MEDIA ADVISORY #00-40 June 23, 2000 CONTACT: Brigid Quinn 703-305-8341 UNDER SECRETARY OF COMMERCE Q. TODD DICKINSON GIVES ANNUAL STATE OF THE PTO ADDRESS TO ABA INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY GROUP Q. Todd Dickinson, Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) will deliver a major address outlining the current state of the PTO on Friday, June 23, 2000, in Boston. In a luncheon speech before over 400 members of the American Bar Association's Intellectual Property Law Section, Dickinson will highlight the major domestic and international accomplishments in intellectual property since the beginning of the Clinton-Gore Administration and detail the major issues currently before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. These items include implementation of the American Inventors Protection Act, which for the first time permits publication of patent applications; ending the diversion of patent and trademark fees, and keeping pace with the rapid advances in technology.   WHO: Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Acting Director of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, Q. Todd Dickinson WHAT: Luncheon speech before the American Bar Association Intellectual Property Law Section WHERE: Marriott Copley Hotel Boston, MA WHEN: Friday, June 23, 2000 12:00 p.m. (EST) # # #