CONSUMER ALERT : Visit the Federal Trade Commission Web site to see if an invention promotion company has been investigated and/or fined by the FTC. www.ftc.gov

EFS-Web - Beginning 17 March 2006, EFS-Web will be released into production. EFS-Web is an on-line patent submission utility that allows customers to submit patent application documents in PDF (Portable Document Format) via a portal on the USPTO Web site. EFS-Web offers you the ability to file patent applications and other patent documents electronically in a fraction of the time and at substantially less cost than paper filings. You forgo printing, postage and courier costs, and receive immediate notification that your submission has been received. Unlike paper filings, most new applications submitted electronically can be viewed in Private PAIR in just a few hours after filing.

Recordation of Trademark Registrations with United States Customs and Border Protection - U.S. Customs & Border Protection (CBP), a bureau of the Department of Homeland Security, maintains a trademark recordation system for marks registered at the United States Patent and Trademark Office. Parties who register their marks on the Principal Register may record these marks with CBP, to assist CPB in its efforts to prevent the importation of goods that infringe registered marks. The recordation database includes information regarding all recorded marks, including images of these marks. CBP officers who actively monitor imports to prevent the importation of goods bearing infringing registered marks can view the recordation database at each of the ports of entry where these officers work. Information about how to obtain a recordation, and about CBP's Intellectual Property Rights border enforcement program, is available at CBP’s web site, www.cbp.gov.