[Federal Register Volume 91, Number 32 (Wednesday, February 18, 2026)]
[Notices]
[Pages 7468-7469]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2026-03203]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
Patent and Trademark Office
Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the
Office of Management and Budget for Review and Approval; Comment
Request; Patent and PTAB Pro Bono Programs
AGENCY: United States Patent and Trademark Office, Department of
Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of information collection; request for comments.
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SUMMARY: The United States Patent and Trademark Office (hereafter
``USPTO'' or ``Agency'') will submit the following information
collection request to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for
review and clearance in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of
1995, on or after the date of publication of this notice. The USPTO
invites comments on the information collection renewal of 0651-0082,
which helps the USPTO assess the impact of its information collection
requirements and minimize the reporting burden to the public. Public
comments were previously requested via the Federal Register on October
22, 2025, during a 60-day comment period (90 FR 47732). This notice
allows for an additional 30 days for public comments.
DATES: To ensure consideration, you must submit comments regarding this
information collection on or before March 20, 2026.
ADDRESSES: Written comments and recommendations for this information
collection should be submitted within 30 days of the publication of
this notice on the following website, http://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain. Find this particular information collection by selecting
``Currently under 30-day Review--Open for Public Comments'' or by using
the search function and entering either the title of the information
collection or the OMB Control Number, 0651-0082. Do not submit
Confidential Business Information or otherwise sensitive or protected
information.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
This information collection request may be viewed at
http://www.reginfo.gov. Follow the instructions to view the Department
of Commerce, USPTO information collections currently under review by
OMB.
Email: [email protected]. Include ``0651-
0082 information request'' in the subject line of the message.
Mail: Justin Isaac, Office of the Chief Administrative
Officer, United States Patent and Trademark Office, P.O. Box 1450,
Alexandria, VA 22313-1450.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Title: Patent and PTAB Pro Bono Programs.
OMB Control Number: 0651-0082.
Abstract: The Leahy-Smith America Invents Act (AIA), Public Law
112-29 Sec. 32 (2011) directs the USPTO to work with and support
intellectual property law associations across the country in the
establishment of pro bono programs designed to assist financially
under-resourced independent inventors and small businesses (also
referred to as ``regional hubs''). To support this, the USPTO works
with and supports various non-profit organizations to operate a series
of autonomous regional hubs that endeavor to match under-resourced
inventors with volunteer patent practitioners across the United States.
The regional hubs comprise law schools, bar associations, innovation/
entrepreneurial organizations, and arts-focused lawyer referral
services that are strategically located to provide access to patent pro
bono services across all fifty states, the District of Columbia, and
Puerto Rico.
To support the purposes described above, the Patent Pro Bono Survey
collects information regarding the activity of the regional hubs. The
USPTO works with the Pro Bono Advisory Council (PBAC) to determine what
information is necessary to evaluate the effectiveness of each regional
hub's operations. The PBAC is a well-established group of patent
practitioners and thought leaders in intellectual property who provide
support and guidance to the regional hubs across the country. The
collected data provides the USPTO with valuable information, including
the number of inventor inquiries, referral sources, number of pro bono
applicants successfully matched with patent practitioners, and types of
patent filings. The USPTO, PBAC, and the regional hubs, are responsible
for the quarterly collection of this data.
The USPTO's Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB), collaborates with
the PTAB Bar Association, a non-profit organization that has taken up
the task of helping secure the just, speedy, and inexpensive resolution
of PTAB proceedings and serves the public by coordinating pro bono
opportunities. The PTAB Bar Association established a national
clearinghouse that acts as a matchmaker connecting under-resourced
inventors with volunteer
[[Page 7469]]
patent practitioners across the United States for assistance in
preparing and arguing ex parte appeals before the PTAB. The PTAB Bar
Association's national clearinghouse provides nationwide access to
legal representation for pro bono ex parte appeal services. The PTAB
Pro Bono Program supports the purposes described above by facilitating
the availability of pro bono services for proceedings before the PTAB,
which the USPTO believes can help reduce the financial burden on under-
resourced inventors seeking ex parte appeal assistance.
This information collection covers the surveys used in the Patent
and PTAB Pro Bono Programs. The surveys gather information about the
effectiveness of the programs and how participants utilize the
programs' resources. The information, at its highest level, allows the
USPTO to determine whether the regional hubs and national clearinghouse
are matching qualified under-resourced inventors with volunteer patent
practitioners and help estimate the total economic benefit derived by
under-resourced inventors in the form of donated legal services. This
information also helps the USPTO determine if the regional hubs and
clearinghouse are effectively serving under-resourced inventors and
whether they need additional support.
Forms:
USPTO/550 (Patent Pro Bono Survey)
USPTO/552 (PTAB Pro Bono Survey)
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.
Frequency: Quarterly, annually.
Estimated Number of Annual Respondents: 22 respondents.
Estimated Number of Annual Responses: 85 responses.
Estimated Time per Response: The USPTO estimates that the responses
in this information collection will take the public approximately 1.75
hours (105 minutes) to complete. This includes the time to gather the
necessary information, create the document, and submit the completed
item to the USPTO.
Estimated Total Annual Respondent Burden Hours: 149 hours.
Estimated Total Annual Respondent Non-hourly Cost Burden: $0.
Justin Isaac,
Information Collections Officer, Office of the Chief Administrative
Officer, United States Patent and Trademark Office.
[FR Doc. 2026-03203 Filed 2-17-26; 8:45 am]
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