About | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline
LOG IN
LOG IN

82 Trademark Rep. 840 (1992)
Thoughts on the Future

handle is hein.journals/thetmr82 and id is 860 raw text is: Vol. 82 TMR THOUGHTS ON THE FUTURE By Brian J. Leitten* It is my hope that those who will work toward advancing the process begun in Cannes will consider the future from new perspectives, and will not look solely to the future through the eyes of the past. In contrast, it is my expectation that those who will study the work of the delegates to the first World Trademark Symposium for guidance in understanding and predicting the future of trademarks will only get a clear picture of that future by viewing the work of the delegates in the same manner. I recently came across an article in The Futurist magazine entitled Business in the 21st Century, written by a futurist named Edith Weiner. Ms. Weiner tells of a cartoon which emphasizes the importance of choosing a perspective which is not hampered by preconceptions formed by past experiences. The cartoon depicts an alien spaceship that had been observ- ing life on Earth. The alien scouts reported the following conclusions: Earth is inhabited by metallic creatures called cars, and each car owns at least one two-legged slave who cares for it. Each morning, the slave goes outside its home and wakes up the car. The car is taken to what is called a gas station, and then it goes to its social club to be with other cars. The club is called a parking lot. Meanwhile, the slave goes to work to earn money to take care of the car. At the end of the slave's work day, the car bids farewell to its friends and the slave takes it back to its home. On days when the slave is not making money for the car, it washes the car, or takes it for a drive and shows it a lot of different places. The point of the cartoon is straightforward-the world can be looked at from many different perspectives. To successfully decipher the future of trademarks in the 21st century, fresh perspectives will be required. Those who base their thinking on outdated interpretations and paradigms based on memory, experience and preconceived notions will be doomed to a future where history repeats itself. In point of fact, as the famous American author Mark Twain was fond of saying: History doesn't repeat itself, but it does rhyme. * Ex Officio Delegate; President of U.S. Trademark Association during this Symposium; Director of Corporate Development, Hillenbrand Industries, Inc, Batesville, Indiana; Chairperson of the Nominating Committee and the Past Presidents Council, U.S Trademark Association. 840

What Is HeinOnline?

HeinOnline is a subscription-based resource containing thousands of academic and legal journals from inception; complete coverage of government documents such as U.S. Statutes at Large, U.S. Code, Federal Register, Code of Federal Regulations, U.S. Reports, and much more. Documents are image-based, fully searchable PDFs with the authority of print combined with the accessibility of a user-friendly and powerful database. For more information, request a quote or trial for your organization below.



Short-term subscription options include 24 hours, 48 hours, or 1 week to HeinOnline.

Purchase Access

Contact us for annual subscription options:

Contact Us

Already a HeinOnline Subscriber?

Log In

profiles profiles most