James Barcia: “Mr. Speaker, I would first begin by thanking the gentleman from Wisconsin (Chairman Sensenbrenner) and, of course, the…”

“Mr. Speaker, I would first begin by thanking the gentleman from Wisconsin (Chairman Sensenbrenner) and, of course, the ranking member the gentleman from California (Mr. Brown) for bringing H.R. 2544, the Technology Transfer Commercialization Act, to the floor. I would like to especially thank the bill's chief sponsor, the chairman of the Subcommittee on Technology, the gentlewoman from Maryland (Mrs. Morella), for her continued leadership on this and other important technology matters. The goal of H.R. 2544 is to make sure that those innovations owned by our Federal labs and with commercial potential enter the marketplace as quickly and efficiently as possible. However, the bill also includes important protections that the gentleman from Utah (Mr. Cook) and I introduced during our Subcommittee on Technology markup to promote fairness of opportunity, to increase due diligence on the part of licenses, and to encourage the creation of American jobs. The bill relaxes general notice requirements, but requires public notice when it matters most, when the granting of an exclusive license to a Federal invention is contemplated. Giving notice in advance of awarding an exclusive license is essential to ensure that the public gets full benefit from its research investment. This will make sure that every American company, no matter how small, has a chance to make its case for a license before exclusive rights are awarded.”