March 31, 2000
#00-23

PERFORMANCE-BASED ORGANIZATION CELEBRATION

PTO CELEBRATES BECOMING A PERFORMANCE-BASED ORGANIZATION

The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) will commemorate becoming a Performance-Based Organization (PBO) on April 3, 2000 with a ceremony in front of the main headquarters building at 2121 Crystal Drive; Arlington, Va. at 10:30 a.m. The new status results from the American Inventors Protection Act of 1999, which reformed the U.S. patent and trademark systems in a number of ways, including changes in its political and management structure.

The ceremony will consist of a formal swearing-in of PTO officials: Q. Todd Dickinson to his position as Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office; Anne H. Chasser to her position as Commissioner for Trademarks; and Nicholas P. Godici to his position as Commissioner for Patents. There will also be remarks by Q. Todd Dickinson, who will discuss immediate and future initiatives that reflect the new flexibility as a PBO; Robert L. Mallett, Deputy Secretary of Commerce; the Honorable Howard Coble, Chairman, House Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on Courts and Intellectual Property; and Morley Winograd, the Director for National Partnership for Reinventing Government and Senior Advisor to the Vice President.

The PBO is a concept created in March 1996 by Vice President Al Gore and the National Partnership for Reinventing Government. In fact, the USPTO will now be only the second federal agency in history to be a PBO, after the Education DepartmentÂ’s Office of Student Financial Assistance. A PBO is a results-driven organization that delivers the best possible services to its customers. A PBO also commits to accountability for results by having clear objectives, specific measurable goals, customer service standards and targets for improved performance. In exchange for this commitment to accountability, a PBO is granted managerial flexibilities to achieve these goals and operate more like a business with greater autonomy over its budget, hiring, and procurement.

WHAT: A Celebration: The United States Patent and Trademark Office Becomes a Performance-Based Organization.

WHERE: 2121 Crystal Drive
              Arlington, Va.

WHEN: Monday, April 3, 2000
            10:30 a.m.

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