The World Trade Centers Association (WTCA) was founded in 1970 by Port Authority executive

Guy F. Tozzoli Guy Frederick Tozzoli (February 12, 1922, North Bergen, New Jersey – February 2, 2013, Myrtle Beach, South Carolina) was director of the World Trade Department of the Port of New York Authority in the 1960s. As such he was a driving force behind t ...

. WTCA is a not-for-profit, non-political association dedicated to the establishment and operation of World Trade Centers (WTCs) as instruments for

international trade International trade is the exchange of capital, goods, and services across international borders or territories because there is a need or want of goods or services. (see: World economy) In most countries, such trade represents a significa ...

expansion. As of May 2020, the WTCA included 323 properties licensed in 90 countries and staffed by "15,000 WTC professionals". The WTCA is an unofficial

umbrella An umbrella or parasol is a folding canopy supported by wooden or metal ribs that is usually mounted on a wooden, metal, or plastic pole. It is designed to protect a person against rain or sunlight. The term ''umbrella'' is traditionally use ...

trade association that unites corporations and government agencies in international trade.

Licensing fees

In 2013, it was disclosed that the Association benefited substantially from its use of the "World Trade Center" name after the

Port Authority of New York and New Jersey The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, PANYNJ; stylized, in logo since 2020, as Port Authority NY NJ, is a joint venture between the U.S. states of New York and New Jersey, established in 1921 through an interstate compact authorize ...

transferred to the Association in 1986 its local rights to the name for a token fee of $10. By licensing the use of the name to its members, including World Trade Center-branded merchandise, the Association generated considerable revenues while absorbing the heavy costs of registering the name and defending it against improper use in many countries. The terms of the licensing arrangement were not widely publicized until 2013 when it became known that the Port Authority had supported the mission of the Association by providing rent-free office space and other help, with Association staff serving as the trade assistance arm of the World Trade Center. In December 2018, Judge Swain in federal court in New York held that the wording of the 1986 assignment to the World Trade Centers Association did not include trademark rights for WORLD TRADE CENTER (such as for souvenir items bearing that mark). The WTCA received only ownership of the mark for services, such as for licensing to entities around the world.

Principles and governance

The WTCA's founding principles are: * To encourage the expansion of world trade; * To promote international business relationships and understanding among nations; * To foster increased participation in world trade by industrializing nations; * To create and encourage mutual assistance and cooperation among members; and * To promote and further the concept of the World Trade Center. The WTCA is governed by a 24-member international

Board of Directors A board of directors (commonly referred simply as the board) is an executive committee that jointly supervises the activities of an organization, which can be either a for-profit or a nonprofit organization such as a business, nonprofit orga ...

, composed of executives from WTCA members around the world, and elected by the membership. Eight permanent committees have been established to carry on the work of the Association in the following fields: * Committee on Facilities and Functions * Committee on

International Relations International relations (IR), sometimes referred to as international studies and international affairs, is the scientific study of interactions between sovereign states. In a broader sense, it concerns all activities between states—such ...

and Development * Committee on

Planning Planning is the process of thinking regarding the activities required to achieve a desired goal. Planning is based on foresight, the fundamental capacity for mental time travel. The evolution of forethought, the capacity to think ahead, is c ...

and

Finance Finance is the study and discipline of money, currency and capital assets. It is related to, but not synonymous with economics, the study of production, distribution, and consumption of money, assets, goods and services (the discipline of f ...

* Committee on

Public Relations Public relations (PR) is the practice of managing and disseminating information from an individual or an organization (such as a business, government agency, or a nonprofit organization) to the public in order to influence their perception. ...

and

Information Information is an abstract concept that refers to that which has the power to inform. At the most fundamental level information pertains to the interpretation of that which may be sensed. Any natural process that is not completely random, ...

* Committee on

Tourism Tourism is travel for pleasure or business; also the theory and practice of touring (disambiguation), touring, the business of attracting, accommodating, and entertaining tourists, and the business of operating tour (disambiguation), tours. Th ...

Hospitality Hospitality is the relationship between a guest and a host, wherein the host receives the guest with some amount of goodwill, including the reception and entertainment of guests, visitors, or strangers. Louis, chevalier de Jaucourt describes ...

and Cultural Exchange * Committee on Trade Education, Training and Research * Committee on Trade Fairs, Trade Marts and High Tech Parks * Committee on WTC Standards and Quality * Committee on

Peace Peace is a concept of societal friendship and harmony in the absence of hostility and violence. In a social sense, peace is commonly used to mean a lack of conflict (such as war) and freedom from fear of violence between individuals or groups. ...

& Stability through trade In December 2008, the WTCA awarded its first Global Corporate Leadership award to Robert Thompson, the founder of CenTradeX of Nashville, Tennessee.

References

Bibliography

External links

* {{Authority control International trade organizations Organizations established in 1968 Organizations based in New York City 1968 establishments in the United States