Political Quotes

“legislation will facilitate trademark owners' maintenance of protection for their brands. I appreciate the Senate acting swiftly to pass this bill. Trademark protection is critical both for businesses that have invested in creating a reliable product, and for consumers who trust a ``brand name'' product to be safe and of high quality. Last Congress, I authored legislation to provide our law enforcement community with the tools, resources, and intragovernmental coordination necessary to combat intellectual property theft. Theft of intellectual property harms our businesses, weakens our economy, and costs jobs. I am proud that the legislation, the Prioritizing Resources and Organization of Intellectual Property, or PRO-IP, Act, was cosponsored by a bipartisan group of 21 Senators, and was signed into law. The Senate Judiciary Committee has held numerous hearings in recent years on the importance of intellectual property protection. In 2004, Burton Snowboards, a successful Vermont business, testified before the Judiciary Committee about how small businesses were being harmed by the rise in intellectual property theft. I am pleased that this administration is taking intellectual property protection seriously, and that it recognizes that effective enforcement of our intellectual property laws is an important component of our economic recovery. The legislation we are introducing today is focused on the process for maintaining trademark protection.”