[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 221 (Thursday, November 17, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 69011-69013]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-25000]
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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; Patent Law Treaty
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-
0073 Patent Law Treaty. 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 January 17, 2023.
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-
0073 comment'' in the subject line of the message.
Federal Rulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov.
Mail: Justin Isaac, 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, Senior Legal Advisor, United
States Patent and Trademark Office, P.O. Box 1450, Alexandria, VA
22313-1450; by telephone at 571-272-3248; or by email at
[email protected] with ``0651-0073 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 Patent Law Treaties Implementation Act of 2012 (PLTIA)
implements the provisions of the Patent Law Treaty (PLT) in title II.
PLT Article 13 provides for the restoration of the right of priority
where there is a failure to timely claim priority to the prior
application, and also where there is a failure to file the subsequent
application within 12 months of the filing date of the priority
application.
The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) rules of
practice are consistent with the PLT and title II of the PLTIA. Section
201(c) of the PLTIA amended 35 U.S.C. 119 to provide that the 12 month
periods set forth in 35 U.S.C. 119(a) and (e) may be extended by an
additional 2 months if the delay in filing an application claiming
priority to a foreign application or the benefit of a provisional
application within that 12-month period was unintentional.
The information in this information collection is necessary so that
patent applicants and/or patentees may seek restoration of the right of
priority to a prior-filed foreign application or of the right to the
benefit of a prior-filed provisional application. The USPTO will use
the petition to restore the right of priority to a prior filed foreign
application or the right to the benefit of a prior-filed provisional
application to determine whether the applicant has satisfied the
conditions of the applicable statute (35 U.S.C. 119) and regulation (37
CFR 1.55(c) or 1.78(b)).
II. Method of Collection
Electronically via the USPTO's patent electronic filing system, by
mail or hand delivery to the USPTO.
III. Data
OMB Control Number: 0651-0073.
Forms: (SB = Specimen Book).
PTO/SB/459 (Petition to Restore the Right of Priority
under 37 CFR 1.55(c) or Petition to Restore the Benefit of a Prior-
Filed Provisional Application under 37 CFR 1.78(b)).
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: 800 respondents.
Estimated Number of Annual Responses: 800 responses.
Estimated Time per Response: The USPTO estimates that the responses
in this information collection will take the public approximately 1
hour to complete. This includes the time to gather the necessary
information, create the document, and submit the completed item to the
USPTO.
Estimated Total Annual Respondent Burden Hours: 800 hours.
Estimated Total Annual Respondent Hourly Cost Burden: $348,000.
[[Page 69012]]
Table 1--Total Burden Hours and Hourly Costs to Private Sector Respondents
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Estimated Estimated time Estimated annual
Item No. Item annual Responses per Estimated annual for response Estimated burden Rate \1\ ($/ respondent cost
respondents respondent responses (hours) (hour/year) hour) burden
................... (a) (b) (a) x (b) = (c) (d) (c) x (d) = (e) (f) (e) x (f) = (g)
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1............ Petition to Restore
the Right of
Priority under 37
CFR 1.55(c)
Or
Petition to Restore 780 1 780 1 780 $435 $339,300
the Benefit of a
Prior-Filed
Provisional
Application under
37 CFR 1.78(b).
PTO/SB/459
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Totals.......... 780 .............. 780 .............. 780 ........... 339,300
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Table 2--Total Burden Hours and Hourly Costs to Individuals or Households Respondents
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Estimated Estimated time Estimated annual
Item No. Item annual Responses per Estimated annual for response Estimated burden Rate \2\ ($/ respondent cost
respondents respondent responses (hours) (hour/year) hour) burden
................... (a) (b) (a) x (b) = (c) (d) (c) x (d) = (e) (f) (e) x (f) = (g)
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1............ Petition to Restore
the Right of
Priority under 37
CFR 1.55(c)
Or
Petition to Restore 20 1 20 1 20 $435 $8,700
the Benefit of a
Prior-Filed
Provisional
Application under
37 CFR 1.78(b).
PTO/SB/459
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Totals.......... 20 .............. 20 .............. 20 ........... 8,700
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Estimated Total Annual Respondent Non-hourly Cost Burden:
$1,464,824.
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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. (https://www.aipla.org/home/news-publications/economic-survey).
\2\ Ibid.
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There are no maintenance costs, capital start-up costs, or
recordkeeping costs associated with this information collection.
However, the USPTO estimates that the total annual (non-hour) cost
burden for this information collection, in the form of filing fees and
postage, is $1,464,824.
Filing Fees
The items with filing fees are listed in the table below.
Table 3--Filing Fees
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Estimated
Item No. Information collection instrument annual Amount Totals
responses
................................. (a) (b) (a) x (b) = (c)
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1......................... Grantable Petition to Restore the 310 $2,100 $651,000
Right of Priority under 37 CFR
1.55(c) (undiscounted entity).
1......................... Grantable Petition to Restore the 65 1,050 68,250
Right of Priority under 37 CFR
1.55(c) (small entity).
1......................... Grantable Petition to Restore the 25 525 13,125
Right of Priority under 37 CFR
1.55(c) (micro entity).
1......................... Grantable Petition to Restore the 310 2,100 651,000
Benefit of a Prior-Filed
Provisional Application under 37
CFR 1.78(b) (undiscounted
entity).
1......................... Grantable Petition to Restore the 65 1,050 68,250
Benefit of a Prior-Filed
Provisional Application under 37
CFR 1.78(b) (small entity).
1......................... Grantable Petition to Restore the 25 525 13,125
Benefit of a Prior-Filed
Provisional Application under 37
CFR 1.78(b) (micro entity)..
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Total Fees.................... .............. .............. 1,464,750
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Postage
Customers may incur postage costs when submitting some of the items
covered by this information collection to the USPTO by mail. The USPTO
estimates that the average postage cost for a paper submission will be
$9.25 (USPS Priority Mail flat rate envelope) and that approximately 8
submissions will be mailed to the USPTO per year, for a total of $74.
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
[[Page 69013]]
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.
Justin Isaac,
Information Collections Officer, Office of the Chief Adminstrative
Officer, United States Patent and Trademark Office.
[FR Doc. 2022-25000 Filed 11-16-22; 8:45 am]
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