Political Quotes

“I am happy to join with Senators Cornyn, Kohl, and Whitehouse as we introduce the Vessel Hull Design Protection Act Amendments of 2008. An earlier version of this small but important piece of legislation was passed unanimously by both the Judiciary Committee and the full Senate last year. The updated version of the bill that we offer today reflects conversations we have had recently with the Navy and gives the Department of Defense full assurance that Government and defense designs will not be subject to unwarranted restrictions. Congress passed the Vessel Hull Design Protection Act in 1998 to recognize the significant time, effort, and innovation involved in ship design. Litigation under the bill, however, has made it clear that in order to be effective, this law needs to be clarified and refined. Our bill does exactly this, and no more, by clarifying the definition of 'hull' and 'deck.' This ensures that the intellectual property rights of vessel hull designers will be protected. I hope the Senate will move quickly to pass this revised, bipartisan legislation.”