[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 132 (Wednesday, July 10, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 56739-56741]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-15123]
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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; Trademark Petitions
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-
0061 (Trademark Petitions). 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 September 9, 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-
0061 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: Request 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 ``0651-0061 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 United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) administers
the Trademark Act (Act), 15 U.S.C. 1051 et seq., which provides for the
registration of trademarks, service marks, collective membership marks,
and certification marks. Individuals and businesses that use or intend
to use such marks in commerce may file an application to register their
marks with the USPTO.
This information collection covers various trademark-related
communications to the USPTO, including letters of protest, requests to
make special, responses to petition inquiry letters, petitions to make
special, requests to restore a filing date, and requests for
reinstatement. This information collection also incorporates petitions
for ex parte expungement or reexamination (PTO-2312). Ex parte
expungement and reexamination proceedings were established by the
Trademark Modernization Act of 2020 (TMA), Public Law 116-260 (Dec. 27,
2020), to cancel, either in whole or in part, registered marks for
which the required use in commerce was not made. The burden estimate
for petitions for ex parte expungement or reexamination was previously
contained in OMB Control No. 0651-0086, Changes to Implement Provisions
of the Trademark Modernization Act, but is being transferred into this
information collection for efficiency. Finally, this information
collection consolidates into a single burden estimate the burden for
responses to petition inquiry letters (PTO-2305), which was previously
reflected in both OMB Control No. 0651-0086 and this information
collection.
The information covered in this collection is used by the public
for a variety of private business purposes related to establishing and
enforcing trademark rights. Information relating to the registration of
a trademark is made available to the public by the USPTO. However, the
release of information in a letter of protest is controlled and may be
available only upon request.
II. Method of Collection
Items in this information collection must be submitted
electronically. In limited circumstances, applicants may also be
permitted to submit the information in paper form, by mail, or by hand
delivery.
III. Data
OMB Control Number: 0651-0061.
Forms:
[[Page 56740]]
PTO-2303 (Letter of Protest)
PTO-2304 (Request to Make Special)
PTO-2305 (Response to Petition to Director Inquiry Letter)
PTO-2306 (Petition to Make Special)
PTO-2307 (Request to Restore Filing Date)
PTO-2308 (Request for Reinstatement)
PTO-2312 (Petition for Expungement or Reexamination Form)
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: 5,813 respondents.
Estimated Number of Annual Respondents: 5,813 respondents.
Estimated Number of Annual Responses: 5,813 responses.
Frequency: On occasion.
Estimated Time per Response: The USPTO estimates that the responses
in this information collection will take the public approximately
between 40 minutes (0.67 hours) and 4.5 hours to complete. This
includes the time to gather the necessary information, create the
document, and submit the completed request to the USPTO.
Estimated Total Annual Respondent Burden Hours: 7,893 hours.
Estimated Total Annual Respondent Hourly Cost Burden: $3,528,171.
Table 1--Total Burden Hours and Hourly Costs to Private Sector Respondents
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Estimated
Estimated Responses per Estimated Estimated time for Estimated Rate \1\ ($/ annual
Item No. Item annual respondent annual response (hours) burden (hour/ hour) respondent
respondents responses year) cost burden
(a) (b) (a) x (b) = (d)................ (c) x (d) = (f) (e) x (f) =
(c) (e) (g)
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1.............. Letter of Protest 3,243 1 3,243 1.5................ 4,865 $447 $2,174,655
(PTO-2303).
2.............. Request to Make 800 1 800 0.83 (50 minutes).. 664 447 296,808
Special (PTO-
2304).
3.............. Response to 800 1 800 1.................. 800 447 357,600
Petition to
Director Inquiry
Letter (PTO-
2305).
4.............. Petition to Make 300 1 300 0.83 (50 minutes).. 249 447 111,303
Special (PTO-
2306).
5.............. Request to 40 1 40 0.83 (50 minutes).. 33 447 14,751
Restore Filing
Date (PTO-2307).
6.............. Request for 400 1 400 1.................. 400 447 178,800
Reinstatement
(PTO-2308).
7.............. Petition for Ex 90 1 90 4.5................ 405 447 181,035
Parte
Expungement (PTO-
2312).
8.............. Petition for Ex 100 1 100 4.5................ 450 447 201,150
Parte
Reexamination
(PTO-2312).
9.............. Response to 40 1 40 0.67 (40 minutes).. 27 447 12,069
Petition for
Expungement or
Reexamination
Inquiry Letter
(PTO-2312).
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Totals........ 5,813 ............... 5,813 ................... 7,893 .............. 3,528,171
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\1\ 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).
Estimated Total Annual Respondent Non-hourly Cost Burden: $313,260.
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 filings fees and postage, is
$313,260.
Filing Fees
There are fees associated with submitting the petitions and
requests in this information collection for a total of $313,250 per
year.
Table 2--Filing Fees
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Estimated
Item No. Fee code Item annual Filing fee ($) Non-hourly
responses cost burden
(a) (b) (a) x (b) =
(c)
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1................... 7011.................. Letter of Protest. 3,243 $50 $162,150
4................... 7005.................. Petition to Make 299 250 74,750
Special
(Electronic).
4................... 6005.................. Petition to Make 1 350 350
Special (Paper).
7................... 7014.................. Petition for Ex 90 400 36,000
Parte Expungement.
8................... 7014.................. Petition for Ex 100 400 40,000
Parte
Reexamination.
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Totals......... 3,733 .............. 313,250
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[[Page 56741]]
Postage Costs
In limited circumstances, applicants may be permitted to submit the
information in paper form by mail, fax, or hand delivery. Applicants
and registrants incur postage costs when submitting information to the
USPTO by mail through the United States Postal Service. The USPTO
estimates that 1 item will be submitted by 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 will
be $10.
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. 2024-15123 Filed 7-9-24; 8:45 am]
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