[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
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                                                                             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)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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).
                                   ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                    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)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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.
                                                                 -----------------------------------------------
                                                 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]
BILLING CODE 3510-16-P