At the 2025 IP Champion Awards reception, the US Chamber of Commerce brought together business leaders, policymakers, and creators to celebrate those leading the fight to safeguard IP.

According to US Chamber research, IP supported:

• Over $5 trillion (€4.3trn) in jobs across all industries and states.

• $799 billion in R&D spending.

• $140.36 billion in total IP-related exports

2025’s IP Champions represent a diverse group of leaders and initiatives who made significant contributions to the protection of IP in the US and worldwide.

John Squires, Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), kicked off the event by noting how important IP is “to our new companies and our great companies, our investors and entrepreneurs, their families, their communities, our economy, our national security, and to the future success of our nation”.

• Rep. Hank Johnson (D-GA) received the Award for Excellence in Leadership for advocating for policies that protect creators, inventors, and innovators. “Representative Johnson’s work ensures that artists, small businesses, and tech innovators all have the legal protections they need to thrive,” said Kira Alvarez, vice president for government relations at Paramount Skydance, who accepted the award on Rep. Johnson’s behalf.

• Sen. Tom Tillis (R-NC) received the Award for Excellence in Leadership for his work in strengthening America’s IP system and combating online piracy. “If you don’t find a way to protect that art and that science, then we as a nation will lose one of the things that I think has made us an exceptional nation,” said Tillis.

• North Carolina Secretary of State Elaine Marshall earned the Award for Excellence in IP Enforcement for her leadership in the fight against counterfeit goods. “If you plug it in the wall or take it in your body, you expect it to be safe, and if we don’t fight these counterfeiters, that will no longer be true,” Marshall warned.

• Mitch Glazier, CEO of the Recording Industry Association of America, was recognised with the Award for Excellence in Creativity for his dedication to protecting the livelihoods of artists and songwriters. “Mitch never loses sight of the people behind the policy,” said Ruth Vitale, CEO of CreativeFuture. “He knows that every line of legislation, every negotiation, every court case, is ultimately about artists and songwriters, people who are simply trying to share their creativity with the world and make a living doing it.”

• Operation 404, an anti-piracy initiative led by Brazil’s Ministry of Justice and Public Security, received the Award for Excellence in International Enforcement. Stan McCoy, Senior Vice President and General Counsel for the Entertainment Software Association, praised the programme as “a model for coordinated anti-piracy enforcement, combining legal, technical, and international strategies.”

Before the IP Champions reception, at US Chamber’s digital piracy symposium, advocates and industry leaders highlighted the importance of IP in fostering creativity and sustaining livelihoods. They also addressed the escalating threats of piracy and organised crime.

“I think a broader challenge… is just overcoming the lack of understanding, both by policymakers and by consumers, of harms caused by piracy,” commented Steve Kang, Senior Vice President for Content Protection at NBCUniversal

Other posts by :

1. Analysis: Impact of AT&T on US telcos and cable
2. Bezos rocket production boosted
3. Musk delays Moon landing until 2027
4. Hughes Satellite facing cash crunch
5. Major banks support AST SpaceMobile
6. Fitch downgrades DirecTV debt
7. BBC: You’ll miss me when I’m gone
8. Some new US Starlink subs face $1,000 start-up fee
9. Project Kuiper beating OneWeb

Categories: Articles, Business, Content, Piracy, Policy, Regulation, Rights

Tags: IP, Operation 404, US Chamber of Commerce