[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 14 (Friday, January 22, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 3704-3705]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-1161]


=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

Patent and Trademark Office


Secrecy and License To Export

ACTION: Proposed collection; comment request.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), as part 
of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, 
invites the general public and other Federal agencies to take this 
opportunity to comment on the revision of a continuing information 
collection, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, Public 
Law 104-13 (44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)).

DATES: Written comments must be submitted on or before March 23, 2010.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments by any of the following methods:
     E-mail: [email protected]. Include ``0651-0034 
Secrecy and License to Export collection comment'' in the subject line 
of the message.
     Fax: 571-273-0112, marked to the attention of Susan K. 
Fawcett.
     Mail: Susan K. Fawcett, Records Officer, Office of the 
Chief Information Officer, U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, P.O. Box 
1450, Alexandria, VA 22313-1450.
     Federal e-Rulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information 
should be directed to the attention of Brian Hanlon, Director, Office 
of Patent Legal Administration, U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, P.O. 
Box 1450, Alexandria, VA 22313-1450; by telephone 571-272-5047; or by 
e-mail to [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Abstract

    In the interest of national security, patent laws and rules place 
certain limitations on the disclosure of information contained in 
patents and patent applications and on the filing of applications for 
patents in foreign countries. Whenever publication or disclosure by the 
publication of an application, in the opinion of the head of the 
interested Government agency, is determined to be detrimental to 
national security, the Commissioner for Patents at the United States 
Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) must issue a secrecy order and 
withhold the grant of a patent for such period as the national interest 
requires. If a secrecy order is applied to an international 
application, the application will not be forwarded to the International 
Bureau as long as the secrecy order is in effect. The USPTO collects 
information to determine whether the patent laws and rules have been 
complied with and to grant or revoke licenses to file abroad when 
appropriate. This collection of information is required by 35 
U.S.C.181-188 and administered through 37 CFR 5.1-5.33.
    There are no forms associated with this collection of information.

II. Method of Collection

    By mail, facsimile, or hand delivery to the USPTO when the 
applicant or agent files a patent application with the USPTO, submits 
subsequent papers during the prosecution of the application to the 
USPTO, or submits a request for a foreign filing license for a patent 
application to be filed abroad before the filing of a U.S. patent 
application.

III. Data

    OMB Number: 0651-0034.
    Form Number(s): None.
    Type of Review: Extension of a currently approved collection.
    Affected Public: Individuals, businesses or other for-profits; not-
for-profit institutions.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 1,794 responses per year.
    Estimated Time Per Response: The USPTO estimates that it will take 
between 30 minutes (0.5 hours) to 4 hours to gather, prepare and submit 
this information, depending upon the complexity of the situation.
    Estimated Total Annual Respondent Burden Hours: 1,538 hours per 
year.
    Estimated Total Annual Respondent Cost Burden: $499,850. The USPTO 
expects that the information in this collection will be prepared by 
attorneys. Using the professional hourly rate of $325 for attorneys in 
private firms, the USPTO estimates that this collection will have a 
total respondent cost burden of $499,850 per year.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                              Estimated annual  Estimated annual
                 Item                        Estimated time for response          responses       burden hours
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Petition for rescission of secrecy      3 hours.............................                 6                18
 order.
Petition to disclose or modification    2 hours.............................                 3                 6
 of secrecy order.
Petition for general and group permits  1 hour..............................                 1                 1
Petition for expedited handling of      30 minutes..........................             1,347               674
 license (no corresponding
 application).
Petition for expedited handling of      30 minutes..........................               259               130
 license (corresponding U.S.
 application).
Petition for changing the scope of a    30 minutes..........................                 1                 1
 license.
Petition for retroactive license......  4 hours.............................               177               708
                                       -------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Totals............................  ....................................             1,794             1,538
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Estimated Total Annual Non-Hour Respondent Cost Burden: $356,879. 
There are no capital start-up, maintenance, or record keeping costs 
associated with this information collection. There are, however, filing 
fees and postage costs.
    This collection has a total of $356,800 in associated filing fees, 
as shown in the accompanying table.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                                  Total filing
                           Item                                 Responses        Filing fee           fees
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Petition for rescission of secrecy order..................                 6             $0.00             $0.00
Petition to disclose or modification of secrecy order.....                 3              0.00              0.00
Petition for general and group permits....................                 1              0.00              0.00

[[Page 3705]]

 
Petition for expedited handling of license (no                         1,347            200.00        269,400.00
 corresponding application)...............................
Petition for expedited handling of license (corresponding                259            200.00         51,800.00
 U.S. application)........................................
Petition for changing the scope of a license..............                 1            200.00            200.00
Petition for retroactive license..........................               177            200.00         35,400.00
                                                           -----------------------------------------------------
    Totals................................................             1,794  ................        356,800.00
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    The USPTO estimates that 90 percent (90%) of the petitions in this 
collection are submitted to the USPTO by facsimile or hand carried 
because of the quick turnaround required. For the 10 percent (10%) of 
the public that chooses to submit the petitions in this collection to 
the USPTO by mail through the United States Postal Service, the USPTO 
estimates that the average first class postage cost for a mailed 
submission will be 44 cents. Therefore, the USPTO estimates that up to 
179 submissions per year may be mailed to the USPTO at an average first 
class postage cost of 44 cents, for a total postage cost of $79.
    The USPTO estimates that the total non-hour respondent cost burden 
for this collection in the form of filing fees ($356,800) and postage 
costs ($79) amounts to $356,879.

IV. Request for Comments

    Comments are invited on: (a) Whether the proposed collection of 
information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of 
the agency, including whether the information shall have practical 
utility; (b) the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden 
(including hours and cost) of the proposed collection of information; 
(c) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the 
information to be collected; and (d) ways to minimize the burden of the 
collection of information on respondents, e.g., the use of automated 
collection techniques or other forms of information technology. 
Comments submitted in response to this notice will be summarized or 
included in the request for OMB approval of this information 
collection; they will also become a matter of public record.

     Dated: January 14, 2010.
Susan K. Fawcett,
Records Officer, USPTO, Office of the Chief Information Officer.
[FR Doc. 2010-1161 Filed 1-21-10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-16-P