[Federal Register Volume 91, Number 52 (Wednesday, March 18, 2026)]
[Notices]
[Pages 13015-13017]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2026-05221]
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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; Admission To Practice and Roster of Registered Patent
Attorneys and Agents Admitted To Practice Before the United States
Patent and Trademark Office
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''), as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of
1995, invites comments on the extension and revision of an existing
information collection: 0651-0012 (Admission to Practice and Roster of
Registered Patent Attorneys and Agents Admitted to Practice Before the
United States Patent and Trademark Office). The purpose of this notice
is to allow 60 days for public comments preceding submission of the
information collection to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB).
DATES: To ensure consideration, you must submit comments regarding this
information collection on or before May 18, 2026.
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-
0012 comment'' in the subject line of the message.
Federal eRulemaking Portal: https://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.
Telephone: Diana Oleksa, Office of Enrollment and
Discipline, 571-272-4097.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information
should be directed to Diana Oleksa at: Office of Enrollment and
Discipline, United States Patent and Trademark Office, P.O. Box 1450,
Alexandria, VA 22313-1450; 571-272-4097; or [email protected] with
``0651-0012 comment'' in the subject line. Additional information about
this information collection is also available at https://www.reginfo.gov under ``Information Collection Review.''
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Abstract
This collection of information is authorized by 35 U.S.C.
2(b)(2)(D), which permits the United States Patent and Trademark Office
(USPTO) to establish regulations governing the recognition and conduct
of agents, attorneys, or other persons representing applicants or other
parties before the USPTO. This statute also permits the USPTO to
require information from applicants that shows that they are of good
moral character and reputation and have the necessary qualifications to
assist applicants with the patent process and to represent them before
the USPTO.
This information collection addresses submissions required by the
regulations at 37 CFR 1.21 and 11.5-11.11, which set forth the
requirements to apply for the examination for registration and to
demonstrate eligibility to be a registered attorney or agent before the
USPTO. The Office of Enrollment and Discipline (OED) collects this
information to determine the qualifications of individuals entitled to
represent applicants before the USPTO in the preparation and
prosecution of applications for a patent. The OED also collects this
information to administer and maintain the public roster of attorneys
and agents registered to practice before the USPTO, which is accessible
through the USPTO website. This information collection is used by the
USPTO to review applications for the examination for registration, and
to determine whether an applicant may be added to the Register of
Patent Attorneys and Agents. Additionally, it is used to determine
whether an applicant may remain on the Register.
Since the previous renewal of this information collection, certain
items have been changed and reordered. The USPTO is adding an item
(Item 6--Undertaking Under 37 CFR 11.10(b)) to this information
collection. Additionally, the following items have been removed, as
they have been declared exempt from the Paperwork Reduction Act by OMB
under 5 CFR 1320.3(h)(1), 1320.3(h)(2), and 1320.3(h)(7):
Registration Examination to Become a Registered Practitioner
Reasonable Accommodation--PTO 158RA
Change of Registration from Agent to Attorney--PTO 158
Written Requests (Certificate of Good Standing, Disciplinary
History)
II. Method of Collection
Items in this information collection may be submitted as electronic
submissions. Applicants may also submit the information in paper form
by mail, fax, or hand delivery.
III. Data
OMB Control Number: 0651-0012.
Forms:
PTO-107A: (Data Sheet--Register of Patent Attorneys and
Agents)
PTO-107R: (Reinstatement--Data Sheet--Register of Patent
Attorneys and Agents)
PTO-107S: (Registration Statement--Data Sheet--Register of
Patent Attorneys and Agents)
PTO-158: (Application for Registration to Practice Before the
United States Patent and Trademark Office)
PTO-158A: (Application for Registration to Practice Before the
United States Patent and Trademark Office Under 37 CFR 11.6(c) by a
Foreign Resident)
PTO-158T: (Application for Recognition to Practice Before the
United States Patent and Trademark Office Under 37 CFR 11.14(c) by a
Foreign Resident)
PTO-275: (Undertaking Under 37 CFR 11.10(b))
PTO-1209: (Oath or Declaration)
Type of Review: Extension and revision of a currently approved
information collection.
Affected Public: Individuals or Households.
[[Page 13016]]
Respondent's Obligation: Required to obtain or retain benefits.
Frequency: On occasion.
Estimated Number of Annual Respondents: 11,085 respondents.
Estimated Number of Annual Responses: 11,085 responses.
Estimated Time per Response: The USPTO estimates that the responses
in this information collection will take the public approximately 5
minutes (0.08 hours) to 45 minutes (0.75 hours) 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: 2,767 hours.
Estimated Total Annual Respondent Hourly Cost Burden: $1,236,849.
Table 1--Total Hourly Reporting Burden for Individual or Household Respondents
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Estimated
Estimated Responses Estimated Estimated time for response Estimated Rate \1\ annual
Item No. Item annual per annual (hours) burden (hour/ ($/hour) respondent
respondents respondent 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........... Application for 3,293 1 3,293 0.50 (30 minutes).......... 1,647 $447 $736,209
Registration to Practice
Before the United States
Patent and Trademark
Office. Includes:
Former examiners
(examination waived) (PTO-
158).
Under 37 CFR
11.6(c) by a Foreign
Resident (examination
waived) (PTO-158A).
37 CFR 11.14(c)
by a Foreign Resident
(examination waived) (PTO-
158T).
2........... Data Sheet--Register of 1,103 1 1,103 0.50 (30 minutes).......... 552 447 246,744
Patent Attorneys and
Agents PTO-107A.
3........... Registration Statement of 1 1 1 0.50 (30 minutes).......... 1 447 447
Patent Attorneys and
Agents PTO-107S.
4........... Oath or Affirmation PTO- 1,034 1 1,034 0.08 (5 minutes)........... 83 447 37,101
1209.
5........... Reinstatement to the 77 1 77 0.08 (5 minutes)........... 6 447 2,682
Register PTO-107R.
6........... Undertaking Under 37 CFR 61 1 61 0.50 (30 minutes).......... 31 447 13,857
11.10(b) PTO-275.
7........... Petition to the Director 8 1 8 0.75 (45 minutes).......... 6 447 2,682
of the Office of
Enrollment and Discipline
under 37 CFR 11.2(c).
8........... Petition to USPTO Director 1 1 1 0.75 (45 minutes).......... 1 447 447
under 37 CFR 11.2(d).
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Totals................... 5,578 .......... 5,578 ........................... 2,327 ........ 1,040,169
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The USPTO Office of Enrollment and Discipline General Requirements
Bulletin recommends that ``an applicant should make and keep a copy of
every document submitted to the Office in connection with an
application for registration.'' \2\ The USPTO estimates that it will
take an applicant approximately 5 minutes (0.08 hours) to print and
retain a copy of the submissions and that approximately 5,507 responses
requiring record keeping (based on the response numbers from Table 1)
will be made per year, for a total of 440 hours.
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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 $447 per hour (https://www.aipla.org/home/news-publications/economic-survey).
\2\ General Requirements Bulletin for Admission to the
Examination for Registration to Practice in Patent Cases before the
United States Patent and Trademark Office; https://www.uspto.gov/sites/default/files/documents/OED_GRB.pdf.
Table 2--Total Hourly Recordkeeping Burden for Individual or Household Respondents
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Estimated Estimated Estimated
annual time for Estimated Rate \3\ annual
Item No. Item respondents response annual burden ($/hour) respondent
(year) (hours) (hour/year) cost burden
............................ (a) (b) (a) x (b) = (d) (c) x (d) =
(c) (e)
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1.............. Application for Registration 3,293 0.08 263 $447 $117,561
to Practice Before the
United States Patent and
Trademark Office.
2.............. Data Sheet--Register of 1,103 0.08 88 447 39,336
Patent Attorneys and Agents.
4.............. Oath or Affirmation......... 1,034 0.08 83 447 37,101
5.............. Reinstatement to the 77 0.08 6 447 2,682
Register.
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Totals..................... 5,507 .......... 440 ........ 196,680
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Estimated Total Annual Respondent Non-hourly Cost Burden: $798,130.
There are no capital start-up costs or maintenance 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 $798,130.
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\3\ Ibid footnote in Table 1.
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Filing Fees
[[Page 13017]]
Table 3--Filing Fees
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Total non-hour
Item No. Fee code Item Responses Filing fee respondent cost
(yr) ($) burden ($/hr)
.................... .............................. (a) (b) (a) x (b) = (c)
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1............... 9001................ Non-Refundable Application Fee 3,293 $118 $388,574
for Registration to Practice
Before the United States
Patent and Trademark Office.
Includes:
When used for
registration fees only
(former examiners;
examination waived).
Under 37 CFR 11.6(c)
by a Foreign Resident
(examination waived).
Under 37 CFR 11.14(c)
by a Foreign Resident
(examination waived).
1............... 9030................ Request for extension of time 764 124 94,736
in which to schedule
examination for registration
to practice (non-refundable).
1............... 9014................ Non-Refundable Application Fee 21 1,806 37,926
for Enrollment and/or
Reinstatement to Practice
Before the United States
Patent and Trademark Office
under 37 CFR 1.21(a)(10)
(those who must prove fitness
to practice).
3............... 9003................ On Registration to Practice 1,094 226 247,244
Under 37 CFR 11.6.
3............... 9026................ On Grant of Limited 36 226 8,136
Recognition Under 37 CFR
11.9(b).
5............... 9004................ Reinstatement to the Register. 77 226 17,402
7............... 9012................ Petition to the Director of 8 452 3,616
the Office of Enrollment and
Discipline under 37 CFR
11.2(c).
8............... 9013................ Review of Decision of the 1 452 452
Director of Enrollment and
Discipline Under 37 CFR
11.2(d).
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Totals....................... 5,294 ........... 798,086
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Postage
Submissions in this information collection are accepted via email,
postal mail, and hand delivery. The USPTO expects that at most 1% of
the 5,578 reporting submissions in this information collection will be
submitted in the mail through the United States Postal Service,
resulting in 56 mailed items. The remaining items will be submitted
electronically. The average postage cost for a mailed submission, using
a First Class 1-ounce letter envelope, is $0.78. Therefore, the USPTO
estimates that the total mailing costs for this information collection
is $44.
In prior renewals of this information collection, attorneys or
agents seeking registration before the USPTO would incur notary costs
when they were required to obtain and submit an Oath or Affirmation.
The USPTO no longer requires the Oath or Affirmation to be notarized.
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 advised that the entire
comment--including PII--may be made publicly available at any time.
While one may request in a 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. 2026-05221 Filed 3-17-26; 8:45 am]
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