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Gregg at Commerce?

By Lawrence B. Ebert, Esq.

CQ notes that Senator Judd Gregg ( nominee for Commerce, which includes the USPTO) voted in 1995 to kill off the Department of Commerce.

Separately: Ultimately, the Commerce Department survived, and Gregg has since shown more interest than most of his Republican colleagues in funding some of its agencies, particularly the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

On the patent front, Gregg has been favorably disposed to drug patent extensions.

See

New legislation on drug/patent interface, wild card patent extensions?

The matter got a bit intense when Gregg, a Columbia alum, tried to get an extension for a certain Columbia patent, specifically one of the infamous "Axel patents." (yes, there is a Lemley-ism in this saga).

**CQ also noted:

Still, even some Republicans are surprised by Gregg's apparent enthusiasm for the job. "I guess if you can't destroy it, go be in charge of it," said a Senate Republican aide.

Gregg said:

"Today, I have been nominated by President Obama to serve in his administration as Secretary of Commerce, and I want to thank the President for this extraordinary opportunity. I have accepted this post, and the call to help address the momentous and significant economic challenges facing our nation.

IP was mentioned:

It will be my intention to help the Department and Administration be successful in its efforts to promote business growth, strengthen trade, and actively support many scientific initiatives, as well as protect intellectual property rights and help strengthen the economies in our states, communities and for our nation's families.

See also
http://www.ipwatchdog.com/2009/02/03/judd-greggs-columbia-university-patent-past/id=1894/
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D00E4DE113AF932A15756C0A9669C8B63&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=all
Also, Jennifer Washburn

Full post as published by IPBiz on February 03, 2009 (boomark / email).