[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 107 (Friday, June 3, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 33726-33727]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-11960]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Institute of Standards and Technology


Information Collection Activities; Submission to the Office of 
Management and Budget (OMB) for Review and Approval; Comment Request; 
iEdison System

    The Department of Commerce 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. We invite the 
general public and other Federal agencies to comment on proposed, and 
continuing information collections, which helps us assess the impact of 
our information collection requirements and minimize the public's 
reporting burden. Public comments were previously requested via the 
Federal Register on October 25, 2021, during a 60-day comment period. 
This notice allows for an additional 30 days for public comments.
    Agency: National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), 
Commerce.
    Title: iEdison System.
    OMB Control Number: 0693-XXXX.
    Form Number(s): None.
    Type of Request: Regular, new collection.
    Number of Respondents: 3,063.
    Average Hours per Response:
    Invention Records: 1.25 (approximately 5 times per year).
    Patent Records: .75 hours (approximately 5 times per year).
    Utilization Records: 15 minutes (approximately 22 times per year).
    Burden Hours:
    Invention Records: 19,144 hours.
    Patent Records: 11,486 hours.
    Utilization Records: 16,846 hours.
    Needs and Uses: The Bayh-Dole Act (35 U.S.C. 18) and its 
implementing regulations (37 CFR 401) allow for recipients of federal 
research funding (Contractors) to retain ownership of inventions 
developed under federal funding agreements. In exchange, the government 
retains certain rights to the invention, including a world-wide right

[[Page 33727]]

to use by or on behalf of the U.S. government. The law also requires 
the Contractor to obtain permission for certain actions and fulfill 
reporting requirements including:

    a. Initial reporting of invention;
    b. Decision to retain title to invention;
    c. Filing of patent protection;
    d. Evidence of government support clause within patents;
    e. Submission of a license confirming the government's rights;
    f. Notice if the Contractor is going to discontinue the pursuit 
or continuance of patent protection;
    g. Information related to the development and utilization of 
invention;
    h. Permission to assign to a third party; and
    i. Permission to waive domestic manufacturing requirements.

    This information is used for a variety of reasons. It allows the 
government to identify technologies to which the government has rights 
to use without additional payment or licensing. This acts as a time and 
cost-saving mechanism to avoid unnecessary negotiating and payment. It 
also provides data for calculation of return on investment (ROI) from 
federal funding and identifies successful research programs. Thirdly, 
it allows the government the opportunity to timely protect inventions 
which the Contractor declines title or discontinues patent protection. 
Historically, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has collected 
this information via their on-line portal, iEdison; however, the 
responsibility for this data collection will be taken over by NIST. 
Agencies that do not register with iEdison are required to collect this 
information independently.
    Affected Public: Business or other for-profit organizations; Not-
for-profit institutions.
    Frequency: On occasion.
    Respondent's Obligation: Required to obtain benefits.
    Legal Authority: The Bayh-Dole Act (35 U.S.C. 18) and its 
implementing regulations (37 CFR 401); 35 U.S.C. 200-212.
    This information collection request may be viewed at 
www.reginfo.gov. Follow the instructions to view the Department of 
Commerce collections currently under review by OMB.
    Written comments and recommendations for the proposed 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 the title of the collection.

Sheleen Dumas,
Department PRA Clearance Officer, Office of the Chief Information 
Officer, Commerce Department.
[FR Doc. 2022-11960 Filed 6-2-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-13-P