According to a report from RCR News, the White House's appointment of "high-powered lobbyist" Ed Gillespie as chief counsel is a good sign for Qualcomm's chances of getting a presidential veto on that pesky ITC patent ruling. Gillespie has represented Qualcomm and other major telecom companies in the past. That said, President Bush has already indicated that Trade Representative Susan Schwab will make the decision on the ITC case, and Schwab was once the director of corporate business development at Motorola.
So, where's Broadcom's ace-in-the-hole lobbyist when they need him? Gillespie-like lobbyist Vin Weber is currently serving GOP presidential hopeful Mitt Romney as an adviser. Maybe that's why Broadcom issued a press release last week outlining the heaviness of President Bush's veto option: "Overturning the ITC's remedy for Qualcomm's patent infringement would ultimately make it more difficult for U.S. companies to defend their I.P. rights and complicate the administration's I.P. policy initiatives."
For more on the case:
- read this analysis from RCR News (sub. req.)