The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has submitted to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for clearance the following proposal for collection of information under the provisions of the Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C. Chapter 35).
Agency: United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).
Title: Trademark Processing.
Form Number(s): PTO Form 4.8/4.9/4.16/1478/1478(a)/1553/1581/1583/1963/2000, PTO/TM/4.16/1583.
Agency Approval Number: 0651-0009.
Type of Request: Revision of a currently approved collection.
Burden: 144,587 hours annually.
Number of Respondents: 677,151 responses per year.
Avg. Hours Per Response: The time needed to respond is estimated to range from 3 to 30 minutes. It is estimated that the time needed to complete the paper forms ranges from 5 to 23 minutes, and the time needed to complete the electronic forms ranges from 4 to 21 minutes. The information collection also includes four items, namely, powers of attorney, designations of domestic representatives, trademark amendments/corrections/surrenders, and petitions to revive abandoned applications, for which forms have not been created. The USPTO estimates that completing these items ranges from 3 to 30 minutes. This includes time to gather the necessary information, create the documents, and submit the completed requests.
Needs and Uses: This collection of information is required by the Trademark Act, 15 U.S.C. 1051 et. seq, which provides for the Federal registration of trademarks, service marks, collective trademarks and service marks, collective membership marks, and certification marks. Individuals and businesses who use their marks, or intend to use their marks, in commerce regulable by Congress, may file an application to register their mark. The mark will remain on the register for ten years.
The USPTO administers the Trademark Act through 37 CFR part 2, which contains the rules that implement the Act. These rules mandate that each register entry contain the mark, the goods and/or services that the mark is used in connection with, identifying ownership information, dates of use, and certain other information. The USPTO also requires that similar information be provided in applications for registration. The register and pending application information may be accessed by the public to determine availability of a mark. Use of the USPTO's information may lessen the likelihood that a potential trademark user will use a mark already adopted by another entity.
Affected Public: Individuals or households; business or other for-profit; not-for-profit institutions; farms; the federal Government; and state, local or tribal Government.
Frequency: On occasion.
Respondent's Obligation: Required to obtain or retain benefits.
OMB Desk Officer: David Rostker, (202) 395-3897.
Copies of the above information collection proposal can be obtained by calling or writing Susan K. Brown, Records Officer, Office of Data Management,Data Administration Division, (703) 308-7400, USPTO, Suite 310, 2231 Crystal Drive, Washington, DC 20231, or by e-mail at susan.brown@uspto.gov.
Written comments and recommendations for the proposed information collection should be sent on or before August 15, 2001 to David Rostker, OMB Desk Officer, Room 10202, New Executive Office Building, Washington, D.C. 20503.
Dated: July 6, 2001.
Susan K. Brown,
Records Officer, USPTO, Office of Data Management, Data Administration Division.
[FR Doc. 01-17655 Filed 7-13-01; 8:45 am]
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