Please view this month's Member Spotlights!

We thank all of the participants for contributing and sharing their expertise with us. Member companies are randomly chosen each month to participate as a way to connect and educate our member community. To view our previous member spotlights, click here. 

Diana K. Martinez

Arochi & Lindner S.C.

Associate

Mexico 

What is your role in your company/organization?

I lead the Anti-counterfeiting department which is formed by a group of private investigators, lawyers and paralegals.

What makes your company unique?

Experience. We have the largest Anti-counterfeiting department in Mexico and have been in the area for many years working for all types of industries. This job has showed us that there are various skills needed which have made us to try to prepare an integral group of people with expertise in various areas. We try to prepare our team and provide courses to give them tools to do their job. Our main goal is understanding the client’s needs to develop anticounterfeiting strategies and integral programs. We use our experience to work in unique solutions.

What are the top 2 challenges in IP enforcement you see affecting your industry over the next year?

Government policies. We have been fighting against counterfeiters and a new government which does not seem to have IP as a priority. Several measures such as the refusal for conducting raids, little interest in fighting informal markets the recent announcement for selling seized goods are proof of it.

In a global perspective, the sale through the online world represents a lot of challenges to enforce violation of IP rights considering the little information that sometimes can be obtained in addition to the barriers that jurisdiction, laws or even locating the individuals responsible for the activities, goods and money, represent plus technological obstacles that sometimes need to be overcome.

What are your top 2 recommendations to a brand that is building up its IP enforcement program? 

Set goals and objectives. Information and intelligence are crucial. Focus your program on the markets that are affecting you the most or that are the most important for the business. Establishing your most counterfeited products; understanding the actual situation in terms of how big the problem is and where we need to focus on are as well as determining if the illegal goods are locally manufactured or coming from abroad will be valuable information. Information will allow us to define how resources will need to be distributed. Also, it is very important preparing an Anticounterfeiting strategy that includes the market at all levels: manufacturing, importation, distribution, wholesale and retail. The strategy includes not only the seizure of goods but also to keep gathering information about suppliers and other sources.

What hobbies or causes are you passionate about? 

Volleyball (I play since I was in high school) and train almost every day. I play during the weekends and still compete. This year I am preparing to participate in the CSIT – International Workers and Amateurs in Sports Confederation Games. With 5.4’ I may not be as tall as I should but not for a Mexican. I am also passionate about painting. I paint with watercolor and even though I stopped after my son was born, I still love doing it from time to time. 

Contact info: dianaka@arochilindner.com

Pete Reyes

JPatton 

VP & Managing Direct

Forsyth County, GA, USA

What is your role in your company/organization?

As VP & manager director of JPatton, I am responsible for all aspects of the business, including strategy, annual operating plans, and P&L. with a particular focus on operational excellence, new product development, sales, marketing, and business development.

What makes your company unique?

JPatton has been at the forefront of new brand authentication technology since our inception in 1996. The nature of our business demands innovation so that we ensure we are always a few steps ahead of the counterfeiters in order to protect our brand partners. Our team is constantly designing and testing new products, including our latest innovation called JP Forensics. JPForensics can be added directly to your logo, packaging, or products without disruption of your manufacturing process, removing the need for an additional label. We also include this technology as part of our two-factor authentication platform.

What is one way a brand with a mature IP enforcement program can take their efforts to the next level?

With the rapid evolution of technology used by counterfeiters to replicate IP and reach consumers, even the most mature brands should consistently evaluate their programs to ensure they are protected. JPatton’s team of experts can help analyze an enforcement program on a global scale for product counterfeiting, product diversion, product labeling, and an online brand protection platform’s overall effectiveness. After the evaluation, JPatton can make recommendations on how best to update product labeling and online brand protection platforms to create a model for success that delivers ROI for the brand and takes their IP enforcement program to the next level.

How did you get into brand protection?

I got my start protecting trading cards for UPPERDECK in 1989 and continued in the decorative hologram market, gaining invaluable experience producing product packaging for Colgate, Crest, Pepsi, Keebler, Coors Brewing and others. In 1997, I helped develop the hologram security label used on Microsoft’s Windows98 product. The holographic label was quickly adopted by Xerox and Intel. Most of the brand protection programs I started still exist today, enabling the protection of the brands’ reputation and its customers. Since joining JPatton in 2004, I’ve been leveraging my past success in innovation to meet the needs of our global brand partners.

Contact info: pete@jpattonondemand.com

Rafa Gutiérrez

Uber Technologies, Inc

Senior Director, Intellectual Property

Bay Area, CA, USA

What is your role in your company/organization?

I am the Global Head of Brand Protection and Domains. In that role, I oversee and set strategy for a small team who manages Uber's multi-brand trademark and domain portfolios, inbound and outbound dispute management.

What are the top 2 challenges in IP enforcement you see affecting brands over the next year? 

I think the biggest enforcement challenges for brand owners in the next year will continue to lie in the digital world: counterfeit goods and phishing scams. With the pandemic, people are shopping online more than ever and I think the sale of counterfeit goods online will increase with it. Similarly, with more people conducting larger portions of their daily lives online, I anticipate an increase in phishing scams where bad actors use to try to mimic legitimate brand owner websites. Consumers unwittingly enter their login credentials trying to access their accounts and that information goes straight to the fraudsters.

What's the most rewarding part of your job / what is the thing that you've been most proud of in your anti-counterfeiting work?

The thing I’m most proud of in our anti-counterfeiting work is that it exists because of us! The Brand Protection team built Uber’s anti-counterfeiting program from the ground up. We developed a multi-pronged strategy to address the issue by targeting not only the supply of counterfeit goods, but also the demand for them. We worked with internal stakeholders and formed partnerships with external parties, such as e-commerce platforms to work with us to reduce the number of counterfeit Uber merchandise online. That’s freaking teamwork!

What are the biggest impacts of counterfeits on your industry?  

Uber is a technology company and the biggest impact is when people make counterfeit merchandise that any person can buy to make it appear they are associated with our platforms when they are not.

What’s your favorite famous or inspirational quote?

“That’s f^%$*ing teamwork!” I had to replace the middle word so you could publish my favorite inspirational quote, but I cannot emphasize enough the value of teamwork. Uber’s Brand Protection team is a small group handling a tremendous volume of work, so it is critical that we work together. It is equally important to have partnerships with vendors and outside counsel who we can trust and treat as an extension of our team. When we work together to complete a project or task, I have been known to circulate a link to a video that encapsulates the quote amongst my teammates. I’m quite certain it makes everyone smile.