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You are here: MacNN Forums > News > Mac News > Apple CEO Tim Cook meets with Utah Senator Orrin Hatch

Apple CEO Tim Cook meets with Utah Senator Orrin Hatch
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NewsPoster
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Dec 3, 2014, 12:00 PM
 
Apple CEO Tim Cook's stay in DC on Tuesday involved meeting Utah Senator Orrin Hatch, the latter's office has confirmed. Hatch is the chairman of the Republican Party's High-Tech Task Force, and has been supporting a number of tech-related agendas. One of these involves addressing patent trolls -- patent-holding firms that make their income solely through licensing deals and lawsuits. Hatch backed a Senate patent reform effort this year, and may well bring the issue up again in 2015.

Apple has been the target of a number of such trolls, and may want to persuade politicians like Hatch to keep patents on the table. The politician has also been pushing to update a 1986 law which allows police to search emails without a warrant as long as they're older than 180 days, and to change Justice Department rules about retrieving foreign evidence, which were recently used to force Microsoft to turn over Irish server data.

Other Hatch policy items include tax cuts, guarding trade secrets, and reducing legal liability as a way of getting companies to share more data about online threats. Apple is likely to support many of those agendas, even if the company normally favors Democrats on social issues such as gay rights.
( Last edited by NewsPoster; Dec 6, 2014 at 04:01 AM. )
     
prl99
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Dec 3, 2014, 01:03 PM
 
Apple is a business so they have to bend over to the business-only Republican party but only so far. The Republican party doesn't support things related to consumers over businesses, which is why Apple has to work both sides of the street to be successful. As for Hatch, I worry about Apple getting in bed with the ultra conservative Republicans because they'll want something in return for any favors Apple is able to get and that only spells problems for many things Apple stand for. Don't play with the devil.
     
xomniron
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Dec 3, 2014, 01:31 PM
 
Better the "devil" you know than wacko liberals who have no concept of how a free market economy works. Because liberals using government to control every facet of the economy, i.e screwing it up royal, even when it's not broken is so much worse ...as we have all observed over the past 6 years of the Obama Regime.
     
efithian
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Dec 3, 2014, 01:36 PM
 
It has taken President Obama six years to pull us back from the brink and he has done a great job, given the intractable Repubs. Cook needs to work with the more reasonable Repubs, like Hatch, to avoid kowtowing to the tea bagger wackos. Good for him.
     
iBricking.com
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Dec 3, 2014, 02:31 PM
 
"The free market" is a unicorn.

Please tell us, xomniron, which aspects of the economy were "not broken" when Obama took office, but are "screwed up" now.
     
MitchIves
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Dec 3, 2014, 02:44 PM
 
efithian: you're kidding right? Obama has put us on the cliff, not pulled us back.
     
Mike Wuerthele
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Dec 3, 2014, 03:42 PM
 
Don't start a war on the news pages, please.
     
Flying Meat
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Dec 3, 2014, 04:56 PM
 
I'll just say I agree with iBricking.com.
Unicorn.
     
garmonbosia
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Dec 3, 2014, 05:30 PM
 
Exactly how has Obama put us off the cliff? He took over when the economy was in total free fall did exactly what he had to do to once again save capitalism for the capitalists. I have my suspicions as to how you could be so ignorant to facts, but I'd still love to hear how you could possibly come to the conclusion that it was Obama that drove us off the cliff.
     
Mike Wuerthele
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Dec 3, 2014, 06:22 PM
 
This is NOT about economics, Obama, cliffs, or intractable Republicans. If that's what you want to discuss, take it to PWL.

Final warning.
     
LenE
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Dec 3, 2014, 09:47 PM
 
Tim does what is in the best interest for Apple and Apple's shareholders.

There is no getting in bed here. Tim met with Boehner last year about reducing foreign income taxes for repatriation of foreign money. This is popular with the Republican House, but a non-starter with the Senate. It was and still is in Apple's interest. It was and still is the most important way that Washington is holding Apple back.

He is meeting with Hatch, because there was an election where the Democrats got spanked, and now they no longer hold the Senate. Who knows if Tim met with any Democratic senators prior to this, as Harry Reid was not letting anything pro-business come up, as a favor to President Obama. Given the social advocacy of Tim and Apple, it would not have been news for him to meet with a Democrat senator or representative, as California is represented by many of them, of socially like-mind. Now, there is a chance for the various reform legislations to pass through both the houses, that will benefit Apple and other large tech multi-nationals, on the business side. The GOP is and has been focused on growing the economy through the engine of private commerce and pro-business policy, so they are the natural ally on this front.

Politics is not black and white. Apple's interests as expressed above, align with conservative and libertarian ideologies. Tim is taking this opportunity now to positively guide the forthcoming legislative policies. The personal relationships forged here now with Hatch and others can pay dividends in the future for social issues that may come up in other legislation. Framing of issues can be adjusted so that opposition is lessened or eliminated, simply by getting to know the politicians on a personal level. Despite the demagoguery, few politicians in congress have evil intent. Most believe that what they propose is in the best interest of the American people, regardless of where they are on the political spectrum. I believe Tim knows this, and is working to weave his vision into their thought processes. This only works, if he can build good relationships with as many as he can.
     
   
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