[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 84 (Wednesday, May 3, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 20587-20589]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-08897]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

Patent and Trademark Office


Global Intellectual Property Academy (GIPA) Surveys

ACTION: Proposed collection; comment request.

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SUMMARY: The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), as 
required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 
3506(c)(2)(A)), invites comments on a proposed extension of an existing 
information collection.

DATES: Written comments must be submitted on or before July 3, 2017.

ADDRESSES: You may submit any comments by any of the following methods:
     Email: [email protected]. Include ``0651-
0065 comment'' in the subject line of the message.
     Mail: Marcie Lovett, Records and Information Governance 
Division Director, Office of the Chief Technology 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 J. David Binsted, Program Manager, Global 
Intellectual Property Academy, United States Patent and Trademark 
Office, P.O. Box 1450, Alexandria, VA 22313-1450; by telephone at 571-
272-1500; or by email at [email protected]. Additional 
information about this collection is also available at http://www.reginfor.gov under ``Information Collection Review.''

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Abstract

    The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) surveys 
international and domestic participants of the USPTO's Global 
Intellectual Property Academy (GIPA) training programs to obtain 
feedback from the participants on the effectiveness of the various 
services provided to them in the training programs. GIPA was 
established in 2006 to offer training programs on the enforcement of 
intellectual property rights, patents, trademarks, and copyright. The 
training programs offered by GIPA are designed to meet the specific 
needs of foreign government officials (including judges; prosecutors; 
police; customs officials; patent, trademark, and copyright officials; 
and policy makers) concerning various intellectual property topics, 
such as global intellectual property rights protection, enforcement, 
and strategies to handle the protection and enforcement issues in their 
respective countries.
    This collection contains three surveys directed to separate 
audiences: Pre-program, post-program, and alumni. The pre-program 
survey is designed to obtain the background and experience of a 
participant and is delivered to the participant prior to their arrival 
for a GIPA training program. The post-program survey is used to analyze 
the overall effectiveness of the program and is conducted at the 
conclusion of the training program. The alumni survey is used to 
determine the value of the GIPA

[[Page 20588]]

training program on the future job performance of the participant. The 
data obtained from these participation satisfaction surveys will be 
used to evaluate the percentage of foreign officials trained by GIPA 
who have increased their expertise in intellectual property, the 
satisfaction with the intellectual property program, and the value of 
the experience as it relates to future job performance. The data 
received from these surveys will also be used to help the USPTO meet 
organizational performance and accountability goals through the 
following legislative mandates: Government Performance and Results Act 
of 1993 (GPRA), the President's Management Agenda (PMA), and the Office 
of OMB's (OMB's) Program Assessment Rating Tool (PART). These surveys 
also support various business goals developed by the USPTO to fulfill 
customer service and performance goals, to assist the USPTO in 
strategic planning for future initiatives, to very existing service 
standards, and to establish new ones.
    The GIPA surveys are voluntary surveys. The USPTO expects to hire a 
survey contractor to conduct these surveys. The surveys will primarily 
be conducted electronically, but the USPTO will also have paper surveys 
to mail to those participants who have poor Internet connectivity or 
have access restrictions. In-person surveys may also be conducted. 
Survey participants will be able to access the online surveys through 
links provided to them in email invitations. The links provided in 
these emails are individualized links that are uniquely tied to the 
survey participants so passwords, user IDs, or usernames are not needed 
to access the surveys.
    Information collected from the surveys will be kept private, to the 
extent provided by law. Responses to the pre-program, post-program, and 
alumni surveys can be linked to the participants and to the demographic 
data collected from them during the various GIPA training programs. 
However, the actual data recorded from the surveys will not be directly 
linked to the participants. Any data linking the individual to their 
responses will not be retained after the data has been aggregated. The 
USPTO will have limited access to the data. The only data that the 
USPTO can access will be the aggregated survey data and the frequency 
of the responses. The agency will not be able to view the individual 
responses or the data related to the survey. The survey contractor will 
have access to individual survey responses for analysis purposes only 
and will only report the aggregated data and the frequency of the 
responses. The USPTO does not intend to collect any personally 
identifying data from the participants and intends to maintain the 
contact information for the participants in a separate file for the 
quantitative data.

II. Method of Collection

    The surveys will primarily be online surveys but the USPTO will 
also have paper surveys to mail to those participants who have poor 
Internet connectivity or have access restrictions. The surveys will 
also be distributed by email. In-person surveys may also be conducted.

III. Data

    OMB Number: 0651-0065.
    Form Number(s): None.
    Type of Review: Extension of a currently approved collection.
    Affected Public: Individuals or households and business or other 
for-profit institutions.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 450 responses per year. The USPTO 
estimates that approximately 100% of the surveys will be filed 
electronically.
    Estimated Time per Response: The USPTO estimates that it takes the 
public approximately 15 minutes (0.25 hours) to complete the surveys in 
this collection. This includes the time to gather the necessary 
information, respond to the survey, and submit it to the USPTO.
    Estimated Total Annual Respondent Burden Hours: 112.50 hours per 
year.
    Estimated Total Annual Respondent Cost Burden: $20,475.00 per year. 
The USPTO expects that the audience for the GIPA training programs will 
typically consist of high-ranking government officials, judges, 
lawyers, examiners, and others. The USPTO estimates that roughly 20% of 
the attendees fall into the high-ranking categories, while the rest 
make up 80% of the attendees. The USPTO estimates the hourly rate of 
$410 for high-ranking attendees, while the rest would be roughly 
equivalent to the para-professional hourly rate of $125. Using a 20/80 
weighted average for the attendee categories, the blended rate for 
attendees is $182. Since individuals with varying job titles and pay 
grades typically attend the GIPA training programs, the USPTO is 
currently unable to derive a concise international labor rate for these 
individuals. Additionally, since the training is conducted in the 
United States, the USPTO is using the corresponding United States pay 
rate to calculate the hourly labor rates. If the agency can obtain more 
concise hourly labor rate data for these individuals, these rates will 
be used to calculate the respondent burden in the future. The USPTO 
estimates that the total respondent cost burden for this collection is 
$20,475.00 per year.

                                                              Table 1--Total Hourly Burden
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                                                                 Estimated time
              IC No.                           Item               for response    Estimated annual  Estimated Annual     Rate ($/hr)    Estimated annual
                                                                     (hours)          responses       Burden Hours                           burden
                                                                             (a)               (b)   (a) x (b) = (c)               (d)   (c) x (d) = (e)
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1................................  Pre-Program Survey.........              0.25               150             37.50           $182.00         $6,825.00
2................................  Post-Program Survey........              0.25               150             37.50            182.00          6,825.00
3................................  Alumni Survey..............              0.25               150             37.50            182.00          6,825.00
                                                               -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Totals.......................                                                              450            112.50                           20,475.00
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    Estimated Total Annual Non-hour Respondent Cost Burden: $0.00 per 
year. There are no maintenance, operation, capital start-up, or 
recordkeeping costs associated with this information collection. These 
surveys do not have filing or other fees associated with them. The 
USPTO expects to conduct these surveys electronically using a survey 
tool and may also conduct in-person surveys. In either case, there will 
be no postage costs associated with these surveys.

[[Page 20589]]

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 will have practical utility;
    (b) Evaluate the 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: April 14, 2017.
Marcie Lovett,
Records and Information Governance Division Director, USPTO, Office of 
the Chief Technology Officer.
[FR Doc. 2017-08897 Filed 5-2-17; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3510-16-P