[Code of Federal Regulations]
[Title 3, Volume 1]
[Revised as of January 1, 2003]
From the U.S. Government Printing Office via GPO Access
[CITE: 3CFR7581]

Proc. 7581

[[Page 115]]

Proclamation 7581 of July 29, 2002

The Bicentennial of the United States Patent and Trademark Office, 2002

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

          For two centuries, the United States Patent Office has played 
          a vital role in the scientific, technical, and economic 
          development of our Nation by granting inventors patents for 
          their inventions. As Abraham Lincoln once stated, patents 
          ``added the fuel of interest to the fire of genius.''
          The first Patent Act of the United States was signed into law 
          by President George Washington on April 10, 1790. Under this 
          legislation, patent applicants petitioned the Secretary of 
          State for the grant of a patent. The Secretary, in 
          consultation with the Secretary of War and the Attorney 
          General, determined whether the invention or discovery was 
          ``sufficiently useful and important.'' At that time, both the 
          President and the Secretary of State signed patents.
          As the number of applications for patents grew, it became 
          necessary to develop an organized review process to handle the 
          increasing volume. In 1793, the law was changed to eliminate 
          examinations, and the job of receiving and granting patents 
          was given to clerks in the Department of State.
          On June 1, 1802, the Secretary of State appointed Dr. William 
          Thornton to serve as the first clerk at the Department of 
          State. In that position, Dr. Thornton was solely responsible 
          for receiving and recording patent applications and issuing 
          patents, and his office effectively became the first patent 
          office. From this simple beginning, the Patent Office has 
          grown to become a modern institution of ideas and innovations.
          For 200 years, millions of inventors have sought to protect 
          their inventions through the American patent system. These 
          patented inventions include Thomas Edison's electric lamp, 
          Alexander Graham Bell's telegraphy, Orville and Wilbur 
          Wright's flying machine, John Deere's steel plow, George 
          Washington Carver's use of legume oils to produce cosmetics 
          and paint, and Edwin Land's Polaroid camera.
          In 1881, the functions of the Patent Office grew to also 
          include the registration of trademarks. Today, the United 
          States Patent and Trademark Office annually receives more than 
          326,000 patent applications and 232,000 trademark 
          applications. Since the signing of the first Patent Act over 
          two centuries ago, more than 6.3 million United States patents 
          have been issued. The United States Patent and Trademark 
          Office represents one of the largest repositories of 
          scientific and technical knowledge in the world, and much of 
          this information is available on the Internet. Similarly, 2 
          million current trademark registrations are also available 
          online.
          As the Patent Office enters its third century, we commend the 
          important work of the United States Patent and Trademark 
          Office that supports scientific, technological, and 
          intellectual property developments; promotes growth in our 
          economy; and encourages increased prosperity for our Nation.

[[Page 116]]

          NOW, THEREFORE, I, GEORGE W. BUSH, President of the United 
          States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by 
          the Constitution and laws of the United States, do hereby 
          proclaim the Bicentennial of the United States Patent and 
          Trademark Office. I call upon all Americans to recognize this 
          anniversary with appropriate programs, ceremonies, and 
          activities, thereby honoring the Office's many scientific, 
          economic, and cultural contributions to our Nation and the 
          world.
          IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-
          ninth day of July, in the year of our Lord two thousand two, 
          and of the Independence of the United States of America the 
          two hundred and twenty-seventh.

GEORGE W. BUSH