[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 101 (Tuesday, May 26, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 31474-31476]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-11248]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
Patent and Trademark Office
Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB) Actions
ACTION: Notice of an extension of a currently approved information
collection; request for comment.
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SUMMARY: The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), as
required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, invites comments on
the extension of an existing information collection: 0651-0040
(Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB) Actions).
DATES: Written comments must be submitted on or before July 27, 2020.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments by any of the following methods:
Email: [email protected]. Include ``0651-
0040 comment'' in the subject line of the message.
Federal Rulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov.
Mail: Kimberly Hardy, Office of the Chief Administrative
Officer, United States Patent and Trademark Office, P.O. Box 1450,
Alexandria, VA 22313-1450.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information
should be directed to LaToya Brown, United States Patent and Trademark
Office, P.O. Box 1450, Alexandria, VA 22313-1450; by telephone at 571-
272-4283; or by email to [email protected] with ``0651-0040
comment'' in the subject line. Additional information about this
information collection is also available at http://www.reginfo.gov
under ``Information Collection Review.''
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Abstract
This collection of information is required by the Trademark Act of
1946, Sections 13, 14, and 20, 15 U.S.C. 1063, 1064, and 1070,
respectively. Under the Trademark Act, any individual or entity that
adopts a trademark or service mark to identify their goods or services
may apply to federally register their mark. Section 14 of the Trademark
Act allows individuals and entities to file a petition to cancel a
registration of a mark, while Section 13 allows individuals and
entities who believe that they would be damaged by the registration of
a mark to file an opposition, or an extension of time to file an
opposition, to the registration of a mark. Section 20 of the Trademark
Act allows individuals and entities to file an appeal from any final
decision of the Trademark Examining Attorney assigned to review an
application for registration of a mark.
The USPTO administers the Trademark Act of 1946 through the
regulations at 37 CFR part 2, which contains the various rules that
govern the filings identified above and other submissions filed in
connection with inter partes and ex parte proceedings. These petitions,
notices, extensions, and additional papers are filed with the Trademark
Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB), an administrative tribunal empowered to
determine the right to register and subsequently determine the validity
of a trademark.
The information in this collection must be submitted electronically
through the Electronic System for Trademark Trials and Appeals (ESTTA).
If applicants or entities wish to submit the petitions, notices,
extensions, and additional papers in inter partes and ex parte cases,
they must use the forms provided through ESTTA.
The responses in this information collection is a matter of public
record, and is used by the public for a variety of private business
purposes related to establishing and enforcing trademark rights. This
information is important to the public, as both common law trademark
owners and federal trademark registrants must actively protect their
own rights.
II. Method of Collection
Items in this information collection may be submitted via mail,
hand delivery, or electronic submission.
III. Data
OMB Number: 0651-0040.
Form Number(s):
PTO 2188 (Petition for Cancellation)
PTO 2120 (Notice of Opposition)
PTO 2153 (Request for Extension of Time to File an Opposition)
PTO 2151 (Papers in Inter Partes Cases)
PTO 2190 (Notice of Appeal)
PTO 2189 (Ex Parte Appeal General Filing)
Type of Review: Revision of a currently approved information
collection.
Affected Public: Private sector; individuals and households.
Estimated Number of Respondents: 70,475 respondents. The USPTO
estimates that the majority (95%) of respondents will be from the
private sector, but that about 5% will be individuals and households.
Estimated Number of Responses: 83,100 responses per year.
Estimated Time per Response: The USPTO estimates that it will take
the public from 10 to 30 minutes (0.17 to 0.50 hours), depending on the
complexity of the situation, to gather the necessary information,
prepare the appropriate documents, and submit the information required
for this information collection.
Estimated Total Annual Respondent Burden Hours: 21,133 hours.
Estimated Total Annual Respondent (Hourly) Cost Burden: $5,798,746.
The USPTO estimates that it will take a combined effort by attorneys
and paraprofessional/paralegals to complete the requirements in this
information collection. The hourly rate for attorneys is $400,
published in the 2019 Report of the Economic Survey from the Law
Practice Management Committee of the American Intellectual Property Law
Association (AIPLA). The hourly rate for paraprofessional/paralegals is
$145 as published in the 2018 Utilization and Compensation Survey by
the National Association of Legal Assistants (NALA). After calculating
the average of these rates, the USPTO estimates that the hourly rate
will be $272.50. Using this hourly rate, the USPTO estimates that the
total respondent cost burden for this information collection will be
$5,798,746 per year.
Table 1--Burden Hour/Burden Cost to Respondents
[Private sector]
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Burden (hrs/ Total cost ($/
Item No. Item Respondents Responses (yr) Hours yr) Rate ($/hr) hr)
(a) (b) (c) (d) (e)
(a) x (b) (c) x (d)
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1................... Petition to Cancel......... Same as line 4....... 2,660 0.50 1,330 $272.50 $362,425
[[Page 31475]]
2................... Notice of Opposition....... Same as line 4....... 7,030 0.50 3,515 272.50 957,838
3................... Request for Extension of 20,425............... 20,425 0.17 3,472 272.50 946,120
Time to File an Opposition.
4................... Submissions in Inter Partes 39,900............... 39,900 0.25 9,975 272.50 2,718,188
Cases.
Answers........
Amendments to
Pleadings.
Amendment of
Application or
Registration During
Proceeding.
Motions (such
as consent motions,
motions to extend,
motions to suspend,
etc.).
Evidence.......
Briefs.........
Oral hearing
requests.
Surrender of
Registration.
Abandonment of
Application.
Documents
Related to Concurrent
Use Applications.
Notice of
Intent to Appeal a TTAB
decision.
5................... Notice of Appeal........... Same as line 6....... 3,325 0.25 831 272.50 226,448
6................... Miscellaneous Ex Parte 5,605................ 5,605 0.17 953 272.50 259,693
Submissions.
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Appeal Briefs..
Requests to
extend time to file
Appeal Briefs.
Oral hearing
requests.
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Totals.......... ........................... 65,930............... 78,945 .............. 20,076 .............. 5,510,712
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Table 2--Burden Hour/Burden Cost to Respondents
[Individual and households]
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Burden (hrs/ Total cost ($/
Item # Item Respondents Responses (yr) Hours yr) Rate ($/hr) hr)
(a) (b) (c) (a) x (b) (d) (e) (c) x (d)
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1................... Petition to Cancel......... Same as line 4....... 140 0.50 70 $272.50 $19,075
2................... Notice of Opposition....... Same as line 4....... 370 0.50 185 272.50 50,413
3................... Request for Extension of 1,075................ 1,075 0.17 183 272.50 49,868
Time to File an Opposition.
4................... Submissions in Inter Partes 2,100................ 2,100 0.25 525 272.50 143,063
Cases.
Answers........
Amendments to
Pleadings.
Amendment of
Application or
Registration During
Proceeding.
Motions (such
as consent motions,
motions to extend,
motions to suspend,
etc.).
Evidence.......
Briefs.........
Oral hearing
requests.
Surrender of
Registration.
Abandonment of
Application.
Documents
Related to Concurrent
Use Applications.
Notice of
Intent to Appeal a TTAB
decision.
5................... Notice of Appeal........... Same as line 6....... 175 0.25 44 272.50 11,990
6................... Miscellaneous Ex Parte 295.................. 295 0.17 50 272.50 13,625
Submissions.
Appeal briefs..
Requests to
extend time to file
appeal briefs.
Oral hearing
requests.
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Totals.......... ........................... 3,470................ 4,155 .............. 1,057 .............. 288,034
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Estimated Total Annual (Non-hour) Respondent Cost Burden:
$6,611,590.70. There are no capital start-up, maintenance, or record
keeping costs associated with this information collection. However
there are fees which are listed in the table below.
[[Page 31476]]
Table 3--Filing Fees
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Estimated Total non-hour
No. Item annual Filing fee ($) cost burden
responses ($)
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1........................... Petition to Cancel (Paper 6 $500.00 $3,000.00
Submission).
1........................... Petition to Cancel................ 2,794 400.00 1,117,600.00
2........................... Notice of Opposition (Paper 15 500.00 7,500.00
Submission).
2........................... Notice of Opposition.............. 7,385 400.00 2,954,000.00
3........................... Ex Parte Appeal to the Trademark 7 300.00 2,100.00
Trial and Appeal Board Filed
(Paper Submission).
3........................... Ex Parte Appeal to the Trademark 3,493 200.00 698,600.00
Trial and Appeal Board.
4........................... Request for Extension of Time to 5 200.00 1,000.00
File an Opposition under Sec.
2.102(c)(3) (Paper Submission).
4........................... Request for Extension of Time to 10,960 100.00 1,096,000.00
File an Opposition under Sec.
2.102(c)(3).
5........................... Request for Extension of Time to 5 300.00 1,500.00
File an Opposition under Sec.
2.102(c)(1)(ii) or (c)(2) (Paper
Submission).
5........................... Request for Extension of Time to 3,650 200.00 730,000.00
File an Opposition under Sec.
2.102(c)(1)(ii) or (c)(2).
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Total................... .................................. 28,320 .............. 6,611,300.00
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Express or first-class mail through the United States Postal
Service or hand delivery to the TTAB is only available under
extraordinary circumstances. The USPTO estimates that the average
first-class postage cost for a mailed submission will be $7.65 (1-ounce
flat 9''x12'' envelope) and that approximately 32 submissions will be
mailed to the USPTO per year.
Therefore, the total (non-hour) respondent cost burden for this
information collection is estimated to be $6,611,590.70 which includes
$6,611,300 in filing fees and $290.70 in postage.
IV. Request for Comments
The USPTO is soliciting public comments to:
(a) Evaluate whether the proposed collection of information is
necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency,
including whether the information will have practical utility;
(b) Evaluate the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden of
the proposed collection of information, including the validity of the
methodology and assumptions used;
(c) Enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to
be collected; and
(d) Minimize the burden of the collection of information on those
who are to respond, including through the use of appropriate automated,
electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or
other forms of information technology, e.g., permitting electronic
submission of responses.
All comments submitted in response to this notice are a matter of
public record. USPTO will include or summarize each comment in the
request to OMB to approve this information collection. Before including
your address, phone number, email address, or other personal
identifying information in a comment, you should be aware that the
entire comment--including personal identifying information--may be made
publicly available at any time. While you may ask us in your comment to
withhold your personal identifying information from public view, USPTO
cannot guarantee that it will be able to do so.
Kimberly Hardy,
Information Collections Officer, Office of the Chief Administrative
Officer, United States Patent and Trademark Office.
[FR Doc. 2020-11248 Filed 5-22-20; 8:45 am]
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