As we watched, a woman in a silk dressing gown emerged from her bedroom window, ascended the fire escape and stood uncertainly on the roof, San Francisco spread out beneath her. She was followed by a rather more warmly dressed companion, carrying a camera, who proceeded to photograph her against the backdrop of skyscrapers and the city's vertiginous streets.
We were watching safely from the balcony of the University Club; we being the guests of Marks & Clerk at their INTA Annual Meeting party. Conversation had stopped, wine glasses raised halfway to mouths, as the model clambered up and silhouetted herself against the sky. But it soon resumed. This was one more of the entertainments San Francisco had to offer.
One of the great things about an INTA Annual Meeting is that by the end you feel you've seen every facet of the host city, usually through the generosity of one law firm or another. From the boat trips and field trips to the INTA closing party, these events carried us all across San Francisco. Indeed, the Managing IP staff that oversaw the distribution of the INTA Daily News on Sunday morning were lucky enough to catch the full glory of the annual Bay to Breakers run at 7am, including some colourful costumes and birthday suits (despite nudity being theoretically banned).
It was an enormously enjoyable and informative Meeting. Some sessions were so popular there was a fear of breaking fire safety rules. The two judges' panels led to some very refreshing discussion about the merits of trade marks, if indeed there are any. And the Daily News, which we were producing at the Meeting for the ninth year (big anniversary next year in Washington) seemed to go down pretty well. Its daily column of #INTASF tweets eventually became reflexive, as attendees tweeted about being mentioned in the column. Indeed, as this magazine was going to press one service provider tweeted that the Daily News was "spectacular" with "huge kudos to INTA and ManagingIP". And they didn't even advertise.
For coverage of the best sessions at the Meeting, see page 6, which includes Levi's CEO John Anderson's opening speech and a selection of photos from the various parties. For some more tongue-in-cheek stories, turn to page 92 to read Utynam's experiences.
Simon Crompton
Magazine editor
Managing IP
