It was driven by the financial sector and the dot-com sector.

In an interview, he said, "We have looked at our vulnerability to the dot-com sector, and only a few percentage points are potentially at risk."

The lighter use of the visas reflected the downturn in the dot-com sector and the elimination of technology jobs.

The dot-com sector, so ascendant a year and a half ago, has evaporated, losing 93 percent of its value by most calculations.

Priceline, even more than Amazon.com, has served as a sort of tracking stock for the whole dot-com sector.

As the dot-com sector tanked, related trademark applications began to fall off, as well.

DoubleClick went public in 1998 and saw its share price rise and fall with the rest of the dot-com sector.

But companies, particularly those whose focus is on disseminating information, have succeeded despite the wreckage in the dot-com sector.

Both companies have struggled in recent months as the dot-com sector lost its luster and investors have started to demand profits.

"It will go far to dispel the notion that people from the dot-com sector are only interested in making money," he said.