11:55 Welcome and Introductions
12:00 Intellectual Property Law and Enforcement: Protecting North Carolina Businesses and Citizens
North Carolina Secretary of State Elaine F. Marshall, North Carolina Department of the Secretary of State, Raleigh
Donya M. Strong, North Carolina Department of the Secretary of State, Raleigh
Intellectual property law violations exist in every retail venue. The North Carolina Department of the Secretary of State investigators and task force agents have found counterfeit products of every type, from counterfeit medications and apparel to electronics and household goods.
Compounding the problem of increasing types of counterfeit goods are the negative consequences that flow from their purchase, such as threats to health and safety, job and revenue loss, organized crime, child labor, and gang activity. Criminal enforcement of intellectual property laws is not only critical to protecting NC citizens from fraud and harm, but also to safeguarding the economic innovation of NC businesses.
1:00 Adjourn
Thank you for joining us for Intellectual Property Law and Enforcement: Protecting North Carolina Businesses and Citizens.
Intellectual property law violations exist in every retail venue. Criminal enforcement of intellectual property laws is not only critical to protecting NC citizens from fraud and harm, but also to safeguarding the economic innovation of NC businesses.
North Carolina Secretary of State Elaine F. Marshall, in 1996, became the first woman elected to a statewide, executive branch office in North Carolina and has served as President of the National Association of Secretaries of State. A former teacher, small business owner, and private practice attorney, Secretary Marshall was elected to the NC State Senate before rising to statewide office. Secretary Marshall has pioneered e-commerce in government, reduced the cost of doing business, protected investors and intellectual property owners, and promoted financial capital formation in North Carolina.
She has received numerous state and national awards, including the 2020 John A. (Pete) Eberhart Ray of Light Award from Boundless Impact, the 2020 N.C. Bar Association's Chief Justice I. Beverly Lake, Jr. Public Service Award, Leadership North Carolina's 2016 Award for Public Service, and the 2007 U.S. Chamber of Commerce Distinguished Service Award for a State Government Official. In addition, she was honored with the 2019 Brand Protection Hero Award from the Center for Anti-Counterfeiting and Product Protection (A-CAPP), the Charlotte Business Journal's 2017 International Trade Lifetime Achievement Award, and Meredith College's 2017 Woman of Achievement Award, Secretary Marshall has been honored with four honorary doctorates, Triangle Business Journal's Lifetime Achievement Award for Women in Business, and was a 2018 Inductee for the NC Women Business Owners Hall of Fame. She has also received Lifetime Achievement Awards from North Carolina 4-H and the National 4-H Hall of Fame.
Click here for more information about Secretary Marshall.
Donya Strong was appointed general counsel for the Department of Administration in December 2021. Prior to joining DOA, Strong served as an enforcement attorney for the NC Secretary of State where she advised the executive management team on policies and statewide legislation concerning constitutional amendments, the securities industry and trademark enforcement. She also managed the agency's Trademark Enforcement Unit.
Donya began her state government career in 2008 at the NC Administrative Office of the Courts as an assistant district attorney for the 8th Prosecutorial District and was later promoted to senior assistant district attorney for the 14th Prosecutorial District in 2013. Previously, she worked in the private sector for three years initially as a legal assistant and later as an attorney for Harris & Associates in Durham.
Before entering the legal field, Donya worked as a reporter and news editor for the News & Observer and Detroit Free Press.
Donya holds a Juris Doctor from the NC Central University School of Law in Durham and a bachelor's degree in journalism and Spanish from Howard University in Washington, D.C.
Click here for more information about Donya.