Free Internet access to US Government database

Keywords: Government, Databases, Patents, Trade marks, USA

The US Government has announced that there will be free access to a new Internet database which contains texts and images of more than two million patents and more than one million registered and pending trademarks.

The patent database contains patents dating back to 1976. The trademark database contains all trademarks dating back to 1870. This is a fully searchable database and is among the US Government's largest.

"Advancement in science and technology form the backbone of the American economy. Patents are a crucial early step in stimulating the economy" said US Secretary of Commerce William M. Daley, who announced the database. "Patent and Trademark Office (PTO) new database will spur American creativity and invention".

The PTO is a fee-funded bureau that administers laws relevant to granting patents and registering trademarks. It is an adviser to the Secretary of Commerce, the President of the USA and the administration on patent trademark and copyright protection. There have been nearly six million patents issued since the first in 1790.

For further information on the new free Internet access: http://www.uspto.gov/patft/index.html

Source: Press Release