The publication is reproduced in full below:
IN RECOGNITION OF MARY BETH WALKER AND HER SERVICE TO THE HOUSE
COMMITTEE ON THE JUDICIARY
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HON. JERROLD NADLER
of new york
in the house of representatives
Tuesday, November 30, 2021
Mr. NADLER. Madam Speaker, I rise--along with Hank Johnson, Chair of the Subcommittee on Courts, Intellectual Property, and the Internet--to thank Mary Beth Walker for her service to the Committee as a counsel detailed from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to the Subcommittee on Courts, Intellectual Property, and the Internet.
Over the past two-and-a-half years, Mary Beth has helped the Committee achieve a great deal. This includes the passage last Congress of the Trademark Modernization Act, which, among other things, responded to the growing number of fraudulent trademark applications as well as the documented large number of unused marks on the register by creating two new ex parte proceedings to remove registered trademarks that were not in use when the application was made, or had never been used. This will help those seeking new registrations, like small businesses, have a better chance at obtaining a strong trademark of their initial preference.
Mary Beth was also instrumental in advancing the SHOP SAFE Act in this Congress. This bill seeks to address the scourge of counterfeits being sold by third parties on online e-commerce platforms by reforming a decade-old liability structure established by case law rather than Congress. Mary Beth worked tirelessly with stakeholders and other Congressional staff to try to ensure that the bill strikes the right balance to make a meaningful difference in reducing the number of counterfeits being sold to unsuspecting consumers.
Mary Beth has shown herself to be a dedicated public servant and a true team player, willing to help out on other hearings and intellectual property issues that came before the Committee. We will miss her greatly, but we are glad that her expertise will remain in service to the public with her return to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office as an Associate Solicitor.
We thank Mary Beth for her service to the Committee and wish her the best of luck with the next chapter in her career.
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SOURCE: Congressional Record Vol. 167, No. 206
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