On 16thNovember 2020, the first virtual INTA Annual Meeting is kicked off. Etienne Sanz de Acedo, Chief Executive Officer of INTA and Ayala Deutsch, NBA Properties, Inc., 2020 INTA President welcome the attendees at the opening ceremony. Keynote speeches given by Daren Tang, Director General of WIPO and Duncan Wardle, Former VP of Innovation & Creativity at The Walt Disney Company unveils the first day of packed, informative programs.

From 1:00 pm–2:00 pm, November 16, 2020, the Session“Fake Stores: The Growing Trend in Counterfeiting and How to Combat It”, which is part of the educational track “Anticounterfeiting/Brand Protection”, is held.

The session explores the unique trend of fake stores, which goes beyond counterfeited and infringed products to mimicking the full consumer experience that a brand represents—from employee apparel to store layout and trade dress. Fake stores impact brands in a wide variety of industries from consumer electronics to fashion/athletic wear to restaurants and hotels. The problem extends beyond brick-and-mortar to the online environment and is exacerbated by social media and online maps and review services.

The panel provides an overview of the issues across multiple jurisdictions and explores:

• What types of fake stores are out there and where they are most prevalent or harmful
• What enforcement best practices are
• How to get law enforcement and government to pay attention
• What the differences are across jurisdictions
• What enforcement regimes exist in China and elsewhere
• How we can educate consumers
• How fake stores impact brand equity and valuation and how we can raise the profile of this issue internally
• How we can creatively combat the problem

The session is moderated by Erika Yawger, Apple Inc. Panelists include Dr. Sisi Liang, Partner, Wanhuida Intellectual Property, Heather Stutz, Corporate Counsel, Intellectual Property at Starbucks Coffee Company and Lisa Willis, Chapter 4 Corp.