[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 141 (Tuesday, July 25, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 34509-34511]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-15500]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
United States Patent and Trademark Office
Substantive Submissions Made During Prosecution of the Trademark
Application
ACTION: Revision of an existing 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, invites comments on a
a proposed extension of an existing information collection.
DATES: Written comments must be submitted on or before September 25,
2017.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments by any of the following methods:
Email: [email protected]. Include ``0651-
0054 comment'' in the subject line of the message.
Federal Rulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov.
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.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information
should be directed to Catherine Cain, Attorney Advisor, United States
Patent and Trademark Office, P.O. Box 1450, Alexandria, VA 22313-1450;
by telephone at 571-272-8946; or by email to [email protected]
with ``0651-0054 comment'' in the subject line. Additional information
about this collection is also available at http://www.reginfo.gov under
``Information Collection Review.''
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Abstract
The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) administers
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 or intend to
use such marks in commerce may file an application to register their
mark with the USPTO.
Such individuals and businesses may also submit various
communications to the USPTO, including providing additional information
needed to process a request to delete a particular filing basis from an
application or to divide an application identifying multiple goods and/
or services into two or more separate applications. Applicants may seek
a six-month extension of time to file a statement that the mark is in
use in commerce or submit a petition to revive an application that
abandoned for failure to submit a timely response to an office action
or a timely statement of use or extension request. In some
circumstances, an applicant may expressly abandon an application by
filing a written request for withdrawal of the application.
The rules implementing the Act are set forth in 37 CFR part 2.
These rules mandate that each register entry include the mark, the
goods and/or services in connection with which the mark is used,
ownership information, dates of use, and certain other information. The
USPTO also provides similar information concerning pending
applications. The register and pending application information may be
accessed by an individual or by businesses to determine the
availability of a mark. By accessing the USPTO's information, parties
may reduce the possibility of initiating use of a mark previously
adopted by another. The Federal trademark registration process may
thereby reduce the number of filings between both litigating parties
and the courts.
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.
[[Page 34510]]
III. Data
OMB Number: 0651-0054.
IC Instruments and Forms: PTO Forms 1553, 1581, 2194, 2195, 2200,
and 2202.
Type of Review: Revision of a Previously Existing Information
Collection.
Affected Public: Businesses or other for-profits; not-for-profit
institutions; individuals.
Estimated Number of Respondents: 374,972 per year.
Estimated Time per Response: The USPTO estimates that the response
time for activities related to submissions regarding trademark
prosecution will take the public from 10 minutes (0.17 hours) to 35
minutes (0.58 hours) to complete. (See Table 1.) This includes the time
to gather the necessary information, prepare the appropriate documents,
and submit the information to the USPTO.
Estimated Total Annual Respondent Burden Hours: 101,400.37 hours.
Estimated Total Annual Respondent (Hourly) Cost Burden:
$41,574,150.33. The professional hourly rate for attorneys is $410.
This rate is established by estimates in the 2015 Report of the
Economic Survey, published by the Committee on Economics of Legal
Practice of the American Intellectual Property Law Association. Using
this hourly rate, the USPTO estimates that the respondent cost burden
for this collection will be approximately $41,574,150.33 per year.
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Estimated time
No. Item for response Estimated annual Estimated annual Rate ($/
(minutes) responses burden hours hr)
(a) (b) (a) x (b) / 60 =
(c)
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1............................................ Trademark/Service Mark Allegation of 30 27 13.50 $410.00
Use (Statement of Use/Amendment to
Allege Use) (Paper).
1............................................ Trademark/Service Mark Allegation of 25 109,086 45,452.50 410.00
Use (Statement of Use/Amendment to
Allege Use) (TEAS).
2............................................ Request for Extension of Time to 15 59 14.75 410.00
File a Statement of Use (Paper).
2............................................ Request for Extension of Time to 12 234,906 46,981.20 410.00
File a Statement of Use (TEAS).
3............................................ Petition to Revive Abandoned 25 5 2.08 410.00
Application--Failure to Respond
Timely to Office Action (Paper).
3............................................ Petition to Revive Abandoned 20 19,545 6,515.00 410.00
Application--Failure to Respond
Timely to Office Action (TEAS).
4............................................ Petition to Revive Abandoned 20 1 0.33 410.00
Application--Failure to File Timely
Statement of Use or Extension
Request (Paper).
4............................................ Petition to Revive Abandoned 15 284 71.00 410.00
Application--Failure to File Timely
Statement of Use or Extension
Request (TEAS).
5............................................ Request to Delete Section 1(b) 15 1 0.25 410.00
Basis, Intent to Use (Paper).
5............................................ Request to Delete Section 1(b) 10 1,400 233.33 410.00
Basis, Intent to Use (TEAS).
6............................................ Request for Express Abandonment 15 1 0.25 410.00
(Withdrawal) of Application (Paper).
6............................................ Request for Express Abandonment 10 5,500 916.67 410.00
(Withdrawal) of Application (TEAS).
7............................................ Request to Divide Application 20 1 0.33 410.00
(Paper).
7............................................ Request to Divide Application (TEAS) 15 3,057 764.25 410.00
8............................................ Response to Intent-to-Use (ITU) 35 1 0.58 410.00
Divisional Unit Office Action
(Paper).
8............................................ Response to Intent-to-Use (ITU) 30 2 1.00 410.00
Divisional Unit Office Action (TEAS
Global).
9............................................ Response to Petition to Revive 25 1 0.42 410.00
Deficiency Letter (Paper).
9............................................ Response to Petition to Revive 20 313 104.33 410.00
Deficiency Letter (TEAS Global).
10........................................... Petition to the Director Under 30 1 0.50 410.00
Trademark Rule 2.146 (Paper).
10........................................... Petition to the Director Under 25 750 312.50 410.00
Trademark Rule 2.146 (TEAS Global).
11........................................... Petition to Revive with Request to 35 1 0.58 410.00
Delete Section 1(b) Basis or to
Delete ITU Goods/Services After NOA
(Paper).
11........................................... Petition to Revive with Request to 30 30 15.00 410.00
Delete Section 1(b) Basis or to
Delete ITU Goods/Services After NOA
(TEAS Global).
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Totals................................... .................................... ................ 374,972 101,400.37
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[[Page 34511]]
Estimated Total Annual (Non-hour) Respondent Cost Burden:
$42,650,873.51.
There are no capital start-up, maintenance, or recordkeeping costs
associated with this information collection. However, this collection
does have annual (non-hour) cost burden in the form of postage costs
and filing fees.
Applicants incur postage costs when submitting information to the
USPTO by mail through the United States Postal Service. The USPTO
estimates that the majority of the paper forms are submitted to the
USPTO via first-class mail at a rate of 49 cents per ounce. Therefore,
the USPTO estimates that with a total of 99 paper submissions, the
postage costs in this collection will be $48.51.
The filing fees for several items in this collection are charged
per class of goods and/or services; therefore, the filing fees will
vary for each respondent depending on the number of classes. The total
filing fees of $42,650,825.00 shown here are based on the minimum fee
of one class for those items for which a fee is required.
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Estimated annual Filing fee Total non-hour
IC No. Item responses ($) cost Burden ($)
....................... (a) (b) (a) x (b) = (c)
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1.............................. Trademark/Service Mark 27 $200 $5,400.00
Allegation of Use
(Statement of Use/
Amendment to Allege
Use) (Paper).
1.............................. Trademark/Service Mark 109,086 100 10,908,600.00
Allegation of Use
(Statement of Use/
Amendment to Allege
Use) (TEAS).
2.............................. Request for Extension 59 225 13,275.00
of Time to File a
Statement of Use
(Paper).
2.............................. Request for Extension 234,906 125 29,363,250.00
of Time to File a
Statement of Use
(TEAS).
3.............................. Petition to Revive 5 200 1,000.00
Abandoned Application--
Failure to Respond
Timely to Office
Action (Paper).
3.............................. Petition to Revive 19,545 100 1,954,500.00
Abandoned Application--
Failure to Respond
Timely to Office
Action (TEAS).
4.............................. Petition to Revive 1 200 200.00
Abandoned Application--
Failure to File Timely
Statement of Use or
Extension Request
(Paper).
4.............................. Petition to Revive 203 100 20,300.00
Abandoned Application--
Failure to File Timely
Statement of Use or
Extension Request
(TEAS).
7.............................. Request to Divide 1 200 200.00
Application (Paper).
7.............................. Request to Divide 3,057 100 305,700.00
Application (TEAS
Global).
10............................. Petition to the 1 200 200.00
Director Under
Trademark Rule 2.146
(Paper).
10............................. Petition to the 750 100 75,000.00
Director Under
Trademark Rule 2.146
(TEAS Global).
11............................. Petition to Revive with 1 200 200.00
Request to Delete
Section 1(b) Basis or
to Delete ITU Goods/
Services After NOA
(Paper).
11............................. Petition to Revive with 30 100 3,000.00
Request to Delete
Section 1(b) Basis or
to Delete ITU Goods/
Services After NOA
(TEAS Global).
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Totals..................... ....................... 374,891 .............. 42,650,825.00
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Therefore, the USPTO estimates that the total annual (non-hour)
cost burden for this collection, in the form of postage costs and
filing fees is $42,650,873.51 per year.
IV. Request for Comments
Comments submitted in response to this notice will be summarized or
included in the request for OMB approval of this information
collection; they also will become a matter of public record.
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.
Marcie Lovett,
Records and Information Governance Division Director, OCTO, United
States Patent and Trademark Office.
[FR Doc. 2017-15500 Filed 7-24-17; 8:45 am]
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