The goodwill and passion of fans during a year-long blackout ensured the future of the National Hockey League (NHL) brand, Commissioner Gary Bettman told attendees at the INTA Annual Meeting last week.

Keeping fans informed and engaged helped the NHL to bounce back to log record attendance this year, said Bettman. "It allowed the fans to invest – if only emotionally – in our brand."

The NHL also updated its logo, moving from black and gold colours to black and silver – evoking the Stanley Cup. Bettman said: "Trade marks serve as the cornerstone of our billion dollar licensing business."

But he also cautioned about the dangers of enforcing trade mark rights when the infringers might be NHL fans themselves. "The loyalty of our fans earned over decades is invaluable. But using the brand in an overly formulaic way can suppress the vitality of the brand. We need to provide breathing space for fans to use the brands. Ultimately it strengthens them."

Bettman was the keynote speaker at last week's INTA Annual Meeting in Toronto, which was attended by a record 7,800 attendees. It included more than 80 exhibitors.

The Annual Meeting also featured a mock trade mark dispute between owners of trade marks for a vodka drink called Maxxx and a sports drink called Max.

The mock dispute included a hearing in which retired judge Daniel Pascale ruled that the two marks were not similar enough to justify the claim that consumers would be confused, and refused a preliminary injunction.

In his keynote address, INTA President Paul Reidl, of E&J Gallo Winery, discussed how the internet and globalization had led to the concept of the "Lightning Brand" which he defined as "a brand that is urgent, powerful and not to be ignored".

For the fourth year, MIP published the INTA Daily News during the Annual Meeting, with daily updates sent by email. You can still read the INTA Daily News in PDF format, and find out more about what happened in Toronto, here.