PTO Unveils Patent and Trademark Database on the Internet

(April 22, 1999) The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office unveiled an Internet database containing text and images of more than two million patents and over one million registered and pending trademarks.

The URL for the PTO's database is http://www.uspto.gov/patft/index.html

	Sec. Daley

Secretary of Commerce William Daley was present for a formal demonstration of the new database on Wednesday, April 21.

"Advancements in science and technology form the backbone of the American economy. Patents are a crucial early step in stimulating the economy," said Daley in a press release. "PTO's new database, which is updated weekly with the latest in patented technology, will spur American creativity and invention, helping this nation remain in the forefront of researching, developing and marketing new products."

The database is accessible on the world wide web. The PTO's free access database contains the text and images of all patents dating back to January 1, 1976, and continuing to the most recent weekly issue date. The PTO cautions that, "The fact that an invention cannot be found by searching in the PTO’s patent databases does not mean that the invention is patentable. Both of the PTO’s patent databases begin with patents granted since 1976. A complete patentability search must consider all prior art, including earlier patents, foreign patents and non-patent literature."

Nearly six million patents have been issued since the first patent in 1790. The PTO issued about 155,000 patents last year.

The PTO database also includes trademark data, which represents all pending and registered trademarks dating back to 1870.

According to the PTO, the "PTO does not record or log the parameters of search requests submitted to these databases. Such uncollected information has thus never been disclosed through sale or FOIA request, intentionally or otherwise, to any third party. PTO does not plan to change this operational policy."

In the 105th Congress the House of Representatives twice passed a major bill (HR 400) that would have reformed the organization of the Patent and Trademark Office, and overhauled patent law. However, the bill stalled in the Senate.

In March, the sponsor of the bill, Rep. Howard Coble (R-NC) released a draft copy of the bill for the 106th Congress. The House Subcommittee on Courts and Intellectual Property, which Rep. Coble chairs, held a hearing on patent reform on March 25, 1999.