USC Gould School of Law's 2021 Intellectual Property Institute

GT is a sponsor of USC Gould School of Law's 2021 Intellectual Property Institute, taking place virtually September 21-23. The Intellectual Property Institute has forged a reputation for gathering national speakers to analyze sophisticated topics and provide practical takeaways. Focusing on copyright, patent and trademark law, the Institute will take place in the mornings through early afternoon over the course of three days and features morning plenary sessions, a keynote address, and tracked sessions. On Tuesday, September 21, GT's Joel Feldman, Co-Chair of the Trademark & Brand Management Group, will moderate the session, "Trademark Clearance, Enforcement, and Licensing Strategies to Mitigate Reputation-Related Risk." This panel will guide trademark counsel on adapting brand management strategies to account for today’s “cancel culture,” where negativity towards a brand can escalate quickly and unexpectedly. The panel will examine the concept and the role of brand management before, during, and after a cancellation campaign, including how scrutiny of trademark-related decisions such as adoption, filing, and enforcement can lead to calls for cancellation, how third-party agreements should evolve, and whether trademark enforcement methods should be used to respond to social media criticism. GT's Susan Heller, Co-Managing Shareholder of the Orange County office, Co-Chair of the firm's Global Trademark & Brand Management Group, and Co-Chair of the firm's Global Women’s Initiative, is also on the planning committee for the event.