Election 2K Presidential Profile

Orrin Hatch - Republican

A fervent believer in the power and potential of the Internet, Sen. Hatch supports the active nuture (and non-taxation) of e-commerce, and is a foe of cyber-squatters.

by Patricia Fusco ISP-Planet Managing Editor [January 20, 2000]

In his twenty-third year of public service, candidate Orrin Hatch has earned a reputation as a straightforward, tax savvy, political heavyweight in the Senate. Privy to high-stakes high-tech policymaking, this conservative presidential hopeful knows his way around the issues.

Roots
Orrin Grant Hatch was born on March 22, 1934 to Jesse and Helen Hatch of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Young Orrin worked as a janitor and night desk clerk at a girl's dormitory. Like his father, Hatch labored as a metal lather to help support his family and pay for his education.

Hatch received a Bachelors Degree from Brigham Young University and was awarded a full scholarship to the University of Pittsburgh Law School. After receiving his law degree Hatch became a practicing attorney, first in Pennsylvania, then in Utah, until his election to the Senate in 1976.

Grant has been married to Elaine Hansen of Newton, Utah, for 42 years. Together, the Hatch's have six children, and 18 grandchildren. On a more personal note, this Aries is a basketball enthusiast, amateur boxing fan, and has written the lyrics for hundreds of songs which he produced or co-produced on seven independent compact discs.

Political pedigree
As Chairman of the Judiciary Committee, Hatch is a proponent of tough crime laws, civil justice reform, and legislation to protect individual property rights.

The committee has been one of the most influential trusts in Congress since its establishment in 1816. The Judiciary Committee is considered an important guardian of U.S. lawmaking because it exercises control over judges, completes statute revisions, safeguards civil liberties, processes claims against unlawful restraints and monopolies, and provides oversight for the Department of Justice.

Hatch is also a longstanding member of the Senate Finance Committee. Hatch was directly involved with the Microsoft antitrust sanctions that may eventually break-up "Ma Gates." During the hearings, Hatch said that the mission of antitrust policy is to preserve, improve, and reinforce the economic mechanisms that propel businesses forward.

"The role of antitrust, is especially important in the world of high-tech in the new Digital Age," Hatch said. "Innovation, the perpetual drive for new ideas, new technologies, and new products, has been and will continue to be the engine behind the Digital Revolution."

"While it may be to a certain degree useful to have a particular firm dominate an industry segment, it is dangerous, unhealthy, and harmful to innovation and consumer welfare should that firm exploit its monopoly and prevent new competitors from having a fair shot at becoming the new market leader."

Cyber squatting
In July 1999, Hatch introduced the Domain Name Piracy Prevention Act (S.1461), an anti-cybersquatting initiative that sought to amend the Trademark Act of 1946 (15 U.S.C. 1051 et seq.). The bill was designed to protect consumers and promote electronic commerce by prohibiting bad faith domain name registration.

A trademark law specialist, Hatch believes that a brand name belongs to the company that developed and registered it, not Internet profiteers and pirates. The bill would also make it illegal to use a branded domain name for Internet trafficking and would prohibit confusingly similar domains that dilute the value of a distinct trademark.

Senator Hatch utilized his position on the Judiciary Committee to mark up the language of The Anti-Cybersquatting Consumer Protection Act (S. 1255), that was also introduced in July as crafted by Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT) and Senator Spencer Abraham (R-MI)

"This is an important piece of legislation that will promote the growth of online commerce by protecting consumers and providing clarity in the law for trademark owners in cyberspace," Hatch said.

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