[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 18 (Wednesday, January 28, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 4548-4549]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-01394]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

United States Patent and Trademark Office


Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request; Fastener Quality Act 
Insignia Recordal Process

    The Department of Commerce will submit 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, Commerce.
    Title: Fastener Quality Act Insignia Recordal Process.
    OMB Control Number: 0651-0028.
    Form Number(s):
     PTO-1611.
    Type of Request: Regular.
    Number of Respondents: 82.
    Average Hours per Response: 0.25.
    Burden Hours: 20.5.
    Cost Burden: $1,683.52.
    Needs and Uses:
    Under Section 5 of the Fastener Quality Act of 1999 (FQA), 15 
U.S.C. 5401 et seq., certain industrial fasteners must bear an insignia 
identifying the manufacturer. It is also mandatory for manufacturers of 
fasteners covered by the FQA to submit an application to the United 
Stated Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) for recordal of the insignia 
on the Fastener Insignia Register.
    The procedures for the recordal of fastener insignia under the FQA 
are set forth in 15 CFR 280.300 et seq. The purpose of requiring both 
the insignia and the recordation is to ensure that certain fasteners 
can be traced to their manufacturers and to protect against the sale of 
mismarked, misrepresented, or counterfeit fasteners.
    The insignia may be either a unique alphanumeric designation that 
the USPTO will issue upon request or a trademark that is registered at 
the USPTO or is the subject of an application to obtain a registration. 
After a manufacturer submits a complete application for recordal, the 
USPTO issues a Certificate of Recordal. These certificates remain 
active for five years. Applications to renew the certificates must be 
filed within six months of the expiration date or, upon payment of an 
additional surcharge, within six months following the expiration date.
    If a recorded alphanumeric designation is assigned by the 
manufacturer, the designation becomes ``inactive,'' and the new owner 
must submit an application to reactivate the designation within six 
months of the date of assignment. If the recordal is based on a 
trademark application or registration, and that registration is 
assigned, the recordal becomes ``inactive'' and cannot be reactivated. 
Instead, the new owner of the trademark application or registration 
must apply for a new recordal. Manufacturers who record insignia must 
notify the USPTO of any changes of address.
    This information collection includes one form, the Application for 
Recordal

[[Page 4549]]

of Insignia or Renewal/Reactivation of Recordal Under the Fastener 
Quality Act (PTO-1611), which provides manufacturers with a convenient 
way to submit a request for the recordal of a fastener insignia or to 
renew or reactivate an existing Certificate of Recordal. Use of Form 
PTO-1611 is not mandatory, and applicants may instead prepare requests 
for recordal using their own format.
    The public uses this information collection to comply with the 
insignia recordal provisions of the FQA. The USPTO uses the information 
in this collection to record or renew insignias under the FQA and to 
maintain the Fastener Insignia Register, which is open to public 
inspection. The public may download the Fastener Insignia Register from 
the USPTO Web site.
    Affected Public: Businesses or other for-profits.
    Frequency: On occasion.
    Respondent's Obligation: Required to Obtain or Retain Benefits.
    This information collection request may be viewed at reginfo.gov. 
Follow the instructions to view Department of Commerce collections 
currently under review by OMB.
    Written comments may be submitted by any of the following methods:
     Email: [email protected]. Include ``0651-
0028 Fastener Quality Act Insignia Recordal Process'' in the subject 
line of the message.
     Mail: Marcie Lovett, Records Management Division Director, 
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.

     Dated: January 21, 2015.
Marcie Lovett,
Records Management Division Director, USPTO, Office of the Chief 
Information Officer.
[FR Doc. 2015-01394 Filed 1-27-15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-16-P