FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
                                                 PTO 96-15
CONTACT:  Richard Maulsby
    Lisa-Joy Zgorski
    (703)305-8341

50th ANNIVERSARY OF MODERN TRADEMARK SYSTEM TO BE CELEBRATED

The Commerce Department's Patent and Trademark Office and the
International Trademark Association will celebrate the 50th
anniversary of the Lanham Act, which established today's
trademark system, with a reception and the opening of an exhibit
on Wednesday, Sept. 18 from 6 to 8 p.m.  The event will be held
at the Patent and Trademark Museum in Arlington, VA.  Over 300
government leaders, including members of Congress, the executive
branch and the federal judiciary, as well as corporate executives
from across the country, will attend the event.

President Clinton, in a message issued in conjunction with the
anniversary noted that the Lanham Act has been an "important
legislative tool in protecting consumers against deceit and
confusion, increasing incentives for American businesses to
produce quality goods and services and in advancing U.S.
Trademark law."  Passed in 1946 and signed by President Harry
Truman, Congressman Fritz Lanham's bill simplified, liberalized
and strengthened trademark registration.  It broadened the
definition of a trademark to include "any word, name, symbol,
device or combination thereof adopted by a manufacturer or
merchant to identify his goods and distinguish them from those
manufactured or sold by others."  This expanded definition has
paved the way for the registration of nearly two million product
shapes, slogans, service and sound marks.

In honor of the occasion, the Patent and Trademark Office Museum has
mounted a special exhibit which provides a glimpse of America as
it was in 1946.  The exhibit, open through December, features a
brief history of the Lanham Act, goods and products used by
consumers in 1946, video news highlights from the year, and print
advertising campaigns utilizing trademarks from the period.  The
museum is open Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Group tours are available by appointment.  For more information
phone (703) 305-8341.

September 16, 1996                      ###