[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 94 (Wednesday, May 15, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Page 34676]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-12150]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

Patent and Trademark Office


Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request

    The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) 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: United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).
    Title: Trademark Processing (proposed rulemaking, Processing Fee 
for Use of Paper Forms for Submission of Applications for Registration 
and Other Documents).
    Form Number(s): PTO Form 4.8/4.9/4.16/1478/1478(a)/1553/1581/1583/
1963/2000, PTO/TM/4.16/1583.
    Agency Approval Number: 0651-0009.
    Type of Request: Revision of a currently approved collection.
    Burden: 144,587 hours annually.
    Number of Respondents: 677,151 responses per year.
    Avg. Hours Per Response: The time needed to respond is estimated to 
range from 3 to 30 minutes. It is estimated that the time needed to 
complete the electronic forms ranges from 4 to 21 minutes, and the time 
needed to complete the paper forms with the declaration ranges from 6 
to 24 minutes. The information collection also includes four items, 
namely, powers of attorney, designations of domestic representatives, 
trademark amendments/corrections/ surrenders, and petitions to revive 
abandoned applications, for which forms have not been created and which 
are not subject to the proposed mandatory electronic filing rule. The 
USPTO estimates that completing these items ranges from 3 to 30 
minutes. The time estimates include time to gather the necessary 
information, create the documents, and submit the completed requests.
    Needs and Uses: This collection is being submitted as a proposed 
addition in support of a proposed rulemaking, ``Processing Fee for Use 
of Paper Forms for Submission of Applications for Registration and 
Other Documents.'' The USPTO proposes to amend 37 CFR Sec. 2.6(a) of 
the Rules of Practice in Trademark Cases to require payment of a 
processing fee whenever a party elects to make a submission using paper 
in place of an electronically transmittable form available through the 
Trademark Electronic Application System (TEAS). If a party submits a 
paper document to the USPTO, and the TEAS system includes a form for 
preparing that document and transmitting it to the USPTO 
electronically, the fee for submitting the paper document will be fifty 
dollars ($50.00) more than the fee for submitting the equivalent 
electronic document.
    Affected Public: Individuals or households; business or other for-
profit; not-for-profit institutions; farms; the federal Government; and 
state, local or tribal Government.
    Frequency: On occasion.
    Respondent's Obligation: Required to obtain or retain benefits.
    OMB Desk Officer: David Rostker, (202) 395-3897.
    Copies of the above information collection proposal can be obtained 
by calling or writing Susan K. Brown, Records Officer, Office of Data 
Management, Data Administration Division, (703) 308-7400, USPTO, Suite 
310, 2231 Crystal Drive, Washington, DC 20231, or by e-mail at 
[email protected].
    Written comments and recommendations for the proposed collection 
should be sent on or before June 14, 2002 to David Rostker, OMB Desk 
Officer, Room 10202, New Executive Office Building, Washington, DC 
20503.

    Dated: May 8, 2002.
Susan K. Brown,
Records Officer, USPTO, Office of Data Management, Data Administration 
Division.
[FR Doc. 02-12150 Filed 5-14-02; 8:45 am]
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