advocacy your association. FROM THE SUPREME COURT Lexmark International, Inc. Victory - In a major victory for the auto care industry, the Supreme Court upheld the legal precedent of patent exhaustion, which states that a company's right to protect its patent ends when the product is sold to the end user. Information from an amicus brief submitted to the Supreme Court by the Auto Care Association was used by Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. in reversing the Federal Circuit decision that would have been damaging to the manufacture and sales of aftermarket parts. TO THE HALLS OF CONGRESS + 700 meetings In the past year, the association has held more than 700 face-to-face meetings with legislators and policymakers, a 40 percent increase over last year. ALL THE WAY DOWN TO THE STATE LEVEL-WE HAVE YOUR BACK. CALIFORNIA: Successfully amended a potentially onerous California Battery Recycling bill. the bottom line MICHIGAN: Helped orchestrate the veto of a Michigan bill which mandated that repair facilities must make repairs with only new or OEM parts. TEXAS: Defeated Texas legislation that would have eliminated the state safety inspection program and created a summer work study to examine the benefits of the inspection program to the state. 55