Contact:
| Clarence Mills
(202) 543-1440
c.mills@att.net |
For Release:
| Immediate
News Bulletin PR-17
March 10, 2009
|
Judiciary Committee Holds Patent Reform Hearing
Chairman Calls for Strong Patent Protections
WASHINGTON, D.C., March 10, 2009 - The U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing March 10 on "Patent Reform in the 111th Congress: Legislation and Recent Court Decisions." The hearing focused on the importance of intellectual property to the economy and on Senate Bill 515, the Patent Reform Act of 2009.
Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., chairman, said: "Intellectual property is critical to our nation's economy. It is an engine that drives our contemporary economy and will fuel our future. Industries that rely on intellectual property protection accounted for roughly half of all U.S. exports and represented an estimated 40 percent of U.S. economic growth in 2006, the last year in which our economy grew in all four quarters. Many of the jobs and expansion that can help us begin to recover from the costly economic recession will have their origin in our patent- and copyright-based industries. These range from computers and software programs, to new agriculture products, to our movies and music.
"Americans suffer when their intellectual property is stolen, they suffer when counterfeit goods displace sales of the legitimate products, and they suffer when counterfeit products actually harm them, as is sometimes the case with fake pharmaceuticals and faulty electrical products."
Witnesses testified with many suggestions for the Patent Reform Act of 2009. Of particular interest to automotive repairers were comments made by Herbert Wamsley, executive director of the Intellectual Property Owners Association. Wamsley emphasized the role of intellectual property in the automotive industry. He quoted a statement by the AFL-CIO executive council: "Today, the automobile industry accounts for fully one-quarter of all American manufacturing jobs and output. The industry represents a complex integration of advanced manufacturing processes, technologies and materials, and is a critical driver of innovation across every manufacturing subsector. It is vital that we maintain the strength of our intellectual property protections to ensure that innovation, production and jobs can be maintained and increased here at home. Patent protection is a manufacturing and a jobs issue."
The Automotive Service Association's (ASA) Government Affairs and Collision Division Operations committees have been reviewing various state and federal parts policy initiatives. The committees have been concerned that the parts policy debate has not focused enough on parts quality. Congress' actions on intellectual property could impact automotive repairers and the quality of parts.
To view the legislation and testimony from the hearing, visit ASA's legislative Web site at www.TakingTheHill.com.
The Automotive Service Association is the largest not-for-profit trade association of its kind dedicated to and governed by independent automotive service and repair professionals. ASA serves an international membership base that includes numerous affiliate, state and chapter groups from both the mechanical and collision repair segments of the automotive service industry. ASA's headquarters is in Bedford, Texas.
ASA advances professionalism and excellence in the automotive repair industry through education, representation and member services. For additional information about ASA, including past news releases, go to www.ASAshop.org, or visit ASA's legislative Web site at www.TakingTheHill.com.
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