[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 12 (Thursday, January 19, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 3394-3395]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-00945]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

Patent and Trademark Office

[Docket No. PTO-P-2022-0027]


Expanding Admission Criteria for Registration To Practice in 
Patent Cases Before the United States Patent and Trademark Office

AGENCY: United States Patent and Trademark Office, Department of 
Commerce.

ACTION: Request for comments; extension of written comment period.

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SUMMARY: The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO or 
Office) published a request for comments in the Federal Register on 
October 18, 2022, seeking comments from the public on the scientific 
and technical requirements to practice in patent matters before the 
USPTO. Through this notice, the Office is extending the

[[Page 3395]]

period for written public comments until January 31, 2023.

DATES: Comment Deadline: Written comments must be received by January 
31, 2023.

ADDRESSES: For reasons of Government efficiency, comments must be 
submitted through the Federal eRulemaking Portal at 
www.regulations.gov. To submit comments via the portal, enter docket 
number PTO-P-2022-0027 on the homepage and click ``Search.'' The site 
will provide a search results page listing all documents associated 
with this docket. Find a reference to this request for comments and 
click on the ``Comment Now!'' icon, complete the required fields, and 
enter or attach your comments. Attachments to electronic comments will 
be accepted in ADOBE[supreg] portable document format (PDF) or 
MICROSOFT WORD[supreg] format. Because comments will be made available 
for public inspection, information that the submitter does not desire 
to make public, such as an address or phone number, should not be 
included.
    Visit the Federal eRulemaking Portal for additional instructions on 
providing comments via the portal. If electronic submission of comments 
is not feasible due to a lack of access to a computer and/or the 
internet, please contact the Office using the contact information below 
for special instructions on how to submit comments by other means.
    Anonymous submissions: The Office will accept anonymous 
submissions. Enter ``N/A'' in the required fields if you wish to remain 
anonymous.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Will Covey, Deputy General Counsel and 
Director, Office of Enrollment and Discipline, at 571-272-4097 or 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On October 18, 2022, the USPTO published a 
Federal Register Notice announcing that the Office seeks input on 
whether it should revise the scientific and technical criteria for 
admission to practice in patent matters. 87 FR 63044. The request for 
comments sought public input on whether to require the USPTO to 
periodically review certain applicant degrees on a predetermined 
timeframe, and whether to make certain modifications to the 
accreditation requirement for computer science degrees. The request for 
comments also sought input on whether the creation of a separate design 
patent practitioner bar would be beneficial to the public and the 
Office, whether to add clarifying instructions to the General 
Requirements Bulletin for Admission to the Examination for Registration 
to Practice in Patent Cases before the United States Patent and 
Trademark Office for limited recognition applicants, and whether the 
Office should make any additional updates to the scientific and 
technical requirements for admission to practice in patent matters. The 
notice requested that written public comments be submitted on or before 
January 17, 2023.
    Through this notice, the USPTO is extending the period for written 
public comments until January 31, 2023, to give interested members of 
the public additional time to submit comments. Previously submitted 
written comments do not need to be resubmitted. Any comments received 
after the close of the previous deadline of January 17, 2023, and the 
publication date of this notice will be treated as timely and given 
full consideration.
    All other information and instructions to commenters provided in 
the October 18, 2022 notice remain unchanged.

Katherine K. Vidal,
Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of 
the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
[FR Doc. 2023-00945 Filed 1-18-23; 8:45 am]
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