[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 79 (Tuesday, April 23, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 30324-30326]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-08660]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
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; Fastener Quality Act Insignia Recordal Process
AGENCY: United States Patent and Trademark Office, Department of
Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of information collection; request for comment.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
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-
0028 Fastener Quality Act Insignia Recordal
[[Page 30325]]
Process. 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 June 24, 2024.
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-
0028 comment'' in the subject line of the message.
Federal eRulemaking 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 Catherine Cain, Attorney Advisor, Office of the
Commissioner for Trademarks, United States Patent and Trademark Office,
P.O. Box 1450, Alexandria, VA 22313-1450; by telephone at 571-272-8946;
or by email at [email protected] with ``0651-0028 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
Under section 5 of the Fastener Quality Act (FQA) of 1999,\1\ 15
U.S.C. 5401 et seq., certain industrial fasteners must bear an insignia
identifying the manufacturer. It is also mandatory for manufacturers of
fasteners covered by the FQA to submit an application to the USPTO for
recordal of the insignia on the Fastener Insignia Register.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/PLAW-106publ34/pdf/PLAW-106publ34.pdf.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
The procedures for the recordal of fastener insignia under the FQA
are set forth in 15 CFR 280.300 et seq. The purpose of requiring both
the insignia and the recordation is to ensure that certain fasteners
can be traced to their manufacturers and to protect against the sale of
mismarked, misrepresented, or counterfeit fasteners.
The insignia may be a unique alphanumeric designation that the
USPTO will issue upon request or a trademark that is registered at the
USPTO or is the subject of an application to obtain a registration.
After a manufacturer submits a complete application for recordal, the
USPTO issues a Certificate of Recordal. These certificates remain
active for five years. Applications to renew the certificates must be
filed within six months of the expiration date or, upon payment of an
additional surcharge, within six months following the expiration date.
If a recorded alphanumeric designation is assigned by the
manufacturer to a new owner, the designation becomes ``inactive'' and
the new owner must submit an application to reactivate the designation
within six months of the date of assignment. If the recordal is based
on a trademark application or registration and the registration is
assigned to a new owner, the recordal becomes ``inactive'' and cannot
be reassigned. Instead, the new owner of the trademark application or
registration must apply for a new recordal. Manufacturers who record
insignia must notify the USPTO of any changes of address.
This information collection includes one form, the Application for
Recordal of Insignia or Renewal/Reactivation of Recordal Under the
Fastener Quality Act (PTO-1611), which provides manufacturers with a
convenient way to submit a request for the recordal of a fastener
insignia or to renew or reactivate an existing Certificate of Renewal.
The public uses this information collection to comply with the
insignia recordal provisions of the FQA. The USPTO uses the information
in this collection to record or renew insignias under the FQA and to
maintain the Fastener Insignia Register, which is open for public
inspection and is updated quarterly. The public may download the
Fastener Insignia Register from the USPTO website.\2\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\2\ https://www.uspto.gov/trademarks/laws/fastener-quality-act-fqa/fastener-quality-act-fqa.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
II. Method of Collection
The items in this information collection can be submitted by mail,
email, or hand delivery to the USPTO.
III. Data
OMB Control Number: 0651-0028.
Forms:
PTO-1611 (Application for Recordal of Insignia or Renewal/
Reactivation of Recordal Under the Fastener Quality Act).
Type of Review: Extension and revision of a currently approved
information collection.
Affected Public: Private sector.
Respondent's Obligation: Required to obtain or retain benefits.
Estimated Number of Annual Respondents: 90 respondents.
Estimated Number of Annual Responses: 90 responses.
Frequency: On occasion.
Estimated Time per Response: The USPTO estimates that the responses
in this information collection will take the public approximately 30
minutes (0.50 hours) to complete. This includes the time to gather the
necessary information, prepare the form, and submit the completed
request to the USPTO.
Estimated Total Annual Respondent Burden Hours: 45 hours.
Estimated Total Annual Respondent Hourly Cost Burden: $20,115.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\3\ 2023 Report of the Economic Survey, published by the
Committee on Economics of Legal Practice of the American
Intellectual Property Law Association (AIPLA); pg. F-41. The USPTO
uses the average billing rate for intellectual property work in all
firms which is $447 per hour (https://www.aipla.org/home/news-publications/economic-survey).
Table 1--Total Burden Hours and Hourly Costs to Private Sector Respondents
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Estimated Estimated
Estimated Responses Estimated time for Estimated Rate \3\ ($/ annual
Item No. Item annual per annual response burden (hour/ hour) respondent
respondents respondent responses (hours) year) cost burden
(a) (b) (a) x (b) = (d) (c) x (d) = (f) (e) x (f) =
(c) (e) (g)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1..................... Applications for Recordal of 90 1 90 0.50 45 $447 $20,115
Insignia or Renewal/
Reactivation of Recordal
Under the Fastener Quality
Act.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Totals...................... 90 ........... 90 ........... 45 ........... 20,115
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[[Page 30326]]
Estimated Total Annual Respondent Non-hourly Cost Burden: $2,413.
There are no capital start-up, maintenance 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
$2,413.
Filing Fees
The application in this information collection has two associated
filing fees, resulting in $2,240 in annual non-hourly cost burden.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Estimated
Item No. Fee code Item annual Filing fee ($) Non-hourly
responses cost burden
(a) (b) (a) x (b) =
(c)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1........................ 6991 Filing an application 90 $20 $1,800
6992 for recordal of
insignia or renewal/
reactivation of
recordal.
1........................ 6993 Surcharge for filing 22 20 440
6994 six months after the
expiration date--
Filing an
application for
recordal of insignia
or renewal/
reactivation of
recordal.
-----------------------------------------------
Totals ..................... 112 .............. 2,240
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Postage Costs
Although the USPTO prefers that the items in this information
collection be submitted via email, responses may be submitted by mail
through the United States Postal Service (USPS). The USPTO estimates
that 17 items will be submitted in the mail. The USPTO estimates that
the average postage cost for a mailed submission, using a Priority Mail
legal flat rate envelope, will be $10.15. Therefore, the USPTO
estimates the total mailing costs for this information collection at
$173.
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. The 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, the
USPTO cannot guarantee that it will be able to do so.
Justin Isaac,
Information Collections Officer, Office of the Chief Administrative
Officer, United States Patent and Trademark Office.
[FR Doc. 2024-08660 Filed 4-22-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-16-P