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Podcast · Episode 21 of 25

Maral Behnam-Garcia on the Three Pillars for Brand Success

Covering the digital shift in brand protection, battling counterfeiting at the source, legislature, and consumer education with Maral Behnam-Garcia.

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Episode 21 Future of IP Protection

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In this episode, Branddy speaks with Maral Behnam-Garcia, Senior Director, Global Brand Protection and Intellectual Property, formerly with Wish. 

During the episode, they discuss how collaboration between brands, marketplaces, and legislators can solve the counterfeiting crisis. Maral shares her three pillars for success: IP protection, collaboration, and education, while exploring the current challenges in IP protection, the struggle of legislation to keep up with tech advancements, and the impact of recent legal acts.

Topics discussed

  • Maral's personal journey and how she became specialized in IP protection, emphasizing the importance of trademarks and branding.
  • How different stakeholders, including brands, marketplaces, and service providers, collaborate to combat counterfeiting
  • The challenges of the "whack-a-mole" game in IP protection, emerging technologies, and evolving trends.
  • The law's struggle to keep pace with rapidly advancing technology and the need for collaboration with technology companies.
  • The impact of recent legislative acts like the INFORM Consumers Act and the Consumer Safety Act on IP protection and how e-commerce platforms can leverage them.
  • Maral's three pillars for success: IP protection, collaboration and education, and budgeting for enforcement.
  • Predictions for the IP protection landscape in the next five years, emphasizing the need for continued collaboration and focus on source-level intervention.

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Guest quotes

#1)  We're all trying to do the same thing, and we're doing it from different perspectives. Brands are trying to support their brand, marketplaces are trying to enforce third-party rights, and service providers are also trying to bridge that gap as well. One thing I love is the fact that we're all trying to do the same thing. We're all trying to combat counterfeiting. I think everybody agrees that counterfeiting is something that's a very, very serious issue, one that's not talked about enough.

#2) I think it's very easy to grab things from the Internet and grab things from other areas and be able to pass it off as your own. And I think that's what's happening with the emergence of technology. It's very easy to acquire thoughts and ideas that are not yours, because now the creative, the digital space is really pulling from different areas. And it's not so unique as it once was before. And so that's why IP infringement - and just general IP problems - have continued to rise is because the state of technology and the state of the digital presence is constantly evolving.

#3) One of the things that I've always said is, if you want to combat counterfeiting, you really need to combat it at the source.

#4) I see the state of IP protection kind of living the way that it is now, if not increasing even more. We can do legislative actions. We can do as much, but bad actors will always look for different opportunities to get there to continue doing what they do and continue getting counterfeit material out there.

Resources mentioned

For the latest episodes, search for “Future of IP Protection” on Spotify, Apple, Google, or wherever you listen to podcasts!

More episodes

Watch on video
All 25 episodes
  1. 25Vivek Jayaram on Educating the Next Generation of IP Lawyers
  2. 24Maura Regan of Licensing International on New Approaches to IP Management
  3. 23Eproint’s Gabriela Bodden Explores IP Challenges in the Caribbean and Latin America
  4. 22WIPO’s Todd Reves on the Latest Developments at the World Intellectual Property Office
  5. 21Maral Behnam-Garcia on the Three Pillars for Brand Success
  6. 20INTA CEO Etienne Sanz de Acedo on Transforming IP into a Revenue Center
  7. 19AAFA’s Steve Lamar on Protecting Fashion IP in an Evolving Digital World
  8. 18NRF's Stephanie Martz’s Expert Advice on Harnessing Innovation in Retail
  9. 17Purple’s James Larson on Brand Protection in the Age of AI
  10. 16Nestlé's Myrtha Hurtado Rivas on How IP Protection Strategies Should Respond to Evolving Technology
  11. 15StockX's Paul Foley on How to Build a Brand Protection Authentication Strategy
  12. 14ZipString's Austin Hillam on How to Protect Your Inventions and Keep Innovation Going
  13. 13Kawaii Lighting's Lan Bui on Why Counterfeits Will Never Stand Up Against High-Quality Products
  14. 12Taking Swift Action to Protect Your IP with SwiftPaws' Meghan Wolfgram
  15. 11Warner Music Group's Matthew Walters-Bowens on How Musicians Can Keep Their Creative Work Protected
  16. 10Tapping into IP Protection Resources with Draft Top's Armand Ferranti
  17. 09Navigating the Processes of Knockoff Takedowns with NightCap's Michael Benarde
  18. 08Winning the Game of IP Protection with USAOPOLY's Paul May
  19. 07The Role of IP Professionals in Business Strategy with BEDGEAR's Joseph Codispoti
  20. 06Buzzfeed's Assistant GC on the Growing Landscape of IP Protection and Online Content Creation
  21. 05Keeping Your Brand Protected by Keeping Ahead of Technology
  22. 04Protecting IP - and People's Dreams - Through Collaboration and Anti-Counterfeiting
  23. 03An In-House Counsel's Guide to IP Protection and Licensing at a Large Media Company
  24. 02How Brands Can Achieve Consistent and Scalable Success in Protecting Their IP
  25. 01Beyond IP Enforcement: Protecting Your Brand's Reputation with Data, AI, and Stakeholder Communication

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