[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 37 (Friday, February 26, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 11731-11732]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-04045]


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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; Admission To Practice and Roster of Registered Patent 
Attorneys and Agents Admitted To Practice Before the United States 
Patent and Trademark Office

    The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) will submit 
the following information collection request to the Office of 
Management and Budget (OMB) for review and clearance in accordance with 
the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, on or after the date of 
publication of this notice. The USPTO invites comment on this 
information collection renewal, which helps the USPTO assess the impact 
of its information collection requirements and minimize the public's 
reporting burden. Public comments were previously requested via the 
Federal Register on December 23, 2020 during a 60-day comment period. 
This notice allows for an additional 30 days for public comments.
AGENCY:  United States Patent and Trademark Office, Department of 
Commerce.
    Title: Admission to Practice and Roster of Registered Patent 
Attorneys and Agents Admitted to Practice Before the United States 
Patent and Trademark Office.
    OMB Control Number: 0651-0012.
    Form Numbers:

 PTO-107A (Data Sheet--Register of Patent Attorneys and Agents)
 PTO-107R (Reinstatement to the Register)
 PTO-107S (Registration Statement of Patent Attorneys and 
Agents)
 PTO-158 (Application for Registration to Practice Before the 
United States Patent and Trademark Office)
 PTO-158A (Application for Registration to Practice Before the 
United States Patent and Trademark Office Under 37 CFR 11.6(c) by a 
Foreign Resident)
 PTO 158RA (Reasonable Accommodation)
 PTO-158T (Application for Reciprocal Recognition to Practice 
in Trademark Matters Before the United States Patent and Trademark 
Office Under 37 CFR 11.14(c) by a Foreign Resident)
 PTO-1209 (Oath or Affirmation)

    Type of Review: Extension and revision of a currently approved 
information collection.
    Number of Respondents: 21,251 respondents per year.
    Average Hour per Response: The USPTO estimates that it takes the 
public approximately 5 minutes (0.08 hours) to 7 hours to complete this 
information, depending upon the application. This includes the time to 
gather the necessary information, prepare and maintain the documents, 
and submit the items to the USPTO.
    Estimated Total Annual Respondent Burden Hours: 18,188 hours.
    Estimated Total Annual Non-Hour Cost Burden: $875,706.
    Needs and Uses: This collection of information is required by 35 
U.S.C. 2(b)(2)(D), which permits the United States Patent and Trademark 
Office (USPTO) to establish regulations governing the recognition and 
conduct of agents, attorneys, or other persons representing applicants 
or other parties before the USPTO. This statute also permits the USPTO 
to require information from applicants that shows that they are of good 
moral character and reputation and have the necessary qualifications to 
assist applicants with the patent process and to represent them before 
the USPTO.
    This information collection addresses submissions required by the 
regulations at 37 CFR 1.21, and 11.5-11.11, which set forth the 
requirements to apply for the examination for registration and to 
demonstrate eligibility to be a registered attorney or agent before the 
USPTO, including the fee requirements. The Office of Enrollment and 
Discipline (OED) collects this information to determine the 
qualifications of individuals entitled to represent applicants before 
the USPTO in the preparation and prosecution of applications for a 
patent. The OED also collects this information to administer and 
maintain the public roster of attorneys and agents registered to 
practice before the USPTO. The information in this information 
collection is used by the USPTO to review applications for the 
examination for registration and to determine whether an applicant may 
be added to, or an existing practitioner may remain

[[Page 11732]]

on, the Register of Patent Attorneys and Agents.
    Affected Public: Individuals or households.
    Frequency: On occasion.
    Respondent's Obligation: Required to Obtain or Retain Benefits.
    This information collection request may be viewed at 
www.reginfo.gov. Follow the instructions to view Department of 
Commerce, USPTO information collections currently under review by OMB.
    Written comments and recommendations for this information 
collection should be submitted within 30 days of the publication of 
this notice on the following website www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain. 
Find this particular information collection by selecting ``Currently 
under 30-day Review--Open for Public Comments'' or by using the search 
function and entering either the title of the information collection or 
the OMB Control Number 0651-0012.
    Further information can be obtained by:
     Email: [email protected]. Include ``0651-
0012 information request'' in the subject line of the message.
     Mail: Kimberly Hardy, Office of the Chief Administrative 
Officer, United States Patent and Trademark Office, P.O. Box 1450, 
Alexandria, VA 22313- 1450.

Kimberly Hardy,
Information Collections Officer, Office of the Chief Administrative 
Officer, United States Patent and Trademark Office.
[FR Doc. 2021-04045 Filed 2-25-21; 8:45 am]
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