[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 19 (Monday, January 29, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 4037-4038]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-01612]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
Patent and Trademark Office
Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) Certificate Action Form
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, invites comments on a
proposed extension of an existing information collection: 0651-0045
(Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) Certificate Action Form).
DATES: Written comments must be submitted on or before March 30, 2018.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments by any of the following methods:
Email: [email protected]. Include ``0651-
0045 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 Richard Arnold, Security Authorizations Branch,
United States Patent and Trademark Office, P.O. Box 1450, Alexandria,
VA 22313-1450; by telephone at 571-270-0539; or by email to
[email protected]. 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) uses Public
Key Infrastructure (PKI) technology to support electronic commerce
between the USPTO and its customers. PKI is a set of hardware,
software, policies, and procedures that provide important security
services for the electronic business activities of the USPTO, including
protecting the confidentiality of unpublished patent applications in
accordance with 35 U.S.C. 122 and 37 CFR 1.14, as well as protecting
international patent applications in accordance with Article 30 of the
Patent Cooperation Treaty.
In order to provide the necessary security for its electronic
commerce systems, the USPTO uses PKI technology to protect the
integrity and confidentiality of information submitted to the USPTO.
PKI employs public and private encryption keys to authenticate the
customer's identity and support secure electronic communication between
the customer and the USPTO. Customers may submit a request to the USPTO
for a digital certificate, which enables the customer to create the
encryption keys necessary for electronic identity verification and
secure transactions with the USPTO. This digital certificate is
required in order to access any secure online systems that the USPTO
provides, including the systems for electronic filing of patent
applications and viewing confidential
[[Page 4038]]
information about unpublished patent applications.
This information collection covers the Certificate Action Form
(PTO-2042), which is used by the public to request a new digital
certificate, revoke a current certificate, or recover a lost or
corrupted certificate. Customers may also change the name listed on the
certificate or associate the certificate with one or more Customer
Numbers. A Customer Number allows an applicant to associate all
correspondence and USPTO actions regarding multiple patent applications
to a single address and name. The Certificate Action Form must include
a notarized signature in order to verify the identity of the applicant.
The Certificate Action Form has an accompanying subscriber agreement to
ensure that customers understand their obligations regarding the use of
the digital certificates and cryptographic software. When generating a
new certificate, customers also register to receive a set of seven
codes that will enable customers to recover a lost certificate online
without having to contact USPTO support staff.
II. Method of Collection
The Certificate Action Form must be notarized and may be mailed or
hand delivered to the USPTO.
III. Data
OMB Number: 0651-0045.
IC Instruments and Forms: PTO-2042.
Type of Review: Revision of a currently approved collection.
Affected Public: Individuals or households; businesses or other
for-profits; and not-for-profit institutions.
Estimated Number of Respondents: 3,825 responses per year.
Estimated Time per Response: The USPTO estimates that it will take
the public approximately 30 minutes (0.50 hours) to read the
instructions and subscriber agreement, gather the necessary
information, prepare the Certificate Action Form, and submit the
completed request.
Estimated Total Annual Respondent Burden Hours: 1,912.50 hours.
Estimated Total Annual Respondent Cost Burden: $402,084. The USPTO
expects that attorneys, paraprofessionals, and independent inventors
will complete the submissions for this collection. The professional
hourly rate for attorneys is $438, for paraprofessionals is $145, and
for independent inventors is $47.71. The attorney rate is established
by estimates in the 2017 Report on the Economic Survey, published by
the Committee on Economics of Legal Practice of the American
Intellectual Property Law Association. The paraprofessional rate is
established by estimates in the 2016 National Utilization and
Compensation Survey, published by the National Association of Legal
Assistance (NALA). The independent inventor rate is based the mean
hourly wage for engineers according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics
Occupational Employment Statistics (17-2199). The USPTO estimates that
the combined average hourly rate of these estimates for all respondents
is approximately $210.24. Using this hourly rate, the USPTO estimates
that the total respondent cost burden for this collection is $402,804
per year.
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Annual Annual burden Annual cost
IC No. Item Annual response time (hours) response hours Rate burden
(a).............................. (b) (c) = (a) x (d) (e) = (c) x
(b) (d)
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1.......................... Certificate Action Form 0.50 (30 minutes)................ 3,825 1,912.50 $210.24 $402,084.00
(including Subscriber
Agreement).
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Totals................. ........................ ................................. 3,825 1,915.50 .............. 402,084.00
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Estimated Total Annual Non-hour Respondent Cost Burden: $24,824.25.
There are no capital start-up costs, maintenance costs, or fees
associated with this information collection. However, this collection
does have annual (non-hour) cost burden associated with the Certificate
Action Form.
This collection has costs due to the notarization requirement for
authenticating the signatures on the Certificate Action Form. The USPTO
estimates that the average fee for having a signature notarizing is $6
and 3,825 responses for these forms will be submitted annually, for a
total cost of $22,950 per year. The notary fee was determined based on
estimates for notary fees by states as published by the National Notary
Association.
This collection also has postage costs for submitting the
Certificate Action Form to the USPTO by mail. The form cannot be faxed
or submitted electronically because it requires an original notarized
signature. The USPTO estimates that the first class postage cost for
these forms will be $0.49 and that it will receive 3,825 mailed
responses annually for a total postage cost of approximately $1,874.25
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. 2018-01612 Filed 1-26-18; 8:45 am]
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