[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 237 (Tuesday, December 14, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 71045-71047]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-26960]


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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; International Work Sharing Program

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-
0079 (International Work Sharing Program). 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 February 14, 2022.

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-
0079 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: Request for additional information 
should be directed to Michael Arguello, International Worksharing 
Planning and Implementation, United States Patent and Trademark Office, 
P.O. Box 1450, Alexandria, VA 22313-1450; by telephone at 571-270-7876; 
or by email at [email protected] with ``0651-0079 comment'' in 
the subject line. Additional information about this information 
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) established a 
Work Sharing Pilot Program in

[[Page 71046]]

conjunction with the Japan Patent Office (JPO) and the Korean 
Intellectual Property Office (KIPO) to study how the exchange of search 
results between offices for corresponding counterpart applications 
improves patent quality and facilitates the examination of patent 
applications in both offices. Under this Work Sharing Pilot Program, 
two Collaborative Search Pilot (CSP) programs--USPTO-JPO and USPTO-
KIPO--have been implemented. Through their respective CSP(s), each 
office concurrently conducts searches on corresponding counterpart 
applications. Each office's search results are exchanged following 
these concurrent searches, which provides examiners with a 
comprehensive set of art before them at the commencement of 
examination.
    Work sharing between Intellectual Property (IP) offices is critical 
for increasing the efficiency and quality of patent examination 
worldwide. The exchange of information and documents between IP offices 
also benefits applicants by promoting compact prosecution, reducing 
pendency, and supporting patent quality by reducing the likelihood of 
inconsistencies in patentability determinations among IP offices when 
considering corresponding counterpart applications. The gains in 
efficiency and quality are achieved through a collaborative work 
sharing approach to the evaluation of patent claims. As a result of 
this exchange of search reports, the examiners in both offices may have 
a more comprehensive set of references before them when making an 
initial patentability determination.
    This information collection is necessary so that applicants that 
file applications in the USPTO, JPO, and KIPO may participate in the 
Work Sharing Pilot Program. The Program enables its participants to 
engage in the exchange of IP documents between the said countries to 
facilitate efficient worldwide patent examinations. This information 
collection is comprised of three items: The Petition for Participation 
in the CSP Program Between the JPO and the USPTO; the Petition for 
Participation in the CSP Program Between the KIPO and the USPTO; and 
the CSP Survey. The Petitions for Participation are used by patent 
applicants to request participation in the CSP Program. The CSP Survey 
is used to collect feedback on the program's value, monitor usage of 
the program, and to measure the benefits the program provides to 
participants.

II. Method of Collection

    The forms associated with this information collection may be 
downloaded from the USPTO website in Portable Document Format (PDF) and 
filled out electronically. Requests to participate in the International 
Work Sharing Program must be submitted online using EFS-Web, the 
USPTO's web-based electronic filing system.

III. Data

    OMB Control Number: 0651-0079.
    Forms: (SB = Specimen Book).
     PTO/SB/437 (Petition to Make Special Under the Expanded 
Collaborative Search Pilot Program).
     PTO/SB/438 (Collaborative Search Pilot Program Survey).
    Type of Review: Extension and revision of a currently approved 
information collection.
    Affected Public: Private sector; individuals or households.
    Respondent's Obligation: Required to obtain or retain benefits.
    Estimated Number of Annual Respondents: 300 respondents.
    Estimated Number of Annual Responses: 300 responses.
    Estimated Time per Response: The USPTO estimates that the responses 
in this information collection will take the public approximately 
between 5 minutes (0.08 hours) and 3 hours 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: 462 hours.
    Estimated Total Annual Respondent Hourly Cost Burden: $200,970.

                                       Table 1--Total Burden Hours and Hourly Costs to Private Sector Respondents
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                Estimated       Estimated                                                                               Estimated annual
 Item No.        Item            annual       responses per   Estimated annual    Estimated time for     Estimated burden  Rate\1\ ($/  respondent cost
                               respondents     respondent        responses          response (hour)        (hour/year)        hour)          burden
                                        (a)             (b)    (a) x (b) = (c)  (d)...................    (c) x (d) = (e)         (f)    (e) x (f) = (g)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1........  Petition for                  37               1                 37  3.....................                111        $435            $48,285
            Participation
            in the
            Collaborative
            Search Pilot
            (CSP) Program
            Between the
            Japan Patent
            Office (JPO)
            and the USPTO.
2........  Petition for                  75               1                 75  3.....................                225         435             97,875
            Participation
            in the
            Collaborative
            Search Pilot
            (CSP) Program
            Between the
            Korean
            Intellectual
            Property Office
            (KPO) and the
            USPTO.
3........  CSP Survey......             112               1                112  0.08..................                  9         435              3,915
                                                                                (5 minutes)...........
                            ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
              Totals.......             224  ..............                224  ......................                345  ..........            150,075
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\1\ 2021 Report of the Economic Survey, published by the Committee on Economics of Legal Practice of the American Intellectual Property Law Association
  (AIPLA); pg. F-27. The USPTO uses the average billing rate for intellectual property attorneys in private firms which is $435 per hour.


[[Page 71047]]


                                       Table 2--Total Burden Hours and Hourly Costs to Private Sector Respondents
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                Estimated       Estimated                                                                               Estimated annual
 Item No.        Item            annual       responses per   Estimated annual    Estimated time for     Estimated burden   Rate \2\    respondent cost
                               respondents     respondent        responses          response (hour)        (hour/year)      ($/hour)         burden
                                        (a)             (b)    (a) x (b) = (c)  (d)...................    (c) x (d) = (e)         (f)    (e) x (f) = (g)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1........  Petition for                  13               1                 13  3.....................                 39        $435            $16,965
            Participation
            in the
            Collaborative
            Search Pilot
            (CSP) Program
            Between the
            Japan Patent
            Office (JPO)
            and the USPTO.
2........  Petition for                  25               1                 25  3.....................                 75         435             32,625
            Participation
            in the
            Collaborative
            Search Pilot
            (CSP) Program
            Between the
            Korean
            Intellectual
            Property Office
            (KPO) and the
            USPTO.
3........  CSP Survey......              38               1                 38  0.08..................                  3         435              1,305
                                                                                (5 minutes)...........
                            ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
              Totals.......              76  ..............                 76  ......................                117  ..........            $50,895
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
\2\ Ibid.

    Estimated Total Annual Respondent Non-hourly Cost Burden: $0. There 
are no capital start-up, maintenance costs, recordkeeping costs, filing 
fees, or postage costs associated with this information collection.

IV. Request for Comments

    The USPTO is soliciting public comments to:
    (a) Evaluate whether the 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 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 
an address, phone number, email address, or other personally 
identifiable information (PII) in a comment, be aware that the entire 
comment--including PII--may be made publicly available at any time. 
While you may ask in your comment to withhold PII from public view, 
USPTO cannot guarantee that it will be able to do so.

Kimberly Hardy,
Information Collections Officer, Office of the Chief Adminstrative 
Officer, United States Patent and Trademark Office.
[FR Doc. 2021-26960 Filed 12-13-21; 8:45 am]
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