Leahy Announces Witness List For Next Week’s Patent Troll Hearing

WASHINGTON (FRIDAY, Dec. 13, 2013) – Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) on Friday released a witness list for the December 17 hearing on bipartisan legislation to combat so-called “patent trolls.” New England Federal Credit Union President and CEO John Dwyer, from Williston, Vt., is among those scheduled to testify.  Leahy has also invited Michael Makin, president and CEO of Printing Industries of America, to appear before the panel.

“When small businesses in Vermont and across the country are threatened with patent lawsuits merely for offering wi-fi to their customers or using document scanners in their offices, we can all agree the system is not being used as intended,” said Leahy.  “I am committed to passing effective legislation that will help innovators and inventors succeed, and I look forward to next week’s hearing on this important subject.”

Leahy joined with Senator Mike Lee (R-Utah) to introduce the Patent Transparency and Improvements Act in November.  The hearing will be held on Tuesday, December 17, at 10 a.m. in Room 226 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building.  Member statements, witness testimony, and a live webcast will be available online on Tuesday. 

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Witness List

Hearing before the
Senate Committee on the Judiciary

On

“Protecting Small Businesses and Promoting Innovation by Limiting Patent Troll Abuse”

Tuesday, December 17, 2013
Dirksen Senate Office Building, Room 226
10:00 a.m.

Panel I

John J. Dwyer, Jr.

President & CEO

New England Federal Credit Union

Williston, VT

Michael Makin

President & CEO

Printing Industries of America

Sewickley, PA

Dana Rao

Vice President and Associate General Counsel for Intellectual Property Litigation

Adobe Systems, Inc.

San Jose, CA

Philip S. Johnson

Senior Vice President and Chief Intellectual Property Counsel, Johnson & Johnson

Coalition for 21^st Century Patent Reform

New Brunswick, NJ

Panel II

Steve Bossone, Ph.D.

Vice President, Intellectual Property

Alnylam Pharmaceuticals

Cambridge, MA

Harry A. Wolin

Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary

AMD

Austin, TX

The Honorable Q. Todd Dickinson

Executive Director, American Intellectual Property Law Association

Former Under Secretary for Intellectual Property and

Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office

Arlington, VA

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