[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 206 (Tuesday, November 30, 2021)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1287]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    IN RECOGNITION OF MARY BETH WALKER AND HER SERVICE TO THE HOUSE 
                       COMMITTEE ON THE JUDICIARY

                                 ______
                                 

                          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.

                          ____________________