Councils & Forums

The IPC is thrilled to announce a renewed effort in 2022 to grow, expand, and encourage increased participation in the AASA intellectual property community. 

The purpose of the IPC is to advance business interests of members by engaging the broader IP Community and government officials and working together to protect intellectual property rights. IPC members with an interest or focus in IP protection come together on a regular basis to discuss current issues in IP protection, learn about, exchange ideas on and discuss market challenges regarding areas that impact patents, copyright, trade dress and other intellectual property. The group has a common goal of planning the annual IP forum to provide relevant and interesting content for the IP community and grow the IPC’s reach and influence.


Membership
Membership is open to members of AASA, HDMA, MERA or OESA. Individuals must have responsibility for managing brands, trademarks, trade dress, patent protection, anti-counterfeit activities or related areas. Members for this committee are recruited by current members or AASA staff and must receive approval to join. If you are interested in more information on the IPC, please contact Liz Goad, egoad@aasa.mema.org. 

Member Benefits
Members enjoy many benefits by participating in the IPC. A full list is available here.

• Significant discount for IPC members and additional employees from IPC member companies to the IP Forum (Non-Member Price: $499 / IPC Member Price: $249)

• Access to monthly meeting content & discussions with aftermarket peers

• Potential additional conversations with government entities and e-tailers

• Discounts to other AASA Events

• Access to information and events from IPC industry partners

 
Participation Requirements
IPC Members meet regularly to discuss advocacy efforts, have open discussion, have conversations with members of Congress, learn from guest speakers, and develop the agenda, content and direction for the annual Aftermarket IP Forum. 

• Attend 75% of monthly meetings and notify AASA if unable to attend

• Attend the AASA Aftermarket IP Forum at the IPC Discounted Rate

• Contribute to and participate in the monthly meetings by securing speakers, contributing to the discussions, moving IPR initiatives forward, and assisting with the development of the Aftermarket IP Forum
   

Advisory Group
The IPC relies on a group of supplier leaders to provide direction and support and serve as a sounding board for MEMA government advocacy issues. We are please to announce our latest advisory group:

• Chair - Max Faistenhammer, Brand Protections / Security Manager, DRiV

• Vice Chair - Bob Stewart, Manager of Aftermarket Service Support and Global Brand Protection, AC Delco / General Motors

• Vice Chair - Antun Peakovic, Director, Intellectual Property North American Automotive Center, Schaeffler
   

• Advisory Group - Diane MacDonald, Legal Counsel, NTN Bearing

• Advisory Group - Todd Pleiness, Senior IP Counsel, MAHLE 

• Advisory Group - Eliza Crowther Boenigk, Associate Counsel, Standard Motor Products

Focus Areas

• Counterfeit Goods

• IP Policies and Trends in Various Global Regions

• E-tailing, E-tailers, Online Marketplaces

• Government Agency Resources and Strategies – DOJ, ICE, FBI, USPTO, IPR Center

• Trade Show IP Policies

• What’s Happening -  roundtable discussions of violator activities and best practices for addressing violations

• Technology Solutions