Statement

Hearing of the Courts, the Internet and Intellectual Property Subcommittee of the House Judiciary Committee - Intellectual Property Act of 2007

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REP. MELVIN WATT (D-NC): Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Mr. Chairman, I find myself in much the same position with respect to this bill as I did at the outset of our discussion about the patents reform bill. My sense is that there is a substantial amount of need to reform and do something to address the problems that exist, yet the technicalities of what needs to be done -- there is substantial disagreement about -- and so I'm here really to try to learn more about what those technicalities should be, what the concerns are and try to assess -- try to get enough basic knowledge before I really start going through the details of the bill to try to figure out where some of those inquiries and concerns might be addressed.

So with that, I think I will yield my time to the chair, who can ask some of those technical questions. He had a long list. I knew he had a long list and needed more time to explore it. So I think I'll yield him the balance of my time and I'll sit and listen like I intended to when I came in.

REP. BERMAN: Well, that's very nice of you and I accept. But I would say the one difference between this and the patent bill is that here I would say 90 percent of the bill is not particularly controversial. And I wish I could have said that about the patent bill. (Laughter.)

REP. WATT: Well, that's what you told me at the outset of the -- (laughter) -- but --

REP. BERMAN: It's my line before -- "This one isn't as controversial." (Laughter.

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REP. WATT: The more I looked at it and the more I talked to people, the less I believed you.

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