INDIANAPOLIS — While former Republican Sen. Dan Coats' lobbying firm represented Bank of America, the banking giant sought patent approval for a formula that would help companies outsource their operations to more profitable countries.
The patent application was filed May 1, 2008, a period during which federal lobbying disclosure records show that Coats’ firm, King & Spalding, represented Bank of America.
The 15-page document, which is public record, describes a system for evaluating the risks and rewards of relocating overseas and generates a geographic model based on those factors.
Coats, who represented Indiana in the U.S. House and Senate and later became ambassador to Germany, this week moved back to Indiana from Virginia, where he lived while working as a federal lobbyist.
http://www.courierpress.com/news/2010/feb/12/bank-america-sought-outsourcing-patent-while-ex-se/?print=1