Statement on Senator Judd Gregg's Appointment to Department of Commerce

Washington, D.C. — The Coalition for 21st Century Patent Reform released the following statement after Senator Judd Gregg was named to be the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Commerce by President Obama.

"Senator Gregg's nomination to lead the Department of Commerce is a positive development for America's innovators and manufacturers. From his work on the Appropriations Committee, he is very familiar with the operations of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and the improvements that are needed to strengthen our nation's patent system. Innovation and manufacturing will be instrumental to our nation's economic recovery; our coalition of about 50 companies, which includes many of the nation's leading manufacturers and researchers, looks forward to working with Secretarydesignate Gregg and the Congress to ensure our patent system is balanced, fair and promotes innovation and employment around the country. With the large number of court decisions over the past few years, the first step should be to look at the current patent system realities to determine the scope of any legislation and what is really needed to promote innovation."

The coalition has nearly 50 members and includes many of the nation's leading manufacturers and researchers. The coalition's steering committee includes 3M, Caterpillar, General Electric, Johnson & Johnson, Eli Lilly and Procter & Gamble. The coalition has members in a variety of industry sectors including: Aerospace and Defense, Chemical, Computers, Consumer, Diversified Financials, Diversified Technology, Energy, Food Production, Forest & Paper Products, Health Care, Household & Personal Products, Industrial Equipment, Medical Equipment & Devices, Network & Communications, Payroll Services, Pharmaceutical, Biotechnology, Semiconductors & Electronic Components, and Transportation Equipment. Visit www.patentsmatter.com for more information.

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