There is something very special about returning to International Trademark Association (INTA) This year, attending the INTA 2026 Annual Meeting in London for the second time felt like coming back to a place where ideas move quickly, conversations open unexpected doors, and intellectual property feels very much alive.

From Table Topic to Scenario Game

Last year, serving as a Table Topic moderator reminded me of how powerful it can be to bring people around a table and let them think together. This year, that inspiration became something more ambitious: The Inventive Mindset Game, a full scenario game designed for IP lawyers.

I wanted to create an experience that went beyond discussion. Something practical, playful, strategic, and revealing. So I built a game with cards, a board, client scenarios, choices, consequences, and advising profiles. Each participant received a tricky client prompt and had to decide how to respond. Would they do exactly what the client asked? Would they take a more inventive counseling path? Would they bring in an AI assist tool? Or would they prepare for the curveball, the worst-case scenario hiding behind the client’s enthusiasm?

No Right or Wrong Answers

The beauty of the game is that there are no right or wrong answers. The point is not to “win” in the traditional sense. The point is to understand how we think when a client walks in with an idea, a budget, a deadline, a risk, a blind spot, or a dream that is bigger than the legal instructions they give us.

Some participants naturally leaned toward precision. Others moved quickly into strategy. Some saw technology as a useful companion for research, analysis, or broader thinking. Others immediately spotted the risks the client had not considered. At the end, each participant could see more clearly their own advising style, strengths, and areas for growth.

That is what I loved most about the experience. The game created a mirror. It helped lawyers reflect on how they counsel, prioritize, protect value, and respond when the client’s first instruction is not necessarily the best path forward.

What We Talked About

And because this was INTA, the conversations were rich. We talked about patent strategy for a smart home invention, including prior art, claim scope, and the need to understand the technical idea before rushing into protection. We talked about a viral character that had exploded on social media and how copyright alone might not be enough if the creator is building a brand, merchandise, and commercial opportunities. We talked about influencers launching skincare lines, trademark distinctiveness, personal names, business expansion, and the risks that appear when fame becomes a product strategy.

We also talked about the less glamorous details that often decide whether an IP strategy actually works. The correct trademark classes. The difference between having a website and offering telecommunications services. The importance of matching protection to the real business. The discipline of sequencing filings when the client has limited resources. The need to think nationally before scaling globally. The importance of protecting not only the idea, but also the path through which the idea will enter the market. Those details may not sound dramatic, but they are exactly where good counseling lives.

The Flash Episode

That is also why I turned this experience into a flash video episode of Intangiblia. I wanted to capture the energy of the room, the generosity of the participants, and the way IP lawyers from different backgrounds approached the same challenge with completely different instincts. Some answered in English, some in Spanish, some moved between languages, and all of them brought something valuable to the conversation.

The episode became more than a conference moment. It became a small celebration of what happens when smart people gather, play seriously, and allow themselves to think with curiosity.

Thank you for playing Romain Vidal, Sara María Moreno, Chioma Egboh-Nwachukwu, Rafael Beltrán Rivera, Laetitia Dansi, Mariana Lorena Cheratti, NOELIA POTENZA, Salma Settar, Andreína Andrade Limongi, Zeina Hobeiche and Arianna Zurita !

The Magic of Gathering

INTA is a place where meetings happen in hallways, ideas appear between sessions, and professional connections often become memories. This year, I left especially grateful for the lawyers who played the game, shared their reasoning, laughed through the scenarios, and showed that intellectual property work can be rigorous, creative, inventive, and genuinely fun.

A BIG Thought to Take Away

Intellectual Property Lawyers are amazingly creative and understand the need to ask better questions before choosing a legal tool. It is about helping clients see the value they have, the risks they face, and the future they might build.

And sometimes, the best way to understand that is to put the law on a board, draw a card, choose a path, and see what your instincts reveal.

You can watch the Flash episode on Intangiblia and see the amazing lawyers at INTA 2026 play along. So here is my question for you: when a client comes with a bold idea, what is your first instinct? Do you play it safe, go inventive, bring in AI, or prepare for the curveball?