AROUND THE WORLD WIDE WAIT IN 80 MINUTES

 This interactive CD-ROM not only vicariously takes you around the
 world in 80 minutes but also teaches Internet basics such as
 browsing, searching, secure e-mail. From GK Intelligent Systems,
 5555 San Felipe, Suite 625, Houston, Texas, USA 77056. PH:1 713 840
 7722 or FAX:1-713-840-0301 

THE WORST PTO AWARD

 Which country has the worst PTO. Complaints abound. Canadian
 PTO has the reputation of paying their examiners the least among
 the industrialized nations. According to a recent Democratic
 Leadership council position paper US patent system is a de facto
 registration system. Other PTOs around the world have similar war
 stories on the internet, but the winner is ...Venezuela Patent
 Office where the printing of the patent is lagging the issue by 4
 years while the 20 year term ticks away. To add insult to the
 injury they must pay the maintenance fees during this patent limbo.
 But Venezuelan inventors can take solace in the fact that some
 valid US patents have been wrongfully "EXPIRED" due to a computer
 bug at the USPTO. 

OLDEST INVENTORS ORGANIZATION

 Just as MIC is the oldest continuous inventors show in the world,
 similarly an inventors association in Sweden SUF (Svenska
 UppfinbareForeningen) in Stockholm is the oldest inventors
 organization that was founded in 1886. They also conduct a very
 impressive two-month long inventors academy every Fall.  

JAPAN DOMINATES USPTO'S TOP TEN

 For 6th year in a row IBM led the pack of top U.S. patentees with
 1,724 patents in 1998 followed by Canon, NEC, Motorola, Sony,
 Samsung, Fujitsu, Toshiba, Eastman Kodak & Hitachi. The top ten in
 1998 received 50% more patents than top ten in 1997. 

INDO US IP WARS

 Even after India signed the Paris convention and the PCT,
 there is little improvement in protecting and enforcing
 intellectual property rights of U S companies in India. Conversely
 India is not happy with the US treatment of Neem, Basmati rice,
 Turmeric, terminator seed and genetically altered cow patents.  

Best of luck in the world of invention!