Washington, DC –(Friday, November 30, 2012) –  Today, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) announced that the new Dallas-Fort Worth regional satellite office will be housed in the Terminal Annex Federal Building in downtown Dallas.

For the first time in its history, the USPTO is expanding its operations outside of the Washington, D.C. area in an ongoing effort to modernize the U.S. patent system, and foster economic growth through innovation.

“The Central Business District will be a great fit for the USPTO’s new office.  Downtown Dallas is one of the most diverse and talented communities in the Nation,” said Congresswoman Johnson.  “Dallas has a thriving business sector, and our city will embrace its role as a center of entrepreneurship and innovation.”

“With this announcement, inventors and business leaders across the country will have greater access to the protections afforded by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.  This expansion will bolster our capacity as a Nation to foster new ideas, and continue to be the world leader in developing intellectual property.”

The Dallas satellite office will expand the capacity of the USPTO to process patents and recruit high-quality examiners, while enhancing overall accessibility for the rest of the country.  The Dallas office is being established under a 10-year lease, and is projected to create more than a hundred new jobs in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.  Occupancy of the new satellite office is planned for late 2013.

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U.S. Representative Eddie Bernice Johnson is the highest-ranking Texan on the House Committee on Transportation & Infrastructure and a senior member of the Science Committee. She represents the 30th Congressional District of Texas, which, includes Downtown Dallas, Fair Park, Oak Lawn, Turtle Creek, Old East Dallas, Pleasant Grove, & South Oak Cliff; all of Balch Springs, DeSoto, Hutchins, Lancaster & Wilmer and parts of Cedar Hill, Duncanville, Ferris, Glenn Heights and Ovilla.