INTA and Mattel Team Up to Highlight Importance of Intellectual Property

On August 18, 2023, INTA partnered with Mattel to host an in-person event in Los Angeles, California, USA, entitled Intellectual Property: From Barbie Land to the Real World. Capturing the Barbie zeitgeist to highlight the importance of intellectual property (IP), hundreds of attendees donned their pink outfits to learn how to grow and protect one of the most valuable assets in their business. The event provided attendees a unique opportunity to explore the power of having a strong brand strategy.

Mattel’s Aimee London (USA) explained that Mattel Creations began in a Southern California garage in 1945, 14 years before Ruth Handler gave the world the Barbie doll in 1959. “Intellectual property was key to the company’s success then and remains the foundation of Mattel’s success to this day,” Ms. London explained.

In a fireside chat with Jenny Simmons, INTA’s Director of Government Relations (USA), United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) Director Kathi Vidal encouraged the audience to use the many resources available from the USPTO and INTA to protect their IP. She also discussed the importance of reaching underrepresented communities to promote innovation and to grow our economy. She inspired everyone to follow their dreams and achieve their goals.

Emphasizing the value of copyright, Miriam Lord, Associate Register of Copyright and Director of Public Information and Education, United States Copyright Office, reminded attendees that everyone is both a copyright owner and a copyright user, every day. She noted the Copyright Office’s recent findings about a gender gap in copyright registration and encouraged women in creative industries to protect their work. She stressed the accessibility of the Office and its resources for creators and entrepreneurs and relayed her personal journey—beginning with her love of design and creation, all the way to law school and beyond.

The event included a panel of U.S.-based female business owners. Moderated by Summer Kostelnik, Policy Advisor, Office of the Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordinator (USA), the panel included Casey Boshae, Founder of The Gentle Pit; Kenna Florie, Co-Founder of beek footwear; and Katerina Markov Schneider, Founder and CEO of Ritual. The panel of distinguished women had an insightful discussion about their experiences in the industry, with a focus on how they protected their IP. The panelists gave advice about what they wished they had known earlier in their innovation journeys and how diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts played important roles in the success of their companies. The panelists also described what their own “Founder Barbie” would look like—featuring traits like wearing athleisure, consuming caffeine, and having an extensive support system to assist along the way.

This event also served as a networking opportunity between industry participants of all kinds, including government officials, brand professionals, innovators, entrepreneurs, artists, and makers. Participants also had the opportunity to explore the World of Barbie in Los Angeles, walking among iconic pieces of Mattel’s BARBIE brand.

INTA’s Washington, D.C., Representative Office advocates the Association’s policy positions in Canada and the United States. To learn more about INTA’s activities in the region, please contact INTA Director of Government Relations Jenny Simmons.

Although every effort has been made to verify the accuracy of this article, readers are urged to check independently on matters of specific concern or interest.

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