[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 38, Number 31 (Monday, August 5, 2002)]
[Pages 1282-1283]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Proclamation 7581--The Bicentennial of the United States Patent and 
Trademark Office, 2002

 July 29, 2002

 By the President of the United States

 of America

 A Proclamation

    For two centuries, the United States Patent Office has played a 
vital role in the scientific, technical, and economic development of our 
Nation by granting inventors patents for their inventions. As Abraham 
Lincoln once stated, patents ``added the fuel of interest to the fire of 
genius.''
    The first Patent Act of the United States was signed into law by 
President George

[[Page 1283]]

Washington on April 10, 1790. Under this legislation, patent applicants 
petitioned the Secretary of State for the grant of a patent. The 
Secretary, in consultation with the Secretary of War and the Attorney 
General, determined whether the invention or discovery was 
``sufficiently useful and important.'' At that time, both the President 
and the Secretary of State signed patents.
    As the number of applications for patents grew, it became necessary 
to develop an organized review process to handle the increasing volume. 
In 1793, the law was changed to eliminate examinations, and the job of 
receiving and granting patents was given to clerks in the Department of 
State.
    On June 1, 1802, the Secretary of State appointed Dr. William 
Thornton to serve as the first clerk at the Department of State. In that 
position, Dr. Thornton was solely responsible for receiving and 
recording patent applications and issuing patents, and his office 
effectively became the first patent office. From this simple beginning, 
the Patent Office has grown to become a modern institution of ideas and 
innovations.
    For 200 years, millions of inventors have sought to protect their 
inventions through the American patent system. These patented inventions 
include Thomas Edison's electric lamp, Alexander Graham Bell's 
telegraphy, Orville and Wilbur Wright's flying machine, John Deere's 
steel plow, George Washington Carver's use of legume oils to produce 
cosmetics and paint, and Edwin Land's Polaroid camera.
    In 1881, the functions of the Patent Office grew to also include the 
registration of trademarks. Today, the United States Patent and 
Trademark Office annually receives more than 326,000 patent applications 
and 232,000 trademark applications. Since the signing of the first 
Patent Act over two centuries ago, more than 6.3 million United States 
patents have been issued. The United States Patent and Trademark Office 
represents one of the largest repositories of scientific and technical 
knowledge in the world, and much of this information is available on the 
Internet. Similarly, 2 million current trademark registrations are also 
available online.
    As the Patent Office enters its third century, we commend the 
important work of the United States Patent and Trademark Office that 
supports scientific, technological, and intellectual property 
developments; promotes growth in our economy; and encourages increased 
prosperity for our Nation.
     Now, Therefore, I, George W. Bush, President of the United States 
of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution 
and laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim the Bicentennial of 
the United States Patent and Trademark Office. I call upon all Americans 
to recognize this anniversary with appropriate programs, ceremonies, and 
activities, thereby honoring the Office's many scientific, economic, and 
cultural contributions to our Nation and the world.
     In Witness Whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-ninth 
day of July, in the year of our Lord two thousand two, and of the 
Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and twenty-
seventh.
                                                George W. Bush

 [Filed with the Office of the Federal Register, 8:45 a.m., July 30, 
2002]

Note: This proclamation was published in the Federal Register on July 
31.