Fish & Richardson to Provide Pro Bono Trademark Support of Sabre® Program to Combat Human Trafficking

Boston, MA, July 16, 2014 - Fish & Richardson is proud to announce its legal support of "Passport to Freedom," the Sabre signature corporate responsibility program to help fight human trafficking and provide support to survivors. Fish's Trademark and Copyright Practice Group will work with Sabre to prepare, file, and prosecute trademark applications for the Passport to Freedom program in the United States and internationally.

As a global technology provider to the travel and tourism industry, Sabre is working with airlines, hotels, travel agencies, corporations, and consumers worldwide to combat the crimes of child sex trafficking and human slavery. Launched in September 2012, goals of the Passport to Freedom program are to increase awareness and educate the travel industry on human trafficking issues, advocate for legislative change, and provide opportunities for travel industry leaders to collaborate on how travel technology can aid in the fight against human trafficking.

"We are grateful for the support of Fish & Richardson and its Trademark and Copyright Practice Group in their dedication to help stop human trafficking," said Jennifer Barkley, Corporate Responsibility Manager at Sabre and Director of Operations for The Sabre Foundation. "Sabre's technology touches every part of the travel industry, and this puts us in a unique position to work with our industry partners all over the world to combat this atrocious crime."

After obtaining trademark protection in the United States, Sabre will expand trademark protection to include some of its largest international operational centers, which also happen to be human trafficking hotspots: Krakow, Poland; Montevideo, Uruguay; Buenos Aires, Argentina; and Bangalore, India.

"As one of the leading Trademark and Copyright practices in the country, we have helped some of the biggest companies in the world protect their valuable names, trademarks, and brands," said Cynthia Johnson Walden, Trademark and Copyright Practice Group Leader at Fish & Richardson. "We are thrilled to be able to offer our expertise in support of this important cause."

Human trafficking is a form of modern-day slavery where perpetrators profit from the control and exploitation of others. Force, fraud, and coercion are used to control other people and induce them to commit acts of sex or labor. This "compelled service" is a lucrative activity and is why human trafficking is one of the fastest-growing criminal industries in the world.

Sabre® is a leading technology provider to the global travel and tourism industry and was the first to sign the tourism Code of Conduct (The Code). Sabre's software, data, mobile, and distribution solutions are used by hundreds of airlines and thousands of hotel properties to manage critical operations, such as passenger and guest reservations, revenue management, and flight, network, and crew management. Sabre also operates a leading global travel marketplace, processing over $100 billion of estimated travel spend in 2013 by connecting travel suppliers to their most valued customers, the business traveler. Headquartered in Southlake, Texas, USA, Sabre operates in approximately 60 countries around the world.