In perhaps an unprecedented accomplishment, two Nebraska law professors testified before Congress within a two-month span this summer.
First, Professor Christal Sheppard testified before Congress on Thursday, April 26 at the hearing on “International Patent Issues: Promoting a Level Playing Field for American Industry Abroad.” The Hearing was held by the House Subcommittee on Intellectual Property, Competition and the Internet of the Committee on the Judiciary. Other witnesses were Dr. Roy F. Waldron, senior vice president and chief intellectual property counsel for Pfizer on behalf of Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, the Honorable Chris Israel, former U.S. coordinator for international intellectual property enforcement for the administration of President George W. Bush, and Sean Murphy, vice president and counsel for Qualcomm. During the hearing, Representative Sheila Jackson-Lee specifically praised Dr. Sheppard’s testimony and lauded her long and distinguished service while Chief Counsel on Patents and Trademarks for the United States House of Representatives Committee on the Judiciary.
Two months later, on June 26, Professor Steve Bradford testified before the Subcommittee on TARP, Financial Services and Bailouts of Public and Private Programs of the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. His testimony addressed the new crowdfunding exemption to federal securities law that was added through the JOBS Act and what the SEC should do to implement the exemption – what its rules should and should not do. Professor Bradford has written on the subject and was recognized as a leading expert on this topic by Rep. Patrick McHenry when he stated that Bradford had "written the bible of crowdfunding." Other individuals testifying on the issue were Brian Cartwright, Scholar-In-Residence at the University of Southern California and Former General Counsel, U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission; Alon Hillel-Tuch, co-founder and CFO of RocketHub; and Professor John Coffee Jr., Columbia University Law School. Bradford was also quoted in the Wall Street Journal's MarketWatch article "Republican chides crowdfunding restrictions" on June 26.