#96-10

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT:  Richard Maulsby  (703)305-8445            For
media credentials, register             Lisa-Joy Zgorski
(703)308-7427       in advance by phone or fax.
          (703) 308-5258-fax


           U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE ANNOUNCES:
    Western Hemisphere Conference to Fortify Intellectual
                 Property Rights Protection
                              
Over 500 business and government leaders from 32 nations in
the Western Hemisphere, including nearly two dozen
ministerial-level officials, will assemble in Los Angeles
July 15-17, 1996, for the Intellectual Property Conference
of the Americas, sponsored by the U.S. Commerce Department's
Patent and Trademark Office, the Intellectual Property
Owners, and the International Intellectual Property
Alliance.  Together, with participants from the Organization
of American States, United States Trade Representative
Office, World Intellectual Property Organization, UNESCO and
the Inter-American Development Bank, they will explore
economic opportunities and the enhancement of patent,
trademark, and copyright protections in the Americas.

"Strong intellectual property rights protection is crucial
to promote creativity, innovation, and economic development
in our hemisphere," said Bruce A. Lehman, Assistant
Secretary of Commerce and Commissioner of Patents and
Trademarks.  "This historic conference, the first of its
kind in 70 years, will foster open and constructive dialogue
on issues that threaten investment incentives, and help us
identify and seize opportunities to understand and
coordinate our nations' intellectual property protections."

Topics of discussion include infringement and its
consequences, dissemination and protection of  creative
works, Berne Protocol, and protection of mark and domain
names in cyberspace.

Bruce Lehman will host a concluding press conference at the
conference site, the Loews Santa Monica Beach Hotel, on
Wednesday, July 17, 1996 at 2:30 p.m.
Panelists include:

Dr. Arpad Bogsch, Director General,World Intellectual
Property Organization

Jack Valenti, Chairman and CEO of the Motion Picture
Association of America

Marilyn Bergman, President of the American Society of
Composers, Authors, and  Publishers

U.S. Representatives Carlos Moorhead and Patricia Schroeder,
House Judiciary     Subcommittee Chairman and Ranking
Minority Member

Dr. Norma Felix, President, National Institute of Industrial
Property in Argentina

Dacio Castillo, Director of Intellectual Property, Honduras,
Chair IP Working Group,       Free Trade Area of the
Americas

Dr. Milagros del Corral, UNESCO


Press credentials may also be secured on-site in the
conference media room.

                             ###
July 9, 1996