Intellectual Property News

USPTO Symposium On Internet And Intellectual Property Crime

The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) and the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe-Advisory Group on the Protection and Implementation of Intellectual Property Rights for Investment (UN/ECE), in cooperation with the United Kingdom Patent Office, will hold a three-day symposium on the Internet and Intellectual Property Crime. The symposium will be held in London, England on March 1-3, 2001.

The purpose of this three-day Symposium is to serve as a forum for government and business leaders and representatives from international and regional organizations, from the United States and Europe to meet to share their experiences and expertise in the enforcement of intellectual property rights, and to learn about the latest technological advances in the commission and investigation of intellectual property crimes. The goals of the Symposium are to present a balanced view of the economic, political, and social challenges inherent in addressing these crimes, and to illustrate the need for cooperative international solutions.

The program will focus on such diverse and challenging issues as: "Internet Accessibility in Europe", "The Challenges of the Internet and Globalization", "E-Commerce and IP Issues in Transition Economies", and "Intellectual Property Crime in the Internet Era". High-level officials from the US Patent and Trademark Office, the World Trade Organization, the World Intellectual Property Office, the European Union, the UN/ECE and the UK Patent Office will speak at the Symposium.

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 182,223 patents and registered 127,794 trademarks.

A copy of the full agenda is available at: uspto.gov/web/offices/dcom/olia/iipclondon2001/

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	Did You Know?
	There are common law rights Federal registration is not required to establish rights in a trademark. Common law rights arise from actual use of a mark. Generally, the first to either use a mark in commerce or file an intent to use application with the Patent and Trademark Office has the ultimate right to use and registration. However, there are many benefits of federal trademark registration.