November 02, 2000
#00-67

GOVEXEC.COM Names USPTO Web Site as one of the “Best Feds on the Web“

GOVEXEC.COM NAMES USPTO WEB SITE AS ONE OF THE "BEST FEDS ON THE WEB"

PRESS RELEASE

The United States Patent and Trademark Office's (USPTO) Patent Electronic Business Center ( http://www.uspto.gov/ebc/index.html ) has been selected as one of this year's "Best Feds on the Web" by GovExec.com, the web site of Government Executive magazine.

The Electronic Business Center (EBC) is the e-commerce home for the USPTO. Here, you will find links to systems that enable you to do business with the USPTO electronically. The site contains software applications and information that support submitting a patent application; checking the status of a patent application; and registering to conduct business with the USPTO securely.

Govexec.com used three criteria to select the winners: providing excellent customer service to the public by having a well-designed site that includes a large amount of useful information; using the web to improve business practices in their agencies or across government; and/or making use if new technologies that other federal sites should consider emulating.

"This recognition underscores the Clinton/Gore administration's commitment to e-government. It also clearly proves that the United States Patent and Trademark Office is moving in the right direction to achieving the goal of making government more relevant and accessible to Americans," said Q. Todd Dickinson, Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office.

The site was one of 10 winners chosen from 55 nominations received and is profiled in a story featured today on GovExec.com ( http://www.govexec.com ). Government Executive is a monthly business magazine serving senior executives and managers in federal departments and agencies.

USPTO, a user fee-funded agency of the United States, within the Department of Commerce, administers laws relevant to granting patents and registering trademarks. The Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office advises the Secretary of Commerce and other Federal departments and agencies on intellectual property policy matters. Over 6 million patents have been issued since the first patent in 1790 and 2.3 million trademarks have been registered since the first in 1870. Last year USPTO issued 161,000 patents and registered 104,000 trademarks.

# # #