[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 146 (Wednesday, July 29, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 45598-45600]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-16447]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
Patent and Trademark Office
Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the
Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for Review and Approval; Comment
Request; Responses to Office Action and Voluntary Amendment Forms
AGENCY: United States Patent and Trademark Office, Department of
Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of information collection; request for comment.
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SUMMARY: The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), in
accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, invites comments
on the extension and revision of an existing information collection:
0651-0050 (Responses to Office Action and Voluntary Amendment Forms).
The purpose of this notice is to allow 60 days for public comment
preceding submission of the information collection to OMB.
DATES: To ensure consideration, comments regarding this information
collection must be received on or before September 28, 2020.
ADDRESSES: Interested persons are invited to submit written comments by
any of the following methods. Do not submit Confidential Business
Information or otherwise sensitive or protected information.
Email: [email protected]. Include ``0651-
0050 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 Catherine Cain, Attorney Advisor, Office of the
Commissioner for Trademarks, United States Patent and Trademark Office,
P.O. Box 1450, Alexandria, VA 22313-1450, by telephone at 571-272-8946,
or by email at [email protected]. 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
(Act), 15 U.S.C. 1051 et seq.,\1\ which provides for the Federal
registration of trademarks, service marks, collective trademark and
service marks, collective membership marks, and certification marks.
Individuals and businesses that use such marks, or intend to use such
marks, in interstate commerce may file an application to register their
marks with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). The
USPTO also administers the Trademark Act through Title 37 of the Code
of Federal Regulations. These regulations allow the USPTO to request
and receive information required to process applications and allows
applicants to submit certain amendments to their applications. This
information collection includes information that was not submitted with
the initial application and is needed by the USPTO to review
applications for trademark registration.
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\1\ https://www.uspto.gov/sites/default/files/trademarks/law/Trademark_Statutes.pdf.
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In some cases, the USPTO issues Office Actions to applicants who
have applied to register a mark, requesting information that was not
provided with the initial submission, but is required before the
issuance of a registration. Also, the USPTO may determine that a mark
is not entitled to registration, pursuant to one or more provisions of
the Trademark Act. In such cases, the USPTO will issue an Office Action
advising the applicant of the refusal to register the mark. Applicants
reply to these Office Actions by providing the required information
and/or by putting forth legal arguments as to why the refusal of
registration should be withdrawn.
Applicants may also supplement their applications and provide
further information by filing a Voluntary Amendment Not in Response to
USPTO Office Action/Letter, a Request for Reconsideration after Final
Office Action, a Post-Approval/Publication/Post-Notice of Allowance
(NOA) Amendment, a Petition to Amend Basis Post-Publication, or a
Response to Suspension Inquiry or Letter of Suspension. In rare
instances, an applicant may also submit a Substitute Trademark/
Servicemark, Substitute Certification Mark, Substitute Collective
Membership Mark, or Substitute Collective Trademark/Servicemark
application.
II. Method of Collection
Items in this information collection may be submitted via online
electronic submissions. In limited circumstances, applicants may be
permitted to submit the information in paper form by mail, fax, or hand
delivery.
III. Data
OMB Control Number: 0651-0050.
Form Numbers:
PTO-1957 (Response to Office Action)
PTO-1960 (Request for Reconsideration After Final Office
Action)
PTO-1966 (Voluntary Amendment Not in Response to USPTO Office
Action/Letter)
PTO-1771 (Post-Approval/Publication/Post-Notice of Allowance
(NOA) Amendment)
PTO-1771 (Petition to Amend Basis Post-Publication)
PTO-1822 (Response to Suspension Inquiry or Letter of
Suspension)
Type of Review: Revision of a currently approved information
collection.
Affected Public: Businesses or other for-profits; not-for-profit
institutions; individuals and households.
Estimated Number of Respondents: 393,657 respondents per year.
Estimated Time per Response: The USPTO estimates that it will take
the public between 15 minutes (0.25 hours) and 40 minutes (0.67 hours)
to complete a response, depending on the complexity of the situation.
This includes the time to gather the necessary information, prepare the
appropriate documents, and submit the information to the USPTO.
Estimated Total Annual Respondent Burden Hours: 253,058 hours.
Estimated Total Annual Respondent Cost Burden: $101,223,200.
[[Page 45599]]
Table 1--Total Hourly Burden for Private Sector Respondents
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Estimated
Estimated annual annual Estimated time for Estimated Rate \2\ ($/ Estimated
Item No. Item respondents responses response (hours) annual burden hour) annual burden
(year) (hour/year)
(a) (b).................... (a) x (b) = (d) (c) x (d) =
(c) (e)
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1.............. Response to Office 275,180................. 275,179 0.67 (40 minutes)...... 184,370 $400 $73,748,000
Action (TEAS).
2.............. Substitute Trademark/ Same as line 1.......... 2 0.50 (30 minutes)...... 1 400 400
Servicemark
Application, Principal
Register (TEAS Global).
3.............. Substitute Same as line 1.......... 2 0.50 (30 minutes)...... 1 400 400
Certification Mark
(TEAS Global).
4.............. Substitute Collective Same as line 1.......... 2 0.50 (30 minutes)...... 1 400 400
Membership Mark (TEAS
Global).
5.............. Substitute Collective Same as line 1.......... 2 0.50 (30 minutes)...... 1 400 400
Trademark/Servicemark
(TEAS Global).
6.............. Voluntary Amendment Not 10,897.................. 10,897 0.33 (25 minutes)...... 3,596 400 1,438,400
in Response to USPTO
Office Action/Letter
(TEAS).
7.............. Request for 15,762.................. 15,762 0.67 (40 minutes)...... 10,561 400 4,224,400
Reconsideration After
Final Office Action
(TEAS).
8.............. Post-Approval/ 3,498................... 3,498 0.42 (25 minutes)...... 1,469 400 587,600
Publication/Post-
Notice of Allowance
(NOA) Amendment (TEAS).
9.............. Petition to Amend Basis 623..................... 623 0.33 (25 minutes)...... 206 400 82,400
Post-Publication (TEAS
Global).
10............. Response to Suspension 8,965................... 8,965 0.25 (15 minutes)...... 2,241 400 896,400
Inquiry or Letter of
Suspension (TEAS).
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Totals..... ....................... 314,925................. 314,932 ....................... 202,447 ........... 80,978,800
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\2\ 2019 Report of the Economic Survey, published by the
Committee on Economics of Legal Practice of the American
Intellectual Property Law Association (AIPLA); https://www.aipla.org/detail/journal-issue/2019-report-of-the-economic-survey. The USPTO uses the mean rate for attorneys in private firms
which is $400 per hour.
Table 2--Total Hourly Burden for Individual and Household Respondents
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Estimated
Estimated annual annual Estimated time for Estimated Rate \3\ ($/ Estimated
Item No. Item respondents responses response (hours) annual burden hour) annual burden
(year) (hours/year)
(a) (b) (c) (d) (e)
(a) x (b) = (c) x (d) =
(c) (e)
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1............... Response to Office 68,795.................. 68,795 0.67 (40 minutes)....... 46,093 $400 $18,437,200
Action (TEAS).
6............... Voluntary Amendment Not 2,724................... 2,724 0.33 (25 minutes)....... 899 400 359,600
in Response to USPTO
Office Action/Letter
(TEAS).
7............... Request for 3,941................... 3,941 0.67 (40 minutes)....... 2,640 400 1,056,000
Reconsideration After
Final Office Action
(TEAS).
8............... Post-Approval/ 875..................... 875 0.42 (25 minutes)....... 368 400 147,200
Publication/Post-Notice
of Allowance (NOA)
Amendment (TEAS).
9............... Petition to Amend Basis 156..................... 156 0.33 (25 minutes)....... 51 400 20,400
Post-Publication (TEAS
Global).
10.............. Response to Suspension 2,241................... 2,241 0.25 (15 minutes)....... 560 400 224,000
Inquiry or Letter of
Suspension (TEAS).
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Totals...... ........................ 78,732.................. 78,732 ........................ 50,611 ........... 20,244,400
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Estimated Total Annual Non-Hour Respondent Cost Burden: $99,440.
There are no maintenance, operation, capital start-up, or recordkeeping
costs associated with this information collection. However, this
information collection does have annual non-hour costs in the form of
postage costs and filing fees.
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\3\ 2019 Report of the Economic Survey, published by the
Committee on Economics of Legal Practice of the American
Intellectual Property Law Association (AIPLA);n https://www.aipla.org/detail/journal-issue/2019-report-of-the-economic-survey. The USPTO uses the mean rate for attorneys in private firms
which is $400 per hour.
[[Page 45600]]
Table 3--Annual Non-Hour Cost Burden
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Estimated Estimated non-
Item No. Item annual Estimated cost hour cost
responses ($) burden
(a) (b) (a) x (b) =
(c)
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Filing Fees:
1-5....................... Additional processing fee for 172 $125.00 $21,500
application that does not meet
TEAS Plus filing requirements,
per Class.
9......................... Petition to Amend Basis Post- 779 100.00 77,900
Publication (TEAS Global).
Postage Fees:
1......................... Response to Office Action....... 5 8.05 40
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Total..................... ................................ .............. .............. 99,440
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Respondent's Obligation: Required to obtain or retain benefits.
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
an address, phone number, email address, or other personal identifying
information in a comment, be aware that the entire comment-- including
personal identifying information--may be made publicly available at any
time. While you may ask in your comment to withhold 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. 2020-16447 Filed 7-28-20; 8:45 am]
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