[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]


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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; Fastener Quality Act Insignia Recordal Process

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-
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.
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    \1\ https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/PLAW-106publ34/pdf/PLAW-106publ34.pdf.
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    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\
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    \2\ https://www.uspto.gov/trademarks/laws/fastener-quality-act-fqa/fastener-quality-act-fqa.
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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.
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    \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
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                                                                                                 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)
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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.
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                        Totals......................           90  ...........              90  ...........              45  ...........          20,115
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[[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.

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                                                                     Estimated
         Item No.             Fee code              Item              annual      Filing fee ($)    Non-hourly
                                                                     responses                      cost burden
                                                                             (a)             (b)     (a) x (b) =
                                                                                                             (c)
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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
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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