[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 52 (Thursday, March 16, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 14241-14242]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-6494]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE


Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request

    The Department of Commerce (DOC) has submitted to the Office of 
Management and Budget (OMB) for clearance the following proposal for 
collection of information under the provisions of the Paperwork 
Reduction Act (44 U.S.C. Chapter 35).
    Agency: Patent and Trademark Office (PTO).
    Title: Practitioner Records Maintenance and Disclosure Before the 
Patent and Trademark Office.
    Form Number(s): None.
    OMB Approval Number: 0651-0017.
    Type of Request: Extension of a currently approved collection.
    Burden Hours: 2,270.
    Number of Respondents: 230 for record keeping maintenance, and 100 
for violation reporting.
    Average Hours Per Response: Based on PTO time and motion studies, 
the agency estimates the burden hours required by practitioners to 
maintain client files to be 9 hours annually. The burden hours required 
to gather, prepare and submit a response to one violation report is 
estimated to be 2 hours.
    Need and Uses: The information in this collection is necessary for 
the Patent and Trademark Office (PTO) to comply with Federal 
regulations 35 U.S.C. 6(a) and 35 U.S.C. 31. The Office of Enrollment 
and Discipline (OED) collects this information to insure compliance 
with the PTO Code of Professional Responsibility, 37 CFR 10.20-10.112. 
This Code requires that registered practitioners maintain complete 
records of clients, including all funds, securities, and other 
properties of clients coming into his/her possession, and render 
appropriate accounts to the client regarding such records, as well as 
report violations of the Code to the PTO. The registered practitioners 
are mandated by the Code to maintain proper documentation so they can 
fully cooperate with an investigation in the event of a report of an 
alleged violation and that violations are prosecuted as appropriate.

[[Page 14242]]

    Affected Public: Individuals or households, businesses or other 
for-profit organizations, Federal Government, and State, Local or 
Tribal Government.
    Frequency: On occasion.
    Respondent's Obligation: Mandatory.
    OMB Desk Officer: Peter Weiss, (202) 395-3630.
    Copies of the above information collection proposal can be obtained 
by calling or writing Linda Engelmeier, Departmental Forms Clearance 
Officer, Office of the Chief Information Officer, (202) 482-3272, 
Department of Commerce, room 5027, 14th and Constitution Avenue, NW, 
Washington, DC 20230 (or via the Internet at [email protected]).
    Written comments and recommendations for the proposed information 
collection should be sent within 30 days of publication to Peter Weiss, 
OMB Desk Officer, Room 10236, New Executive Office building, 725 17th 
Street, NW, Washington, DC 20503.

    Dated: March 13, 2000.
Madeleine Clayton,
Management Analyst, Office of the Chief Information Officer.
[FR Doc. 00-6494 Filed 3-15-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-16-P