[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 120 (Monday, June 22, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 37435-37436]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-13292]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

Patent and Trademark Office


Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the 
Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for Review and Approval; Comment 
Request; Global Intellectual Property Academy (GIPA) Surveys

AGENCY: United States Patent and Trademark Office, Department of 
Commerce.

ACTION: Notice of information collection, request for comment.

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SUMMARY: The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), in 
accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, invites comments 
on the extension and revision of an existing information collection: 
0651-0065 (Global Intellectual Property Academy (GIPA) Surveys). The 
purpose of this notice is to allow 60 days for public comment preceding 
submission of the information collection to OMB.

DATES: To ensure consideration, comments regarding this information 
collection must be received on or before August 21, 2020.

ADDRESSES: Interested persons are invited to submit written comments by 
any of the following methods. Do not submit Confidential Business 
Information or otherwise sensitive or protected information.
     Email: [email protected]. Include ``0651-
0065 comment'' in the subject line of the message.
     Federal Rulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov.
     Mail: Kimberly Hardy, Office of the Chief Administrative 
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 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 information collection is also available at 
htttp://www.reginfo.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 policymakers) 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 information collection contains three surveys directed to 
separate audiences: Overseas-program participants, post-program 
participants, and alumni. The Overseas-Program survey is designed for 
international participants at the conclusion of the GIPA training 
program conducted overseas. This survey replaces the existing Pre-
Program survey and is a shortened version of the Post-Program survey. 
The Post-Program survey is used to analyze the overall effectiveness of 
the program and is conducted at the conclusion of training programs 
held at US locations. The Alumni Survey is used to determine the 
benefit of the GIPA training program for the future job performance of 
the participant. The data obtained from these 3 participation surveys 
will be used to evaluate the percentage of foreign officials trained by 
GIPA who have increased their expertise in intellectual property,

[[Page 37436]]

enhanced their professional abilities and future job performance, and 
developed their own nation's intellectual property program. All the 
surveys have updated questions and answer options.
    The GIPA surveys are voluntary surveys and will be kept private, to 
the extent provided by law. 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

    Items in this information collection may be submitted via online 
electronic submissions, and occasional in-person surveys.

III. Data

    OMB Control Number: 0651-0065.
    Form Number(s): None.
    Type of Review: Revision of a currently approved information 
collection.
    Affected Public: Federal Government (Foreign Government).
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 750 respondents per year.
    Estimated Time per Response: The USPTO estimates that it takes the 
public approximately 15 minutes (0.25 hours) to complete the surveys in 
this information 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: 188 hours.
    Estimated Total Annual Respondent Cost Burden: $15,512.

                                             Table 1--Total Hourly Burden for Foreign Government Respondents
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                                                                             Estimated    Estimated time     Estimated
            Item No.                               Item                       annual       for response    annual burden   Rate \1\ ($/      Estimated
                                                                             responses        (hours)          hours            hr)        annual burden
                                 .......................................             (b)             (a)     (a) x (b) =             (d)     (c) x (d) =
                                                                                                                     (c)                             (e)
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1..............................  Overseas-Program Survey................             225            0.25              56          $82.51          $4,621
2..............................  Post-Program Survey....................             150            0.25              38           82.51           3,135
3..............................  Alumni Survey..........................             375            0.25              94           82.51           7,756
                                                                         -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                 Totals.................................             750  ..............             188  ..............          15,512
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\1\ Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupation Employment Statistics wage 23-1021. https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes231021.htm. The hourly rate is $63.47
  which results in a fully burdened rate of $82.51 (salary plus 30% for estimated overhead and benefits).

    Estimated Total Annual Non-Hour Respondent Cost Burden: $0 per 
year. There are no maintenance, operation, capital start-up, postage, 
or recordkeeping costs associated with this information collection.
    Respondent's Obligation: Voluntary.

IV. Request for Comments

    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.
    All comments submitted in response to this notice are a matter of 
public record. USPTO will include or summarize each comment in the 
request to OMB to approve this information collection. Before including 
your address, phone number, email address, or other personal 
identifying information in a comment, you should be aware that the 
entire comment--including personal identifying information--may be made 
publicly available at any time. While you may ask us in your comment to 
withhold your personal identifying information from public view, USPTO 
cannot guarantee that it will be able to do so.

Kimberly Hardy,
Information Collections Officer, Office of the Chief Administrative 
Officer, United States Patent and Trademark Office.
[FR Doc. 2020-13292 Filed 6-19-20; 8:45 am]
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