[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 28 (Thursday, March 10, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E414]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




APPRECIATION FOR ALEC FRENCH'S SERVICE ON THE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE STAFF 
                             MARCH 10, 2005

                                 ______
                                 

                    HON. F. JAMES SENSENBRENNER, JR.

                              of wisconsin

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, March 10, 2005

  Mr. SENSENBRENNER. Mr. Speaker, today Mr. Conyers, Mr. Smith of 
Texas, Mr. Berman, and I would like to commend and thank Alec French 
for his tremendous contribution as Minority Counsel to the Judiciary 
Subcommittee on Courts, the Internet, and Intellectual Property. During 
his five years of service to the Subcommittee, Alec was well-liked by 
the Members and his colleagues on both sides of the aisle. We are sad 
to see him leave our staff.
  Without our system of copyright, trademark, and patent protection for 
innovations, consumers would not be able to enjoy movies, music, or new 
technology. Over the last five years, Alec was an invaluable member of 
our team and he played a crucial role in helping us to protect creative 
works and to establish the parameters of intellectual property rights. 
At the same time, Alec made sure that we listened to the needs of all 
parties involved, namely copyright owners and copyright users, so that 
decisions of policy were balanced appropriately.
  Because of Alec's service, Congress was able to pass into law several 
bills on these issues, including the Satellite Home Viewer Extension 
and Reauthorization Act of 2004, Copyright Royalty and Distribution 
Reform Act of 2004, the Intellectual Property Protection and Courts 
Amendments Act of 2004, and the Small Webcaster Settlement Act of 2002. 
He also shepherded numerous bills that passed the House, including the 
United States Patent and Trademark Fee Modernization Act of 2004, the 
Piracy Deterrence and Education Act of 2004, Internet Freedom and 
Broadband Deployment Act of 2001, Patent and Trademark Office 
Authorization Act of 2002, Intellectual Property and High Technology 
Technical Amendments Act of 2001, and Madrid Protocol Implementation 
Act.
  Alec also was instrumental in working with our third branch of the 
government, the Judiciary. He helped protect the privacy of judges and 
their staffs, made sure that judges were compensated fairly, and 
ensured that the courts would have the resources they need to continue 
serving the American public.
  We thank Alec for his exceptional service to Congress and wish him 
the very best in his future endeavors.

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