[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 18 (Tuesday, January 28, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 4452-4454]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-01520]


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

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

Patent and Trademark Office


Response to Office Action and Voluntary Amendment Forms

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 comment on 
this 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 31, 2014.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments by any of the following methods:
     Email: [email protected]. Include ``0651-
0050 comment'' in the subject line of the message.
     Mail: Susan K. Fawcett, Records Officer, Office of the 
Chief Information Officer, United States Patent and Trademark Office, 
P.O. Box 1450, Alexandria, VA 22313-1450.
     Federal Rulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov.

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 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, 15 
U.S.C. 1051 et seq., which provides for the federal registration of 
trademarks, service marks, collective trademarks 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). In some 
cases, the USPTO issues Office Actions to applicants who have applied 
for a trademark application, requesting additional 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.
    The USPTO administers the Trademark Act through Chapter 37 of the 
Code of Federal Regulations. These rules allow the USPTO to request and 
receive information required to process applications. These rules also 
allow applicants to submit certain amendments to their applications.
    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-Publication Amendment, a Petition to Amend Basis 
Post-Publication, and a Suspension Inquiry or Letter of Suspension, or 
by submitting a Substitute Trademark/Servicemark, Substitute 
Certification Mark, or Substitute Collective Membership Mark 
application.
    Thus, this collection includes information that was not submitted 
with the initial application and is needed by the USPTO to review 
applications for trademark registration.

II. Method of Collection

    The forms in this collection are available in electronic format 
through the Trademark Electronic Application System (TEAS), which may 
be accessed on the USPTO Web site. TEAS Global Forms are available for 
the items where a TEAS form with dedicated data fields is not yet 
available. Applicants may also submit the information in paper form by 
mail, fax, or hand delivery.

III. Data

    OMB Number: 0651-0050.
    Form Number(s): PTO 1771, 1822, 1957, 1960, and 1966.
    Type of Review: Extension of a currently approved collection.

[[Page 4453]]

    Affected Public: Businesses or other for profits; not-for-profit 
institutions.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 271,783 responses per year.
    Estimated Time per Response: The USPTO estimates that it will take 
the public from 10 to 40 minutes (0.17 to 0.67 hours), depending on the 
complexity of the situation, to gather the necessary information, 
prepare the appropriate documents, and submit the information required 
for this collection.
    Estimated Total Annual Respondent Burden Hours: 132,122 hours per 
year.
    Estimated Total Annual Respondent Cost Burden: $51,395,458. The 
USPTO expects that the information in this collection will be prepared 
by attorneys at an estimate rate of $389 per hour. Therefore, the USPTO 
estimates that the respondent cost burden for this collection will be 
approximately $51,395,458 per year.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                  Estimated time     Estimated       Estimated
                              Item                                 for response       annual       annual burden
                                                                     (minutes)       responses         hours
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Response to Office Action (TEAS)................................              30         218,540         109,270
Response to Office Action (Paper)...............................              35          10,927           6,338
Substitute Trademark/Servicemark Application, Principal Register              30               1               1
 (TEAS Global)..................................................
Substitute Trademark/Servicemark Application, Principal Register              30               1               1
 (Paper)........................................................
Substitute Certification Mark (TEAS Global).....................              30               1               1
Substitute Certification Mark (Paper)...........................              30               1               1
Substitute Collective Membership Mark...........................              30               1               1
(TEAS Global)...................................................
Substitute Collective Membership Mark (Paper)...................              30               1               1
Substitute Collective Trademark/Servicemark (TEAS Global).......              30               1               1
Substitute Collective Trademark/Servicemark (Paper).............              30               1               1
Voluntary Amendment Not in Response to USPTO Office Action/                   20          11,000           3,630
 Letter (TEAS)..................................................
Voluntary Amendment Not in Response to USPTO Office Action/                   25             224              94
 Letter (Paper).................................................
Request for Reconsideration After Final Office Action (TEAS)....              35          15,000           8,700
Request for Reconsideration After Final Office Action (Paper)...              40             625             419
Post-Publication Amendment (TEAS)...............................              25           2,900           1,218
Post-Publication Amendment (Paper)..............................              30              59              30
Petition to Amend Basis Post-Publication (TEAS Global)..........              15           3,000             750
Petition to Amend Basis Post-Publication (Paper)................              20             125              41
Response to Suspension Inquiry or Letter of Suspension (TEAS)...              10           9,000           1,530
Response to Suspension Inquiry or Letter of Suspension (Paper)..              15             375              94
                                                                 -----------------------------------------------
    Totals......................................................  ..............         271,783         132,122
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Estimated Total Annual (Non-hour) Respondent Cost Burden: $5,916. 
There are no capital start-up, maintenance, or record keeping costs 
associated with this information collection, nor are there filing fees. 
However, this collection does have annual (non-hour) costs in the form 
of postage costs.
    Customers incur postage costs when submitting non-electronic 
information to the USPTO by mail through the United States Postal 
Service. The USPTO expects that the majority (roughly 98%) of the paper 
forms are submitted to the USPTO via first-class mail. The USPTO 
estimates that these submissions will typically weigh approximately one 
ounce and that the first-class postage rate for these submissions is 49 
cents.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                                    Total (non-
                              Item                                   Responses     Postage costs    hour) cost
                                                                                        ($)           burden
                                                                             (a)             (b)   (a x b) = (c)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Response to Office Action.......................................          10,708            0.49        5,247.00
Substitute Trademark/Servicemark Application, Principal Register               1            0.49            1.00
Substitute Certification Mark...................................               1            0.49            1.00
Substitute Collective Membership Mark...........................               1            0.49            1.00
Substitute Collective Trademark/Servicemark.....................               1            0.49            1.00
Voluntary Amendment Not in Response to USPTO Office Action/                  220            0.49          108.00
 Letter.........................................................
Request for Reconsideration after Final Office Action...........             613            0.49          300.00
Post-Publication Amendment......................................              58            0.49           28.00
Petition to Amend Basis Post-Publication........................             123            0.49           60.00
Response to Suspension Inquiry or Letter of Suspension..........             368            0.49          169.00
                                                                 -----------------------------------------------
    Totals......................................................          12,094  ..............        5,916.00
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    There are no filing fees associated with this collection.
    The USPTO estimates that the total (non-hour) respondent cost 
burden for this collection in the form of postage costs is $5,916 per 
year.

IV. Request for Comments

    Comments submitted in response to this notice will be summarized 
and/or included in the request for OMB approval. All comments will 
become a matter of public record.
    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 shall have practical utility; (b) Evaluate the

[[Page 4454]]

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.

    Dated: January 23, 2014.
Susan K. Fawcett,
Records Officer, USPTO, Office of the Chief Information Officer.
[FR Doc. 2014-01520 Filed 1-27-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-16-P