Press Releases

Chicago Economist Receives International Trademark Association Service Award for Work on Gen Z Study

Published: November 20, 2019


New York, New York, November 20, 2019—The International Trademark Association (INTA) is pleased to announce Scott Phillips, C.P.A., Managing Director at Epsilon Economics, Chicago, Illinois, as a recipient of the Association’s 2019 Service Award for the Advancement of Association Objectives.

This newly established award is given to one or more individuals of an INTA member organization whose participation, efforts, and innovative thinking during the year have advanced substantive trademark and related intellectual property (IP) law and practice; committee or subcommittee objectives; or the strategic objectives of INTA.

Mr. Phillips led a team of members of INTA’s Impact Studies Committee in the development of an attitudinal study, Gen Z Insights: Brands and Counterfeit Products. The study focuses on Gen Zers between 18 and 23 years old in 10 countries—Argentina, China, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Nigeria, Russia, and the United States—and their relationship with brands and their attitudes toward counterfeit products.

“Mr. Phillips’s diligence, decisiveness, and authoritative eye for details were instrumental in making the Gen Z Insights study an exceptional piece of research that provides enormous insights to brands and catapults INTA among the leading IP research institutions globally,” said INTA President David Lossignol. “The study is as robust as it is due to his outstanding commitment to the project.”

In accepting the award, Mr. Phillips said, “Our Gen Z project team worked successfully to accomplish something that was a high priority for INTA in 2019. Our research regarding Gen Z’s attitudes and perceptions of brands and counterfeiting filled a gap in the available studies regarding this growing demographic, and this award reflects the success of this group. I am grateful for having worked on such an interesting project.”

Mr. Phillips has an M.B.A. in Finance from Michigan State University and a B.S. in Economics from Northern Michigan University. Prior to joining Epsilon Economics, he served as a vice president at Charles River Associates, an economist at the Michigan Department of Commerce, executive director at Data Research Center, and a founding member of the IPC Group consulting practice.
INTA presented Mr. Phillips with the 2019 Service Award for the Advancement of Association Objectives on November 19 during the Association’s 2019 Leadership Meeting in Austin, Texas. The Association also presented the award to Larisa Colton, Global Trademark Counsel, YUM! Brands, Inc., Plano, Texas; Latha Nair, Partner, K & S Partners, Gurgaon, India; Daniela Rojas, Consultant, Pirkey Barber PLLC, Austin, Texas; and Joe Simone, Founder and Partner, SIPS Ltd., Hong Kong SAR, China.

About the International Trademark Association
The International Trademark Association (INTA) is a global association of brand owners and professionals dedicated to supporting trademarks and related intellectual property (IP) to foster consumer trust, economic growth, and innovation. Members include more than 7,200 trademark owners, professionals, and academics from 187 countries, who benefit from the Association’s global trademark resources, policy development, education and training, and international network. Founded in 1878, INTA is headquartered in New York City, with offices in Brussels, Santiago, Shanghai, Singapore, and Washington, D.C., and representatives in Geneva and New Delhi. For more information, visit www.inta.org.