[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 10 (Friday, January 15, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 4003-4006]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-00912]



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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; Representative and Address Provisions

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), as 
required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, invites comments on 
the extension and revision of an existing information collection: 0651-
0035 (Representative and Address Provisions). 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 March 16, 2021.

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-
0035 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 Parikha Mehta, Legal Advisor, Office of Patent 
Legal Administration, United States Patent and Trademark Office, P.O. 
Box 1450, Alexandria, VA 22313-1450; by telephone at 571-272-7728; or 
by email to [email protected]. Additional information about this 
information collection is also available at http://www.reginfo.gov 
under ``Information Collection Review.''

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Abstract

    This information collection includes the information necessary to 
submit a request to grant or revoke power of attorney for an 
application, patent, or reexamination proceeding, and for a registered 
practitioner to withdraw as attorney or agent of record. This also 
includes the information necessary to change the correspondence address 
for an application, patent, or reexamination proceeding, to request a 
Customer Number and manage the correspondence address and list of 
practitioners associated with a Customer Number, and to designate or 
change the correspondence address or fee address for one or more 
patents or applications by using a Customer Number.
    Under 35 U.S.C. 2 and 37 CFR 1.31-1.32, power of attorney may be 
granted to one or more joint inventors or a person who is registered to 
practice before the USPTO to act in an application or a patent. In 
particular, for an application filed before September 16, 2012, or for 
a patent which issued from an application filed before September 16, 
2012, power of attorney may be granted by the applicant for patent (as 
set forth in 37 CFR 1.41(b) (pre-AIA)) or the assignee of the entire 
interest of the applicant. For an application filed on or after 
September 16, 2012, or for a patent which issued from an application 
filed on or after September 16, 2012, power of attorney may be granted 
by the applicant for patent (as set forth in 37 CFR 1.42) or the patent 
owner. The USPTO provides two different versions of the forms for 
establishing power of attorney based upon whether the application 
filing date is before or after September 16, 2012, to thereby reduce 
applicants' burden in having to determine the appropriate power of 
attorney requirements for a given application.
    37 CFR 1.36 provides for the revocation of a power of attorney at 
any stage in the proceedings of a case. 37 CFR 1.36 also provides a 
path by which a registered patent attorney or patent agent who has been 
given a power of attorney may withdraw as attorney or agent of record.
    The USPTO's Customer Number practice permits applicants, patent 
owners, assignees, and practitioners of record, or the representatives 
of record for a number of applications or patents, to change the 
correspondence address of a patent application or patent with one 
change request instead of filing separate requests for each patent or 
application. Any changes to the address or practitioner information 
associated with a Customer Number will be applied to all patents and 
applications associated with said Customer Number.
    The Customer Number practice is optional, in that changes of 
correspondence address or power of attorney may be filed separately for 
each patent or application without using a Customer Number. However, a 
Customer Number associated with the correspondence address for a patent 
application is required in order to access private information about 
the application using the Patent Application Information Retrieval 
(PAIR) system, which is available through the USPTO website. The use of 
a Customer Number is also required in order to grant power of attorney 
to more than ten practitioners or to establish a separate ``fee 
address'' for maintenance fee purposes that is different from the 
correspondence address for a patent or application.

II. Method of Collection

    Items in this information collection may be submitted by mail, 
facsimile, hand delivery, or online electronic submissions.

III. Data

    OMB Control Number: 0651-0035.
    Form Number(s): (AIA= American Invents; SB = Specimen Book).

 PTO/AIA/80; PTO/SB/80 (Power of Attorney to Prosecute 
Applications Before the USPTO)
 PTO/AIA/81 (Power of Attorney to one or More of the Joint 
Inventors and Change of Correspondence Address)
 PTO/SB/81 (Power of Attorney or Revocation of Power of 
Attorney with a New Power of Attorney and Change of Correspondence 
Address)
 PTO/AIA/81A; PTO/SB/81A (Patent--Power of Attorney or 
Revocation of Power of Attorney with a New Power of Attorney and Change 
of Correspondence Address)
 PTO/AIA/81B (Reexamination or Supplemental Examination--Patent 
Owner Power of Attorney or Revocation of Power of Attorney With a New 
Power of Attorney and Change of Correspondence Address for 
Reexamination or Supplemental Examination and Patent)
 PTO/SB/81B (Reexamination--Patent Owner Power of Attorney or 
Revocation of Power of Attorney with a New Power of Attorney and Change 
of Correspondence Address)
 PTO/SB/81C (Reexamination--Third Party Requester Power of 
Attorney or Revocation of Power of Attorney with a New Power of 
Attorney and Change of Correspondence Address)
 PTO/AIA/82A; PTO/AIA/82B; PTO/AIA/82C (Transmittal for Power 
of Attorney To One Or More Registered Practitioners/Power Of Attorney 
By Applicant)
 PTO/AIA/83; PTO/SB/83 (Request for Withdrawal as Attorney or 
Agent and Change of Correspondence Address)

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 PTO/SB/124 (Request for Customer Number Data Change)
 PTO/SB/125 (Request for Customer Number)
 PTO-2248 (Request to Update a PCT Application with a Customer 
Number)

    Type of Review: Revision of a currently approved information 
collection.
    Affected Public: Private sector; individuals or households.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 184,745 respondents per year.
    Estimated Number of Responses: 184,745 responses per year.
    Estimated Time per Response: The USPTO estimates that the response 
time for activities related to Representative Address Provisions will 
take the public between 0.05 hours (3 minutes) to 1.5 hours (90 
minutes) to complete. This includes the time to gather the necessary 
information, create the document, and submit the completed request to 
the USPTO.
    Estimated Total Annual Respondent Burden Hours: 11,355 hours.
    Estimated Total Annual Respondent Hourly Cost Burden: $ 1,763,775.

                                               Table 1--Total Hourly Burden For Private Sector Respondents
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                                                                     Estimated
                                                     Estimated        annual        Estimated time for       Estimated     Rate \1\  ($/     Estimated
     Item No.                   Item                  annual         responses      response (hour)(b)     annual burden       hour)       annual burden
                                                    respondents       (year)                                (hour/year)
                                                                             (a)  (b)...................     (a) x (b) =             (d)     (c) x (d) =
                                                                                                                     (c)                             (e)
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1.................  Power of Attorney to                   2,425           2,425  0.05 (3 minutes)......             121            $145         $17,545
                     Prosecute Applications
                     Before the USPTO--PTO/AIA/
                     80 PTO/SB/80.
2.................  Power of Attorney or                 165,870         165,870  0.05 (3 minutes)......           8,294             145       1,202,630
                     Revocation of Power of
                     Attorney with a New Power
                     of Attorney and Change of
                     Correspondence--PTO/AIA/
                     82A; PTO/AIA/82B; PTO/AIA/
                     82C.
3.................  Patent--Power of Attorney or             165             165  0.05 (3 minutes)......               8             145           1,160
                     Revocation of Power of
                     Attorney with a New Power
                     of Attorney and Change of
                     Correspondence Address--PTO/
                     AIA/81; PTO/SB/81; PTO/AIA/
                     81A; PTO/SB/81A.
4.................  Reexamination--Patent Owner               29              29  0.05 (3 minutes)......               1             145             145
                     Power of Attorney or
                     Revocation of Power of
                     Attorney with a New Power
                     of Attorney and Change of
                     Correspondence Address--PTO/
                     AIA/81B PTO/SB/81B.
5.................  Reexamination--Third Party                24              24  0.05 (3 minutes)......               1             145             145
                     Requester Power of Attorney
                     or Revocation of Power of
                     Attorney with a New Power
                     of Attorney and Change of
                     Correspondence Address--PTO/
                     SB/81C.
6.................  Request for Withdrawal as              2,134           2,134  0.20 (12 minutes).....             427             400         170,800
                     Attorney or Agent and
                     Change of Correspondence
                     Address--PTO/AIA/83 PTO/SB/
                     83.
7.................  Petition Under 37 CFR                     10              10  1.00 (60 minutes).....              10             400           4,000
                     1.36(a) to Revoke Power of
                     Attorney by Fewer than All
                     the Applicants.
8.................  Petition to Waive 37 CFR                  10              10  1.00 (60 minutes).....              10             400           4,000
                     1.32(b)(4) and Grant Power
                     of Attorney by Fewer than
                     All the Applicants.
9.................  Request for Customer Number            1,067           1,067  0.20 (12 minutes).....             213             145          30,885
                     Data Change--PTO/SB/124.
10................  Request for Customer Number--          6,111           6,111  0.20 (12 minutes).....           1,222             145         177,190
                     PTO/SB/125.
11................  Customer Number Upload                   291             291  1.50 (90 minutes).....             437             145          63,365
                     Spreadsheet.
12................  Request to Update a PCT                1,067           1,067  0.25 (15 minutes).....             267             145          38,715
                     Application with a Customer
                     Number--PTO-2248.
                                                 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Totals......................................  ..............         179,203  179,203...............  ..............          11,011       1,710,580
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\1\ 2019 Report of the Economic Survey, published by the Committee on Economics of Legal Practice of the American Intellectual Property Law Association
  (AIPLA); https://www.aipla.org/detail/journal-issue/2019-report-of-the-economic-survey. The USPTO uses the mean rate for attorneys in private firms
  which is $400 per hour. The hourly rate for paraprofessional/paralegals is estimated at $145 from data published in the 2018 Utilization and
  Compensation Survey by the National Association of Legal Assistants (NALA); https://www.nala.org/paralegals/research-and-survey-findings.


                                         Table 2--Total Hourly Burden For Individuals or Households Respondents
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                                                                     Estimated
                                                     Estimated        annual        Estimated time for       Estimated     Rate \2\  ($/     Estimated
     Item No.                   Item                  annual         responses        response (hour)      annual burden       hour)       annual burden
                                                    respondents       (year)                                (hour/year)
                                                                             (a)  (b)...................     (a) x (b) =             (d)     (c) x (d) =
                                                                                                                     (c)                             (e)
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1.................  Power of Attorney to                      75              75  0.05 (3 minutes)......               4             145             580
                     Prosecute Applications
                     Before the USPTO--PTO/AIA/
                     80 PTO/SB/80.
2.................  Power of Attorney or                   5,130           5,130  0.05 (3 minutes)......             257             145          37,265
                     Revocation of Power of
                     Attorney with a New Power
                     of Attorney and Change of
                     Correspondence--PTO/AIA/
                     82A; PTO/AIA/82B; PTO/AIA/
                     82C.

[[Page 4005]]

 
3.................  Patent--Power of Attorney or               5               5  0.05 (3 minutes)......               1             145             145
                     Revocation of Power of
                     Attorney with a New Power
                     of Attorney and Change of
                     Correspondence Address--PTO/
                     AIA/81; PTO/SB/81; PTO/AIA/
                     81A; PTO/SB/81A.
4.................  Reexamination--Patent Owner                1               1  0.05 (3 minutes)......               1             145             145
                     Power of Attorney or
                     Revocation of Power of
                     Attorney with a New Power
                     of Attorney and Change of
                     Correspondence Address--PTO/
                     AIA/81B PTO/SB/81B.
5.................  Reexamination--Third Party                 1               1  0.05 (3 minutes)......               1             145             145
                     Requester Power of Attorney
                     or Revocation of Power of
                     Attorney with a New Power
                     of Attorney and Change of
                     Correspondence Address--PTO/
                     SB/81C.
6.................  Request for Withdrawal as                 66              66  0.20 (12 minutes).....              13             400           5,200
                     Attorney or Agent and
                     Change of Correspondence
                     Address--PTO/AIA/83 PTO/SB/
                     83.
9.................  Request for Customer Number               33              33  0.20 (12 minutes).....               7             145           1,015
                     Data Change--PTO/SB/124.
10................  Request for Customer Number--            189             189  0.20 (12 minutes).....              38             145           5,510
                     PTO/SB/125.
11................  Customer Number Upload                     9               9  1.50 (90 minutes).....              14             145           2,030
                     Spreadsheet.
12................  Request to Update a PCT                   33              33  0.25 (15 minutes).....               8             145           1,160
                     Application with a Customer
                     Number--PTO-2248.
                                                 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Totals........  ............................           5,542           5,542  ......................             344  ..............          53,195
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\2\ 2019 Report of the Economic Survey, published by the Committee on Economics of Legal Practice of the American Intellectual Property Law Association
  (AIPLA); https://www.aipla.org/detail/journal-issue/2019-report-of-the-economic-survey. The USPTO uses the mean rate for attorneys in private firms
  which is $400 per hour. The hourly rate for paraprofessional/paralegals is estimated at $145 from data published in the 2018 Utilization and
  Compensation Survey by the National Association of Legal Assistants (NALA); https://www.nala.org/paralegals/research-and-survey-findings.

    Estimated Total Annual Non-hour Respondent Cost Burden: $22,868. 
There are no capital start-up, maintenance, or recordkeeping costs 
associated with this information collection. However, USPTO estimates 
that the total annual (non-hour) cost burden for this information 
collection, in the form of filing fees and postage is $22,868.

Filing Fees

    The two petitions in this information collection have associated 
filing fees under 37 CFR 1.17(f), resulting in $8,000 in filing fees.

 
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                                                                     Estimated
         Item No.                           Item                      annual      Filing fee ($)  Total non-hour
                                                                     responses                      cost burden
                                                                             (a)             (b)     (c) = (a) x
                                                                                                             (b)
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8.........................  Petitions Under 37 CFR 1.36(a) to                 10         $400.00          $4,000
                             Revoke Power of Attorney by Fewer
                             than All the Applicants.
9.........................  Petitions to Waive 37 CFR 1.32(b)(4)              10          400.00           4,000
                             and Grant Power of Attorney by
                             Fewer than All the Applicants.
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    Total.................  ....................................  ..............  ..............           8,000
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Postage Costs

    Although the USPTO prefers that the items in this information 
collection be submitted electronically, responses may be submitted by 
mail through the United States Postal Service (USPS). The USPTO 
estimates that 1% of the 184,745 items will be submitted in the mail 
resulting in 1,847 mailed items. The USPTO estimates that the average 
postage cost for a mailed submission, using a Priority Mail 2-day flat 
rate legal envelope, will be $8.05. Therefore, the USPTO estimates the 
total mailing costs for this information collection at $14,868.
    Respondent's Obligation: Required to obtain or retain benefits.

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.

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    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 
an address, phone number, email address, or other personal identifying 
information in a comment, be aware that the entire comment--including 
personal identifying information--may be made publicly available at any 
time. While you may ask in your comment to withhold 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. 2021-00912 Filed 1-14-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-16-P