National Inventors Hall of Fame Exhibit Focuses on Trademarks, Authentic Consumer Products
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Oct. 24, 2017 – The sale of counterfeit products is a growing threat to businesses’ intellectual property rights, and consumers’ trust and safety. In 2013, the economic value of counterfeit and pirated products was estimated to be $1.13 trillion. By the year 2022, it is projected to reach $2.81 trillion.
How can consumers educate themselves about trademarks and protect themselves from counterfeit goods? A new interactive exhibit in the National Inventors Hall of Fame® Museum — “The Power of Trademarks,” sponsored by the International Trademark Association (INTA) — is designed to help visitors recognize authentic consumer products.
As part of the museum’s Intellectual Property Power™ wing, the exhibit opens Tuesday, Nov. 7 and will run through April 2019. Besides counterfeit education, the exhibit also highlights the value of trademarks and why they are important to consumers.
Companies such as American Express, Bose Corp., Crocs Inc., Michael Kors, NBA Properties Inc., Pfizer Inc., and The Procter & Gamble Co. contributed to the exhibit’s design and content. One of the exhibit highlights is an interactive display allowing museum visitors to examine authentic and counterfeit products. Visitors choose the product they think is real, and the display reveals the truth and offers tips for how they can tell the difference moving forward.
“The Power of Trademarks” exhibit is part of INTA’s broader anticounterfeiting initiative, which includes developing best practices for trademark owners and service providers to use in addressing counterfeits on the Internet; partnering in the Global Congress on Combating Counterfeiting and Piracy; and educating and engaging teenagers about the importance of trademarks and intellectual property, and the dangers of counterfeit products through its Unreal Campaign located at unrealcampaign.com.
“The magnitude of counterfeiting and piracy is rapidly increasing,” said INTA CEO Etienne Sanz de Acedo. “This exhibit brings to life the important need for vigorous enforcement of strong laws that provide protection for trademarks worldwide. By partnering with the National Inventors Hall of Fame, INTA can equip consumers with the tools they need to identify legitimate sources of goods and services in the marketplace — benefitting themselves and the companies they buy products from.”
“Manufacturers invest heavily in product development, quality and safety, and the advancements made create brands consumers can trust,” said NIHF CEO Michael Oister. “Our exhibit, built in partnership with the International Trademark Association, displays the major issues that are occurring right now with counterfeit goods and brands, and resultant negative effects on consumer trust and loss of jobs. Our goal at the National Inventors Hall of Fame is to educate consumers to make smarter decisions and purchase with confidence.”
The National Inventors Hall of Fame Museum is located at the United States Patent and Trademark Office’s Madison Building in Alexandria, Va. The museum is open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., and admission is free and open to the public. For more information visit invent.org/museum.
About INTA
The International Trademark Association (INTA) is the global association of trademark owners and professionals dedicated to supporting trademarks and related IP in order to protect consumers and to promote fair and effective commerce. Members include more than 7,000 trademark owners, professionals, and academics from more than 190 countries, who benefit from the Association’s global trademark resources, policy development, education, training, and international network. Founded in 1878, INTA is headquartered in New York City, with offices in Brussels, Santiago, Shanghai, Singapore, and Washington, D.C., and representatives in Geneva and New Delhi. For more information visit inta.org.
About the National Inventors Hall of Fame
The National Inventors Hall of Fame (NIHF) is the premier nonprofit organization in America dedicated to recognizing inventors and invention, promoting creativity, and advancing the spirit of innovation and entrepreneurship. Founded in 1973 in partnership with the United States Patent and Trademark Office, NIHF is committed to not only honoring the individuals whose inventions have made the world a better place, but to ensuring American ingenuity continues to thrive in the hands of coming generations through its national, hands-on educational programming and collegiate competitions focused on the exploration of science, technology, engineering and mathematics. The National Inventors Hall of Fame Museum is a Smithsonian Affiliate. For more information, visit invent.org. To nominate an inventor for Induction, visit invent.org/inductees/nominate-inventor.