Political Quotes

“Mr. President, I would like to speak on amendment number 812, which would prohibit the Patent and Trademark Office from using funds to implement Section 37 of the America Invents Act, more commonly known as the ``Medco Fix.'' The Medco fix was a bailout for a well-connected law firm-- WilmerHale--and its malpractice insurer to the tune of $214 million, and the essence of special interest legislation that will result in increased costs for the government, hospitals and consumers. I offered an amendment to the America Invents Act to strike this special interest fix and it was narrowly defeated by a vote of 51 to 47. This saga began in 2001, when WilmerHale apparently missed a routine deadline for submitting to the PTO a patent term extension (PTE) application on behalf of its client Medco. The PTO denied the application, concluding it was not filed in a timely manner. Legal deadlines like this exist for a reason. They provide certainty not only to the litigants in a particular matter but also to the public. Every day in courts across America where a deadline is missed the result is the same. Claim is dismissed the remedy available to the harmed party is a malpractice claim against the offending attorney. Yet, in the 10 years since WilmerHale's malpractice, Medco never sued the law firm. Instead, in February 2011, the parties agreed to a settlement whereby the firm would pay Medco $214 million, of which $99 million will be paid by the firm's malpractice insurer.…”