IPOEF President Shares Foundation Accomplishments at IPO Annual Meeting

IPO Education Foundation President Henry Hadad (Bristol Myers Squibb Company) spoke to IPO Annual Meeting attendees during the Opening Session on September 22 in Chicago, IL. He spoke about IPOEF’s outreach activities and partnerships to reach students grades 6-12 about the value of intellectual property. The National High School Speech and Debate topic for 2024-2025 is about IP rights, and the Foundation is partnering with others to help under resourced students prepare for the competition. Almost 1,000 students have learned about IP because of the “IP Education for Next Gen Innovators” toolkit and Mr. Hadad encouraged all attendees to use the free materials in their communities. Continue reading to learn more about Foundation programs, and make sure to follow IPOEF on all social media channels to hear about some exciting new activities in the coming months.

IP Experts Learn More About IPOEF’s Toolkit

IPO Annual Meeting attendees joined the Educate Committee in the IP Hub to learn about shaping the next generation of IP aware students. IPO Education Foundation’s “IP Education for Next Gen Innovators (Grades 6-12)” toolkit equips experts with the tools they need to deliver essential IP concepts to middle and high school students. Educate Committee members Tamara Head (Dinsmore & Shohl LLP) and Nathan Mutter (Holland & Hart LLP) showcased the toolkit and discussed effective presentation methods including customizing the toolkit to fit a range of student ages. Attendees tried out the toolkit and tested their trademark knowledge by playing a game included in it, where they identified various sounds, logos, and catchphrases that are registered trademarks. A few lucky attendees received IPOEF swag for correct answers! The presenters also discussed strategies and best practices for finding classrooms or student programs to connect with in your community. Taking the first step can be the hardest part! Ms. Head and Mr. Mutter asked attendees to share their experiences with getting connected to students to give examples on how to reach out. To learn more about the toolkit and find resources to connect with students in your community, such as email outreach templates and local public-school directories, visit IPOEF.org!

Help IPOEF Teach 2,500 Students by Spring 2025

As of September 2024, 922 students have been introduced to IP concepts in 7 different states with the help of the toolkit. IPOEF’s goal is to reach 2,500 students by Spring 2025. IPOEF thanks all IPO members who have used the toolkit to connect with students in their community, especially those on our leaderboard!

IPO Board Member, Ceyda Maisami (HP Inc.), recently celebrated World IP Day by engaging 40 elementary school students using IPO Education Foundation’s “IP Education for Next Gen Innovators” toolkit. Ms. Maisami coordinated with her children’s teachers to organize sessions that introduced the students to the concepts of IP. She said these sessions were not only playful and interactive but also served as a catalyst for the young minds, inspiring them to explore their creativity for coming up with their own inventions.

IPO Member and Educate Committee Chair, Ramya Possett (BlueFoot), is at the top of IPO Education Foundation’s leaderboard for reaching 350 students with the toolkit! By reaching out to her network in the DC metro area, Ms. Possett was connected to Our Lady of Good Counsel Catholic School and spent a day introducing IP concepts to middle school students. She simplified the toolkit materials and divided students into smaller groups to ensure an effective presentation for each student. She said the students were very engaged with the presentation, excitedly brainstorming their own inventions, and couldn’t wait to share their ideas with their classmates. A teacher from the school shared that many of their educators thought it was their best assembly to date!

Bring IP education into your community! Visit IPOEF.org to download the toolkit and to access additional resources to help you connect with the next generation of innovators.

IPOEF Prepares High School Students for the Speech & Debate Competition

IPO Education Foundation is partnering with ADAPT, Lemelson-MIT, and other IP organizations to provide intellectual property education for under resourced students who are preparing for the 2024-2025 speech and debate competition. The national high school policy debate topic is:

Resolved: The United States federal government should significantly strengthen its protection of domestic intellectual property rights in copyrights, patents, and/or trademarks.

On September 11, Marcia Chang (Tradespace), IPOEF Board Member Dena Ehrich (3M), and Kanan Narayana (Morgan Lewis) spoke on a webinar covering topics from the historical background of the law to the fundamentals of copyright, trademarks, and patents. This is the first of a series of programming that will be held virtually and in-person. If you’re interested in volunteering for a future program, click here to learn more about the upcoming sessions. If you have questions, please contact foundation@ipo.org and info@adapt.legal.

2024 Awards Celebration at The Mayflower Hotel in Washington, DC

IPO Education Foundation’s annual Awards Celebration gathers members of the IP community from around the world to honor individuals for their accomplishments in innovation, creativity, and IP. The event will take place from 6-10pm on December 12 at The Mayflower Hotel in Washington, DC. Purchase a ticket or become a sponsor to attend the event and support the work of IPOEF! This year’s event will feature an in-person fundraising campaign to support and expand IPOEF programs. With these programs, IPOEF aims to educate the next generation about the role intellectual property plays in driving prosperity and enriching life in our communities.

The 2024 Honorees Include:

Executive of the Year

Dr. Martine Rothblatt (United Therapeutics Corp.) will be honored for her commitment to the creation, promotion, and protection of intellectual property. Dr. Rothblatt, an inventor and entrepreneur, has made transformative contributions across various fields, including telecommunications with the creation of SiriusXM, biotechnology, and aviation. Dr. Rothblatt founded United Therapeutics in 1996 after her daughter was diagnosed with life threatening pulmonary hypertension. Under her leadership as Chairperson and CEO, the company developed a successful treatment for this condition, impacting and improving the lives of many patients. Beyond her work with United Therapeutics, Dr. Rothblatt has been a driving force in the biotech industry, advancing treatments and research that address significant medical challenges.

Inventors of the Year

The Inventor of the Year award recognizes the world’s most outstanding recent inventors and how they benefit the nation’s economy and quality of life. The 2024 award goes to two teams of inventors who have revolutionized diabetes treatments, the inventors of Mounjaro (Eli Lilly) and Ozempic (Novo Nordisk) are being honored for identifying novel compounds targeting incretin hormones to treat diabetes. The honorees from Eli Lilly include Bengt Krister Bokvist, Tamer Coskun, Robert Chadwick Cummins, and Jorge Alsina-Fernandez. The honorees from Novo Nordisk include Paw Bloch, Thomas Kruse Hansen, and Jesper Lau. These medications have enhanced the lives of individuals affected by diabetes by effectively lowering A1C levels and reducing the risk of major cardiovascular events in those with existing heart disease.

October is IP Awareness Month

October has been named IP Awareness Month! In honor of this exciting achievement, IPOEF encourages you to host an event or utilize the “IP Education for Next Gen Innovators” toolkit to celebrate and spread awareness of IP rights! The importance of increasing awareness of the role that IP plays in fostering innovation and creativity was recognized by the California Senate in bill SR-106. California Intellectual Property Alliance, the United States Intellectual Property Alliance, and Michelson Center for Public Policy partnered to support the bill. Learn more about the bill and the support behind it.

Thank You Silver Donors!

Foundation activities are possible because of the support of our donors and sponsors. If you’d like to learn more about IPOEF or become a donor, please visit IPOEF.org/donate.