IP Champion

Recognizing extraordinary leadership in advocating for the value of
intellectual property to stimulate the progress of innovation.

IP Champion Award

Irwin M. Jacobs, Founding Chairman & CEO Emeritus, Qualcomm 

IPOEF recognizes Irwin M. Jacobs as the 2023 IP Champion for his extraordinary leadership in advocating for the value of intellectual property to stimulate the progress of innovation. Jacobs earned a Bachelor of Electrical Engineering degree from Cornell University in 1956 and a Master of Science and Doctor of Science degree in electrical engineering from MIT in 1957 and 1959, respectively. From 1959 to 1966, Dr. Jacobs served as assistant, then associate professor of electrical engineering at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and in 1965, he published with Jack Wozencraft the first textbook in digital communications Principles of Communication Engineering which remains in use today. In 1985, Jacobs co-founded Qualcomm with 7 others from Linkabit. As CEO through 2005 and Chairman through 2009, he led the growth from startup to Fortune 500 Company, now with over 50,000 employees worldwide.

2022

Dr. Gary Michelson, Michelson Institute for Intellectual Property 

2021

Lisa Cook, Michigan State University

2019

Andrei Iancu, Director USPTO

2018

Joe Kiani Founder, Chairman, & CEO Masimo