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IP Blog / Revisiting INTA 2025

Revisiting INTA 2025

Dennemeyer Group October 08, 2025 Read time: 6 minutes

English

The yearly coming together of practitioners and thought leaders at INTA is as close to an industry touchstone for trademarks as can be imagined, for it helps to define the zeitgeist by expressing and discussing the many influences behind the moment. Whether commercial, creative, legal or ethical, these topics are tokens of prior trends and indicators of possible trajectories for brand protection. Thus, the ideas shared at INTA continue to shape the nature of the Intellectual Property (IP) sector long after the banners have been packed away.

Some five months on from the 147th Annual Meeting in San Diego, California, we hold the wide range of emerging and challenging issues that affect rights owners in our minds to reaffirm our conviction that pioneering tools and techniques are able to address them.

From the one-on-one exchanges at our booth in the Innovation Marketplace to the formal panels and exhibition-floor conversations, what stood out was not just the global scale of the event — it was the evolving tone. More than 10,000 IP professionals from over 140 countries grappled with complex rights matters, which only further inspired them to explore new tools, data strategies and cross-disciplinary solutions. The lasting takeaways? Our field is becoming more agile and more attuned to the business of innovation itself.

The event in a nutshell

The theme of this year's Annual Meeting was "The Business of IP," and there were more than 60 educational sessions organized around three tracks: Law and Policy, Business and Technology and Professional Development and Career Advancement. Two new features this year were the In-House Practitioners Series and the Patent Series, which complemented the Regional Update Series.

Questions around artificial intelligence (AI) featured prominently in the discussions around the meeting. The technology appeared time and again in seminars, not least those dedicated to its interaction with rights of publicity, contribution to trademark strategies, use by IP offices, capacity to enhance data analytics and involvement with copyrights and advertising.

A man presenting new technology to a diverse group of colleagues standing together. — Unsurprisingly, the benefits, possibilities and risks AI implementation presents to the IP sector were the center of many conversations in and around 2025's INTA event.

Many other talks touched on related points such as the impact of AI on brand development and promotion and its folding into everyday trademark work: from searches and the prosecution of trademark applications to portfolio management, due diligence and discovery. There was also a session dedicated to the European Union's Digital Services Act and AI Act and their importance for IP professionals.

From conversations and presentations at the Annual Meeting, it was clear that AI is a high priority for nearly everyone working in IP, whatever their role. It affects all facets of IP work and raises overlapping questions about efficiency, accountability and fairness – questions which are beginning to be addressed by regulators, professionals and (in some cases) courts. This is likely to be emblematic of the next few years.

Other thought-provoking subjects that featured in the educational program included: securing brands on Web3, anticounterfeiting, alternative dispute resolution, green claims and brand value, celebrities and influencers, dynamic blocking injunctions, unfair competition, geographical indications (GIs) and domain names. Also considered were the recent WIPO treaty on indigenous rights and the use of surveys and non-traditional trademarks.

One of the great benefits of the INTA Annual Meeting is sharing viewpoints on matters such as these with professionals in different roles and jurisdictions to learn from each other. Though the political milieu has taken a more nationally individualist turn lately, there is always much to be gained by the IP system from dialogue.

A business panel with speakers on stage discussing market trends and investment strategies at a conference. — The breadth of the Annual Meeting's attendance adds further depth to the discussions held each year. Business leaders, judges, government officials and NGO representatives contribute their voices to vital trademark topics.

To this end, a number of panels featured judges from courts around the world, and top officials gave valuable fireside sessions, including then-Acting Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) Coke Morgan Stewart and Andy Bartlett, Deputy CEO and Director of Services of the United Kingdom Intellectual Property Office (UK IPO). Catherine Chammartin of the Swiss Federal Institute of IP and Sune Stampe Sørensen, Director General and CEO of the Danish Patent and Trademark Office, were also among those lending the fruits of their experience and knowledge. Being able to hear the perspectives of IP office leadership on current concerns and reasoned prospects is an invaluable opportunity for all in this sector.

Opening ceremony

The keynote speaker at the Annual Meeting Opening Ceremony was Louise Felton, Vice President of Marketing at Qualcomm Technologies Inc., who discussed the changing nature of brand building and how marketing and legal departments can work together effectively. In her own speech at the Opening Ceremony, INTA President Elisabeth Stewart Bradley of Bristol-Myers Squibb highlighted her Presidential Task Force on "Change & Transformation," focusing on the evolution of in-house expertise and the consequences for external partners, as well as INTA's future scope.

In a similar vein, INTA CEO Etienne Sanz de Acedo commented on the impact on the IP ecosystem of "new clouds ahead," such as the fading of multilateralism, technological change (especially AI), threats to fundamental values, the decline in consumer confidence and the dangers to global economic growth. He introduced the 2026-2029 Strategic Plan, which is designed to enhance the association's role as a trusted and influential advocate for the economic and social value of brands and to arm company management and IP professionals with tools to navigate today's evolving business and legal landscape.

Event publications

A joint project team drawn from INTA’s Geographical Indications Committee and Internet Committee has produced a concept paper setting out the landscape and options for protecting GIs in the domain name system. The paper explores multiple possible mechanisms, including a hypothetical procedure analogous to the Uniform Domain-Name Dispute-Resolution Policy (UDRP).

Professional video camera recording a live stage event, used for television and social media broadcasting of a conference. — For many, the INTA's headline event is the centerpiece of the IP calendar. The topics and takeaways long outlast the meeting itself and help define the mood of the months that follow.

The following material was also published during the Annual Meeting:

Board Resolution on Artificial Intelligence and Intellectual Property Rights Foundational Principles. This Resolution, sponsored by the Artificial Intelligence Advisory Group, sets out certain principles regarding the use of AI, in particular in judicial or administrative proceedings and by customs agencies. Additionally, transparency and rights holders' access to data for enforcement purposes are central pillars.
Board Resolution adopting the Guidelines for Trademark Examination. The revised Guidelines for Trademark Examination, prepared by the Examination Guidelines Subcommittee of the Trademark Office Practices Committee, provide more than 50 pages of reference on issues ranging from pre-application searching to cancellation procedures. The document draws inspiration from various international systems to support the harmonization of trademark law.

Besides the educational programming, there was a busy social schedule with many receptions hosted by INTA and others that made the most of San Diego's unique attractions, including our own unforgettable function at San Diego's Harbor & Sky Rooftop Lounge.

Looking ahead to 2026

The 148th INTA Annual Meeting will take place in London, the United Kingdom, from May 2-6, 2026, at the Excel London convention center. INTA has negotiated discounted rates with the hotels listed on its official site, with bookings opening in early January 2026 for Annual Meeting registrants.

Dennemeyer will be fully participating in the Annual Meeting in London, and we look forward to meeting many clients, partners and peers there next year!

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