Acosta, OlarteMoure (Columbia)
Julius Stobbs, Stobbs (United Kingdom)
Yo Takagi, World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) (Switzerland)
Pieter van den Bulck, Anheuser-Busch InBev S.A. (Belgium)
Session 8 - Enforcement in the Court of Public Opinion: Brand Strategies in Unpredictable Times 2:25pm - 3:30pm EDT
Enforcement in the Court of Public Opinion: Brand Strategies in Unpredictable Times
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Overview
Brands do not exist in a vacuum—they live and die by consumer demand and consumer opinions. Today, as the whole world has become attached to mobile devices and social media platforms, reputations (and trademark rights) can be quickly
damaged by a misstep in internal marketing or communication, by rogue posts from “influencers,” or even by silence in the light of controversy or challenge.
This reality has an impact on brand rights and enforcement strategies. Consumer conversations cannot be ignored, and the brand lawyer is becoming more and more of a key player in framing the discussion to ensure the brand comes out of the
battle, if not unscathed, then as strong as possible.
In this session, legal team members will discuss what they do to harness the barrage of information bombarding them every day—the tools they use and the teams they build—using real-world examples of how they enforce brand rights
in the court of public opinion. Get practical tips to help maintain your brand loyalty, integrity, and goodwill, while at the same time keeping your trademark rights strong.
Speakers
Megan Bannigan, Debevoise & Plimpton LLP (USA)
Steve Beale, Unilever P.L.C. (United Kingdom)
Jeffrey Kobulnick, Brutzkus Gubner (USA)
Cathy Lueders, MasterCard International Incorporated (USA)
