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Protecting Big Ideas: Meet the 2025 Honorees Changing How We Think About Innovation

By: NewsUSA

September 13, 2025 at 20:00 PM EDT

(NewsUSA) - From safer football helmets to groundbreaking laws that protect inventors, this year’s Intellectual Property Owners Education Foundation (IPOEF) award winners prove that one idea, when protected, can change everything.

Each year, IPOEF honors individuals whose work proves that behind every breakthrough is not just an idea but the protection of it. In 2025, that spotlight falls on two sets of changemakers: Inventors of the Year, Erin and Lee Hanson, inventors reshaping sports safety, and IP Champions, U.S. Senators Chris Coons and Thom Tillis, unlikely allies driving bipartisan legislation to safeguard American innovation. Inventors of the Year: Erin and Lee Hanson Erin and Lee Hanson, founders of Guardian Sports, turned a simple idea into a game-changing safety in football: the Guardian Cap, a soft-shell helmet that reduces impact of hits to the head and is now mandated in NFL practices and worn by college and youth players. They also reengineered the lacrosse ball to create PEARL lacrosse balls which are used across the NCAA and PLL designed for better durability and safety. Guardian’s LOOP headband is the highest rated headband for safer play in non-helmeted sports like flag football and field hockey. The Hanson’s work has helped better protect countless athletes and is influencing sport leagues and how they can approach safety at all levels of play. “Without IP, we wouldn’t have been able to collaborate with major leagues like the NFL and NCAA,” they said. “It gave us the foundation to grow and the confidence to partner with giants. What we have learned from our many years of working toward our success is that if you have an idea, start documenting it immediately and speak to a patent attorney early. You never know when your brainstorm could be the next big thing.” IP Champions: Senator Chris Coons (D-DE) & Senator Thom Tillis (R-NC) These two U.S. Senators may be from different political parties, but they share a commitment to protecting America’s innovators. Their bipartisan work on legislation, including the Patent Eligibility Restoration Act (PERA) and the PREVAIL Act, helps ensure that inventors, entrepreneurs, and small businesses can compete globally and protect their work at home. They are being recognized as IP Champions because of their shared belief that the U.S. needs to be the leader that ensures inventors are protected from start to finish, advocating for the value of intellectual property to stimulate the progress of innovation. Getting Started With IP If you have any more questions regarding IP and don’t know where to begin, try IP Buddy, an AI tool designed to answer your IP questions or concerns. Whether you are a first-time inventor or growing startup or someone who is simply curious about how IP works, IP Buddy is here to guide users through patents, trademarks, copyrights, and trade secrets with clarity and confidence. What You Can Learn from This Year’s Honorees: IP protection guarantees that creators are rewarded for their work and have the tools to build, grow and collaborate safely. It also encourages more innovation by making the process sustainable and fair. Here’s what anyone can learn from this year’s honorees: Every big change starts with an idea. Whether it’s a new recipe, product design, or software tool, your idea has value. Protect before you share. Once an idea is public, it’s harder to defend. Research your options for patents, copyrights, trademarks or trade secrets early on. IP fosters trust and collaboration. With the right protections, inventors can safely partner with companies, investors, or even competitors. To learn more about protecting your own ideas and supporting innovation, visit ipoef.organd ipbuddy.ai.

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