PRESS RELEASE #00-55 September 26, 2000 CONTACT: (media inquiries only) Brigid Quinn Maria V. Hernandez 703-305-8341   USPTO TO HOLD FIFTH ANNUAL INDEPENDENT INVENTORS CONFERENCE "Celebrating American Ingenuity" The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) will hold a two-day conference on October 6 and 7, 2000, at the University of Maryland, on topics of specific interest to America’s independent inventors. The conference will be held at the Inn and Conference Center, College Park, Maryland. Richard Apley, head of the Office of Independent Inventor Programs (OIIP), along with other USPTO officials will address new initiatives in patent automation; how trademarks can help a business; inventor success stories; navigating the USPTO web site and the Internet; invention marketing scams; and recent patent legislation, including the landmark American Inventors Protection Act. About America's independent inventors, Q. Todd Dickinson, Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office, says, "We must do all we can to support and encourage them. They represent one of our nation's greatest natural resources." Continues Dickinson, "I want the PTO to nurture this boundless creativity by simplifying their access to our patent and trademark systems." In March of last year, the USPTO opened a new office aimed at meeting the special needs of independent inventors. OIIP establishes new mechanisms to better disseminate information about the patent and trademark processes and fosters regular communication between the USPTO and independent inventors. OIIP has a web site that offers educational and outreach programs for independent inventors, covering all aspects of the patent and trademark process, including how to file an application and what’s patentable. The link for the web site is http://www.uspto.gov/web/offices/com/iip/index.html. For more information on the Independent Inventor's Conference, go to http://www.uspto.gov/go/iic2000/ or call 703-306-3104 or 703-306-5568 for reservations. # # #