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Derwent World Patents Index First View^SM Now Available Through Dialog Service

Dialog Users May Search New File With No Charge for Connect Time or DialUnits Until May 1, 2004

CARY, N.C., USA (March 17, 2004) — Dialog, a Thomson (NYSE: TOC; TSX: TOC) business and a leading worldwide provider of online-based information services and integrated information solutions, announced today that Derwent World Patents Index First View^SM, a new fast-alerting companion file to Derwent World Patents Index®, is now available through its Dialog-branded family of online services.

DWPI First View (File 331) is a continuously updated database of recently published patents from 40 patent-issuing authorities worldwide. The rolling file contains details of new patent documents well in advance of their inclusion in Derwent World Patents Index (Files 351and 352), an authoritative database of patent documents used by scientists, business and legal researchers, intellectual property managers and competitive intelligence professionals around the world.

Dialog users searching DWPI First View in combination with Derwent World Patents Index can maximize their retrieval of important patent information and ensure they receive a comprehensive overview of global patenting activity. The two databases are produced by Thomson Derwent (www.thomsonderwent.com).

“In today’s business climate, where innovation can dramatically reconfigure the competitive landscape quickly, it is crucial that companies have fast access to insights about what their competitors and peers are doing,” said Viji Krishnan, Dialog vice president, publisher management. “DWPI First View is a great tool for early identification of new patents filed around the world, and an ideal complement to Derwent World Patents Index and Dialog’s extensive collection of intellectual property data. We’re delighted to be working with our Thomson colleagues at Derwent to make DWPI First View available to Dialog subscribers.”

Dialog customers may familiarize themselves with DWPI First View and discover how easy it is to search and integrate into their existing DWPI searching by exploring this new resource on Dialog with no connect-time or DialUnits charges until May 1, 2004.

“By searching both DWPI First View and Derwent World Patents Index simultaneously, Dialog users can be assured they are accessing the most up-to-date and comprehensive patent information available – ensuring they are getting the complete picture of worldwide patenting activity,” said Krishnan. “These two databases are an invaluable resource for businesses and scientific and legal communities worldwide.”

Information in DWPI First View includes enhanced bibliographic data for new patents, along with original titles, abstracts, and images of technical drawings. English-language translations are available for patents from China, Japan, Korea, Taiwan and Russia. More information about the DWPI First View file on Dialog can be found on the Bluesheet.

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About Dialog and The Thomson Corporation
Dialog, a pioneer in developing the technology behind electronic information retrieval, is the world leader in providing online-based information services to organizations seeking competitive advantages in such fields as business, science, engineering, finance and law.

Today, the online services provided by Dialog — offered through the Dialog®, Dialog Profound®, Dialog DataStar™, NewsEdge and Intelligence Data brands — give users the ability to precisely retrieve data from more than 1.4 billion unique records, accessible via the Internet or through delivery to enterprise intranets. Searchable content includes articles and reports from thousands of real-time news feeds, newspapers, broadcast transcripts and trade publications, plus research reports and analyst notes providing support for financial decision-making, as well as in-depth repositories of scientific and technical data, patents, trademarks and other intellectual property data. Information professionals and end-users at business, professional and government organizations in more than 100 countries prize Dialog services for their depth and breadth of content, precision searching and speed.

Based in Cary, N.C., USA, Dialog has operations in 31 other countries. Dialog (www.dialog.com) is a business of The Thomson Corporation (NYSE: TOC; TSX: TOC). With 2003 revenues of US$7.6 billion, Thomson (www.thomson.com) is a global leader in providing integrated information solutions to business and professional customers.

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All designated trademarks used herein are the property of The Dialog Corporation or its subsidiaries. Registered marks are registered by The Dialog Corporation or its subsidiaries with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. All other marks are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners.

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