[Federal Register Volume 91, Number 66 (Tuesday, April 7, 2026)]
[Notices]
[Pages 17635-17636]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2026-06727]
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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; Law School Clinic Certification Program
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 0651-0081,
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 December
22, 2025, during a 60-day comment period (90 FR 59798). 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 May 7, 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, https://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, 0651-0081. Do not submit
Confidential Business Information or otherwise sensitive or protected
information.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
This information collection request may be viewed at
https://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-
0081 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.
Telephone: Diana Oleksa, Office of Enrollment and
Discipline, 571-272-4097.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Title: Law School Clinic Certification Program.
OMB Control Number: 0651-0081.
Abstract: Public Law 113-227 (Dec. 16, 2014) requires the USPTO to
establish regulations and procedures for application to, and
participation in the USPTO Law School Clinic Certification Program. The
Program allows students enrolled in a participating law school's clinic
to practice patent or trademark law before the USPTO under the direct
supervision of an approved faculty clinic supervisor. Each clinic
provides legal services on a pro bono basis for clients who qualify for
assistance from the law school's clinic. By drafting, filing, and
prosecuting patent and trademark applications, students gain valuable
experience that would otherwise be unavailable to them while in law
school. The program also facilitates the provision of pro bono services
to patent and trademark applicants who lack the financial resources
necessary for traditional legal representation. Currently, 74 law
schools participate in the program.
This information collection covers the applications from law
schools that wish to enter the program, faculty advisors who seek to
become a faculty clinic supervisor, and students who seek to
participate in this program. The collection also includes the required
semi-annual reports from participating law school clinics and biennial
renewals required by the program. With this renewal, the USPTO is
renumbering the items within this information collection to match their
current arrangement.
Forms: (LS=Law School)
PTO-158LS (Application for Limited Recognition in USPTO Law
School Program for Law Students to Practice Before the USPTO)
[[Page 17636]]
PTO-159LS (Semi-Annual Law School Clinic Certification Program
Reporting Sec. 11.17(b) Requirements for Participation in the USPTO
Law School Clinic Certification Program)
PTO-160LS (Law School Clinic Certification Program Reporting)
PTO-161LS (Application by Law School Faculty Member to Become
a Faculty Clinic Supervisor)
PTO-162LS (Law School Clinic Certification Program Renewal
Application)
Type of Review: Extension and revision of a currently approved
information collection.
Affected Public: Private sector; Individuals or Households.
Respondent's Obligation: Required to obtain or retain benefits.
Frequency: On occasion; semiannually; biennially.
Estimated Number of Annual Respondents: 951 respondents.
Estimated Number of Annual Responses: 1,025 responses.
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 30 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: 1,330 hours.
Estimated Total Annual Respondent Non-Hourly Cost Burden: $61. The
postage costs have increased since the publication of the 60-day
Federal Register notice, from $12.10 to $12.25 for the Priority Mail
legal flat rate envelope used for mailed submissions. The estimated
postage costs equal $61.
Justin Isaac,
Information Collections Officer, Office of the Chief Administrative
Officer, United States Patent and Trademark Office.
[FR Doc. 2026-06727 Filed 4-6-26; 8:45 am]
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