QUINN: Can you give us an idea? If someone wanted to be involved in one of these discussions, whether it be patent reform or whether it be opening up the Copyright Act, when should you be considering getting involved?
GROSSMAN: As early as possible. I think that most people now understand that you ignore Washington D.C. at your own peril. And a growing number of companies and individuals realize that having a Washington D.C. presence, whether that means a physical presence or a lobbyist advocating for your interests, is a good business decision. The earlier one can get involved in the process the better. Because by the time many things are reported in the news, important decisions have already been made. A lot of effective advocacy is done behind the scenes very early in the process. When I say “behind the scenes,” I mean laying the proper groundwork by educating public policymakers and their staff weeks, months, and in some cases years before legislation or regulations are proposed or enacted.
and,
GROSSMAN: ...When I started doing intellectual property public policy around 20 years ago, the field was not as well known and recognized as it is today. We would have patent hearings and often the hearing rooms would not be filled up. There were relatively few lobbyists who were deeply schooled on the issues. Now, you have a patent litigation hearing, and there’s a line out the hearing room door that started at 4 a.m.
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