[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 143 (Monday, July 27, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 40104-40105]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-19993]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

Patent and Trademark Office
[Docket No. 980713169-8167-01]


Dissemination of Patent and Trademark Information on the PTO's 
Web Site

AGENCY: Patent and Trademark Office, Commerce.

ACTION: Notice and request for public comments.

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SUMMARY: The Patent and Trademark Office (PTO) plans to expand the 
searchable database offerings on its World-Wide Web (Web) site by 
adding additional patent data and by including trademark data. This 
expansion will provide Web access to the full text of patents granted 
since 1976 and to the trademark text data for registered and pending 
marks. The PTO also plans to incorporate patent and trademark image 
data and trademark data for inactive marks as part of its expanded Web 
offering. The PTO requests public comments on its decision to expand 
its Web site offerings.

DATES: To ensure consideration, written comments must be submitted on 
or before August 26, 1998.

ADDRESSES: Address comments to the Commissioner of Patents and 
Trademarks, Attention: Wesley H. Gewehr, Administrator for Information 
Dissemination, Crystal Park 3, Suite 451, Washington, DC 20231; or fax 
to 703-306-2737; or e-mail to [email protected]. Comments will be 
available for public inspection in the Office of Electronic Information 
Products, Crystal Park 3, Suite 441, 2231 Crystal Drive, Arlington, VA 
22202.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jane S. Myers, Office of Electronic 
Information Products, by telephone at 703-306-2600; by fax at 703-306-
2737;

[[Page 40105]]

by e-mail to [email protected]; or by mail to Patent and Trademark 
Office, Office of Electronic Information Products, Crystal Park 3, 
Suite 441, Washington, DC 20231.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The PTO has been directed to disseminate 
patent and trademark information using automated methods. See 35 USC 
41(i)(2). The PTO currently provides the public with on-line access, 
for a fee, to internal patent and trademark automated search systems in 
its public search facilities located in Crystal City, VA. Thirty-one 
Patent and Trademark Depository Libraries (PTDLs) offer on-line access 
to PTO's automated patent full-text search system, and three 
Partnership PTDLs offer on-line access to PTO's automated trademark 
text and image search system and to the automated patent image 
retrieval system. The PTO also provides access to subsets of its patent 
and trademark databases on CD-ROMs in the PTO's public search 
facilities and at 83 PTDLs located throughout the country. The PTO 
sells its CD-ROM products to the public, and the Government Printing 
Office makes them available to the Federal Depository Libraries. 
Although the PTO has provided World-Wide Web access to searchable 
patent bibliographic data since November 1995, neither searchable 
trademark data, the full text of patents, nor patent and trademark 
image data are currently available on the PTO Web site.
    The PTO hereby provides notice to the public of its plans to expand 
searchable patent data and to begin offering searchable trademark data 
on its Web site. In August of this year, the PTO plans to provide free 
Web access to the trademark text data that is currently available on 
the PTO's Cassis CD-ROM products--Trademarks Registered and Trademarks 
Pending--covering active registered and pending marks. In November 
1998, this trademark offering will include the ``clipped'' images 
associated with these marks. In the future, this searchable trademark 
database will be expanded to include inactive (abandoned, cancelled and 
expired) marks and some additional data elements associated with those 
inactive marks, and will be updated more frequently to reflect more 
current conditions of the trademark database. Also in November 1998, 
the PTO plans to expand its patent database offering on the Web to 
include free access to the full text of all patents issued since 1976. 
In March 1999, the patent offering will allow users free access to the 
full page images of patents identified. On-line ordering of patent 
documents issued since 1976 for electronic delivery, for a fee, is 
planned for March 1999. Any such fee will be established by taking into 
consideration applicable government policy, OMB circular A-130, the 
Paperwork Reduction Act, and any other applicable statutes. The PTO 
requests public comments on its plans to expand its Web site offerings.
    Dated: July 21, 1998.
Bruce A. Lehman,
Assistant Secretary of Commerce and Commissioner of Patents and 
Trademarks.
[FR Doc. 98-19993 Filed 7-24-98; 8:45 am]
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