Does your in-house IP team have a name, and if so, what is it?

A few suggestions were Intellectual Property Group, IP Team, and Brand Ambassadors.

How do you store or what do you do with original registration certificates?

Answers included scanning them and filing originals on site, having foreign counsel store them, and simply ordering certified copies only when necessary.

How do you pay the second part of the individual fee for trademark applications in Japan?

Suggestions included a link through WIPO and having foreign counsel pay the fees.

Is there a supplemental trademark register for marks that are denied registration in the EU?

The EU does not have a supplemental register; however, applied-for EU trademarks may be converted to national trademarks.

Does the USPTO allow digital signature options for those with Power of Attorney?

Most respondents had found the USPTO generally requires a wet signature, but suggestions included attaching a scanned POA with a wet signature and scanning a printed digital signature.

What are the options for brand enforcement software, and what are the major differences between them?

Respondents suggested Mark Monitor, Corsearch, and CSC, and members who’d used multiple said there typically aren’t significant differences between them. On the retail side, Alibaba and Amazon were both suggested, and they were said to be easy to set up and maintain.

What are the best ways to create visual representations for sound marks?

Members suggested oscillograms, spectrograms, or sonograms.

What are the best options for legalization in China?

Suggestions included Cogency Global, US Legalization, Fairchild Record Search, The Patent Place, and CSC.

Should attorneys sign renewal and maintenance forms or send them to clients for signatures?

Most members agreed that best practice is for clients to sign the documents.

How do in-house teams divide responsibilities, both between attorneys and paralegals and between their own teams and their outside counsel?

Answers varied tremendously, but we hosted a TALK to discuss best practices and ways in-house teams can cut costs by bringing simple services in-house.

Which brand monitoring service is best for handling takedown requests?

Participants suggested CT Corporation, Tracer, OpSec, and Corsearch.