The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) has selected Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah) as its 2012 Digital Patriots for their support of innovations in technology.
They will be honored at the eighth annual Digital Patriots Dinner, which will be held April 25 at the Newseum in Washington, DC. Also being recognized at the event will be David Rubenstein, co-founder and managing director of the Carlyle Group.
Wyden (pictured, right) was first elected to Congress in 1980, and began serving as a Senator for Oregon in 1996. He serves on the Finance, Intelligence, Aging, Budget and Energy and Natural Resources committees. Most recently, he was the first – and for a long time only – Senate opponent of the PROTECT IP Act (Preventing Real Online Threats to Economic Creativity and Theft of Intellectual Property Act, or PIPA) and jointly introduced the Online Protection and Enforcement of Digital Trade Act (OPEN Act), which he proposed would protect innovation and protect IP owners.
Chaffetz (pictured, left) was elected to represent Utah’s Third Congressional District in 2008. He is active on the Oversight and Government Reform Committee, as well as the Judiciary Committee. He also serves on the IP Subcommittee of the Judiciary Committee, and is particularly focused on making sure that our laws reflect the realities of an increasingly technology-dependent society. Along with previously honored Digital Patriots Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) and Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.), he led opposition to the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and instead advocated more targeted approaches to online infringement.
In addition to serving as managing director of the Carlyle Group, which he co-founded in 1987, Rubenstein is also chairman of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts; a regent of the Smithsonian Institution; president of the Economic Club of Washington; and on the boards of directors or trustees of Duke University, the Brookings Institution, the Council on Foreign Relations and the Institute for Advanced Study.
All proceeds from the Digital Patriots Dinner will be donated to the Ron Brown Scholar Program, which provides scholarships and other support for bright but economically-challenged African Americans seeking higher education.
“We are thrilled to honor our 2012 Digital Patriots, whose passion about technology and innovation fuels the dynamic consumer electronics industry,” said Gary Shapiro, president and CEO, CEA. “Through their work in Congress, Senator Wyden and Representative Chaffetz are advancing technology entrepreneurship and preserving our role as the world’s innovation leader. David Rubenstein has made countless contributions to innovation, from his service under President Carter, to his legal work advancing ‘fair use,’ to his stellar patriotism in acquiring and donating the Magna Carta and Emancipation Proclamation.”
Related links:
Digital Patriots Dinner – http://tinyurl.com/6nkb8mo
http://www.carlyle.com/Team/item5553.html
