MEDIA ADVISORY Contact: Jennifer Rankin Byrne or Ruth Nybold Phone: (571) 272-8400 or Jennifer.rankin_byrne@uspto.gov or Ruth.Nyblod@uspto.gov

August 5, 2008 #08-32

United States Patent and Trademark Office Hosts 13th Annual Independent Inventors Conference Annual conference to offer valuable information for aspiring inventors and entrepreneurs Washington, D.C. - The Department of Commerce's United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) will host the 13th Annual Independent Inventors Conference at the agency's Alexandria, Va., campus on August 8-9, 2008. A pre-conference workshop for beginners, or anyone interested in learning about the basics of patents and the importance of intellectual property protection, will be held on August 7 from 5 to 7 p.m. The two-day conference, co-sponsored with the National Inventors Hall of Fame Foundation, will bring together leading intellectual property experts, as well as some of the nation's most inspiring inventors, to provide useful tips on protecting and enforcing intellectual property rights in the United States and around the world. Conference attendees will receive practical advice and information on marketing and licensing, patent application preparation, patent and trademark searching, local resources, and how to avoid invention marketing scams. Attendees will also have the opportunity to network one-on-one with experts. WHO:    Speakers include: Margaret J. A. Peterlin, Deputy Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Deputy Director of the USPTO. John Doll, USPTO Commissioner for Patents. Louis Foreman, executive producer of the Emmy® award-winning PBS series, Everyday Edisons. Julia M. Rhodes, founder of KleenSlate Concepts. Mr. George A. Peters Jr., President of Lancer 1 Inc. Mr. Thom Ruhe, Director of Entrepreneurship for the Kauffman Foundation. WHAT:    USPTO 13th Annual Independent Inventors Conference. WHEN:    August 7-9, 2008. WHERE:  USPTO campus,                600 Dulany Street,                Alexandria, VA. . For more information on the conference agenda and registration, go to www.uspto.gov. Media who are interested in attending should contact Jennifer Rankin Byrne at Jennifer.Rankin_Byrne@uspto.gov. ###