Political Quotes

“Madam President, I know personally the extraordinary efforts made by the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee to bring this patent reform bill to the floor. I have worked with him in the past, and it has not been an easy task. I know that many times he felt he was close to having the right bill at the right moment, and then it slipped away. But his determination and his capacity to bring people together has resulted in this moment where the bill is before us. And it is important that it is, not just because of his hard work but because of what it means for this country. I don't know whether it has formally been done, but this bill is being recharacterized as the America Invents Act instead of the Patent Reform Act because those few words tell a much bigger story. We are talking about the kind of innovation and research in America that will create successful companies and good American jobs, and that is why this bill is important. It has been a long time--going back to our origins as a nation--since we recognized the right for those who invent things to have some proprietary personal interest in those inventions, and we set up the Patent and Trademark Office for that purpose. Unfortunately, that office of the Federal Government isn't keeping pace with the creativity of our country, and that is why Senator Leahy has brought this bill to the floor. This is bipartisan legislation. I commend him for his work on it, and I commend my Republican colleagues for joining him.…”