IPO Education Foundation Announces Video Contest Winners

Young Adults Display Remarkable Creativity and Understanding of the Patent System

WASHINGTON, Nov. 29, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Intellectual Property Owners Education Foundation has announced the six winners in its first Annual IP Video Contest. The winners' videos are posted on the contest website (www.ipvideocontest.com) for public viewing. The Foundation Board of Directors selected one winner in each category and the second winner in each category was determined by more than 3,700 members of the public who cast votes. Winners will be honored on Monday, December 5, 2011, at the IPO Education Foundation Awards Dinner held in Washington, D.C. Members of the media are welcome to attend and can contact the Foundation office at 202/507-4502 for additional information.

The Foundation created the video contest to educate teens and the public at large about the importance of the patent system. Contestants competed in three age categories (thirteen to fifteen years-old; sixteen to eighteen years-old; nineteen years-old and over) for cash prizes or scholarships ranging from $1,500 to $5,000. The Foundation's mission is to broaden the public's understanding and appreciation of systems for the development, protection and enforcement of intellectual property rights.

Executive Director Herbert Wamsley said, "We look forward to meeting the winners on December 5. The messages about the importance of the patent system are impressive. The talent and vision displayed in the videos produced will inspire everyone. This will be even better than the Academy Awards."

The public is urged to visit the contest website and view the winners' videos. Winners in the youngest age category, Tara Buchmore of Ketchum, ID and Maya Varma of Cupertino, CA, illustrate how patents create jobs, inspire further innovation, and even enable pigs to fly. In the sixteen to eighteen year-old category, winners Simeon Boyle of Hampstead, MD and Malik Shabazz of Pontiac, MI, show how patents promote competition and progress, and grow businesses. In the nineteen and older category, winners Stephen Boyd of Muncie, IN and Tyler Short of Portland, OR, demonstrate how patents benefit society by incentivizing research and development and fueling the creation of new technologies. To arrange interviews with the contest winners, please contact the Foundation office at 202/507-4502.

About IPO Education Foundation

Intellectual Property Owners Education Foundation, a non-profit subsidiary of Intellectual Property Owners Association (IPO), was established in 2005 to educate the public on the importance of intellectual property rights to the economy.

Donations to the foundation are tax deductible to the extent allowed by the law. To find out more about IPO Education Foundation programs or to make a donation, visit www.ipoef.org or call 202/507-4500.

SOURCE Intellectual Property Owners, Inc.