[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 30 (Tuesday, February 14, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Page 9492]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-03119]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

Patent and Trademark Office

[Docket No.: PTO-P-2022-0025]


Request for Comments on USPTO Initiatives To Ensure the 
Robustness and Reliability of Patent Rights

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

ACTION: Request for comments; extension of comment period.

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SUMMARY: The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) is 
extending the comment period for the notice titled ``Request for 
Comments on USPTO Initiatives to Ensure the Robustness and Reliability 
of Patent Rights'' that was published in the Federal Register on 
October 4, 2022. The notice's comment period was previously extended 
until February 1, 2023. The comment period is now extended a second 
time; this will be the last extension of the comment period.

DATES: The comment period for the notice published at 87 FR 60130, 
which was extended at 87 FR 66282 on November 3, 2022, is further 
extended. Comments are due by February 28, 2023.

ADDRESSES: For reasons of government efficiency, comments must be 
submitted through the Federal eRulemaking Portal at 
www.regulations.gov. This docket closed on February 1, 2023, but is now 
reopened to accept additional comments. To submit comments via the 
portal, enter docket number PTO-P-2022-0025 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 
document and click on the ``Comment'' icon, complete the required 
fields, and enter or attach your comments. Attachments to electronic 
comments will be accepted as various file types, including 
Adobe[supreg] portable document format (PDF) and Microsoft Word[supreg] 
format. Because comments will be made available for public inspection, 
information the submitter does not desire to make public, such as an 
address or phone number, should not be included in the comments.
    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 USPTO using the contact information below 
(at FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT) for special instructions.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Linda Horner, Administrative Patent 
Judge, at 571-272-9797; June Cohan, Senior Legal Advisor, Office of 
Patent Legal Administration, Office of the Deputy Commissioner for 
Patents, at 571-272-7744; or Raul Tamayo, Senior Legal Advisor, Office 
of Patent Legal Administration, Office of the Deputy Commissioner for 
Patents, at 571-272-7728.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On October 4, 2022, the USPTO published a 
notice titled ``Request for Comments on USPTO Initiatives to Ensure the 
Robustness and Reliability of Patent Rights'' to seek initial public 
comments on proposed initiatives directed at bolstering the robustness 
and reliability of patents to incentivize and protect new and 
nonobvious inventions while facilitating the broader dissemination of 
public knowledge, which will, in turn, promote innovation and 
competition. See 87 FR 60130. On November 3, 2022, the USPTO extended 
the written comment period until February 1, 2023. See 87 FR 66282. The 
USPTO is now extending the written comment period a second time until 
February 28, 2023, to ensure that all stakeholders have a sufficient 
opportunity to submit comments on the questions presented in the 
October 4, 2022, notice. This will be the last extension of the comment 
period.
    Comments previously submitted to the docket through the Federal 
eRulemaking Portal do not need to be resubmitted. Any comments sent 
directly to USPTO after the close of the previous deadline of February 
1, 2023, must be submitted through the Federal eRulemaking Portal 
before the newly extended deadline to be given full consideration. All 
other information and instructions to commenters provided in the 
October 4, 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. 2023-03119 Filed 2-13-23; 8:45 am]
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