February 11, 2005
#05-11

Press Release, 05-11

SECRETARY GUTIERREZ AWARDS 500,000th DESIGN PATENT

Patent presented to DaimlerChrysler Corporation for body design of Crossfire Convertible

Secretary of Commerce Carlos M. Gutierrez and Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property Jon Dudas today awarded the 500,000th design patent for DaimlerChrysler Corporation’s Crossfire convertible design. Trevor Creed, Vice President – Design for the Chrysler Group, accepted the patent in a morning ceremony at the Department of Commerce.

"The presentation of the 500,000th design patent is truly a historic event," said U.S. Commerce Secretary Carlos M. Gutierrez. "U.S. automobiles have long been known for their forward looking designs and the Chrysler Crossfire provides one excellent example of this."

Design patents are granted for new, original, or ornamental designs for articles of manufacture. They are intended to give encouragement to the decorative arts and promote commerce by giving designers an incentive to make their products more aesthetically appealing to consumers. The first design patent was issued in 1842 to George Bruce of New York City for printing types. Design patents provide exclusive rights to their owners for a term of 14 years from the date of issuance. Over 16,500 design patents were issued in fiscal year 2004.

# # #