Department of Commerce April 2023 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

Pursuant to its statutory authority to conduct intellectual property programs, the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO or Office) is launching a pilot program to promote and incentivize brand owners who offer products and services that help address humanitarian issues utilizing a federally registered trademark. The pilot program will be conducted as an awards competition. For the inaugural program, the humanitarian theme will be the environment. Participating trademark owners will submit program applications describing how the provision of their goods or services, in connection with a trademark registered by the USPTO, has addressed a humanitarian environmental problem impacting people or the planet.

The U.S. Department of Commerce (Commerce) determines that countervailable subsidies were provided to producers/exporters of forged steel fittings from the People's Republic of China (China) during the period of review (POR) January 1, 2020, through December 31, 2020.

The U.S. Department of Commerce (Commerce) determines that certain exporters under review sold subject merchandise at less than normal value during the period of review (POR), September 1, 2020, through August 31, 2021. Additionally, Commerce determines that Hebei Minmetals Co., Ltd. (Hebei Minmetals) and Xiamen Luckyroc Industry Co., Ltd., (Luckyroc) had no shipments of subject merchandise during the POR.

The U.S. Department of Commerce (Commerce) determines that countervailable subsidies were provided to producers and exporters of certain steel racks and parts thereof (steel racks) from the People's Republic of China (China) during the period of review (POR), January 1, 2020, through December 31, 2020.

The United States Department of Commerce (DOC), International Trade Administration (ITA), is announcing one upcoming trade mission that will be recruited, organized, and implemented by ITA. This mission is: U.S. Industry Program (USIP) at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) General Conference in Vienna, Austria, September 24-27, 2023. A summary of the mission is found below. Application information and more detailed mission information, including the commercial setting and sector information, can be found at the trade mission website: https://www.trade.gov/trade-missions. For each mission, recruitment will be conducted in an open and public manner, including publication in the Federal Register, posting on the Commerce Department trade mission calendar (https://www.trade.gov/trade-missions-schedule) and other internet websites, press releases to general and trade media, direct mail, broadcast fax, notices by industry trade associations and other multiplier groups, and publicity at industry meetings, symposia, conferences, and trade shows.

The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) plays an important role in incentivizing and protecting innovation, including innovation enabled by artificial intelligence (AI), to ensure continued U.S. leadership in AI and other emerging technologies (ET). On February 14, 2023, the USPTO published a Federal Register Notice requesting comments regarding AI and Inventorship. The USPTO is announcing a public listening session on April 25, 2023, titled ``AI Inventorship Listening Session.'' The purpose of the listening session is to seek stakeholder input on the current state of AI technologies and inventorship issues that may arise in view of the advancement of such technologies, as set forth in the questions posed in the Federal Register Notice of February 14, 2023.

The U.S. Department of Commerce (Commerce) preliminarily determines that Sunshine Biotech International Co., Ltd. made sales of subject merchandise at less than normal value (NV) during the July 1, 2021, through June 30, 2022, period of review (POR) and that COFCO Biochemical (Thailand) Co., Ltd. did not. Interested parties are invited to comment on these preliminary results of review.

The Department of Commerce, in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), invites the general public and other Federal agencies to comment on proposed, and continuing information collections, which helps us assess the impact of our information collection requirements and minimize the public's reporting burden. The purpose of this notice is to allow for 60 days of public comment preceding submission of the collection to OMB.

The National Construction Safety Team (NCST) Advisory Committee (Committee) will hold an open meeting in-person and via web conference on Wednesday, June 14, 2023, from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time, and on Thursday, June 15, 2023, from 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Eastern Time. The primary purposes of this meeting are to update the Committee on the progress of the NCST investigation focused on the impacts of Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico, progress of the NCST investigation focused on the Champlain Towers South partial building collapse that occurred in Surfside, Florida, and the implementation of recommendations from previous investigations. The final agenda will be posted on the NIST website at https://www.nist.gov/topics/disaster- failure-studies/national-construction-safety-team-ncst/adviso ry- committee-meetings.

The Natural Resources Defense Council, Healthy Gulf, Center for Biological Diversity, Defenders of Wildlife, Earthjustice, and New England Aquarium submitted a petition to the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) for rulemaking to establish a year-round 10-knot (kn) (5.1 meters/second) vessel speed limit and other vessel-related mitigation measures in the Rice's whale ``core'' habitat area. NMFS is requesting comments on the petition and will consider all comments and available information when determining whether to accept the petition and proceed with the suggested rulemaking.

The U.S. Department of Commerce (Commerce) preliminarily determines that certain producers/exporters subject to this administrative review made sales of subject merchandise at less than normal value (NV) during the period of review (POR), March 1, 2021, through February 28, 2022. Interested parties are invited to comment on these preliminary results of review.

The U.S. Department of Commerce (Commerce) preliminarily determines that sales of stainless steel sheet and strip in coils (SSSSC) from Taiwan have been made at less than normal value during the period of review (POR), July 1, 2021, through June 30, 2022. Additionally, Commerce preliminarily determines that four companies for which we initiated a review had no shipments during the POR. Interested parties are invited to comment on these preliminary results.

The U.S. Department of Commerce (Commerce) preliminarily determines that certain producers and/or exporters made sales of certain corrosion inhibitors (corrosion inhibitors) at less than normal value during the period of review (POR) September 10, 2020, through February 28, 2022. Additionally, Commerce is rescinding this review with respect to Dandee Hong Kong Holdings Ltd., CAC Shanghai Chemical Co., Ltd., Jiangsu Bohan Industry Trade Co., Ltd., Jiangsu Yangnong Chemical Group Co., Ltd., Jiangyin Gold Fuda Chemical Co., Ltd., Nanjing Innochem Co., Ltd., and Xingji Xi Chen Re Neng Co., Ltd. Interested parties are invited to comment on these preliminary results of review.

The Department of Commerce, in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), invites the general public and other Federal agencies to comment on proposed, and continuing information collections, which helps us assess the impact of our information collection requirements and minimize the public's reporting burden. The purpose of this notice is to allow for 60 days of public comment preceding submission of the collection to OMB.

The U.S. Department of Commerce (Commerce) preliminarily determines that the sole mandatory respondent under review made sales of difluoromethane (R-32) from the People's Republic of China (China) below normal value (NV) during the period of review (POR). Additionally, we are rescinding this review with respect to Huantai Dongyue International Trade Co., Ltd. (Huantai Dongyue) and preliminarily rescinding this review with respect to Zhejiang Sanmei Chemical Ind. Co., Ltd. (Zhejiang Sanmei). Interested parties are invited to comment on these preliminary results of review.

This proposed rule would implement two minor changes to Federal regulations, prompted by the proposed Amendment 20 to the Coastal Pelagic Species (CPS) Fishery Management Plan (FMP). Amendment 20 would remove management category terminology from use in the FMP, but not to revise the manner in which the CPS stocks are managed. The Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council) recommended Amendment 20 for clarity and consistency with other Council FMPs. Specifically, this proposed rule would remove the definition for ``Actively Managed Species'' and a reference to ``monitored stocks'' from Federal regulations. Because this action does not change the manner in which CPS stocks are managed, this action is administrative in nature.

NOAA announces its intention to prepare a National Coral Reef Resilience Strategy (National Strategy) in accordance with the Coral Reef Conservation Act of 2000 (CRCA), as reauthorized and amended by the James M. Inhofe National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023. NOAA administers the Coral Reef Conservation Program (CRCP), which is implemented in the coastal areas and marine waters of Florida, Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, Gulf of Mexico, Hawaii, Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, American Samoa, the U.S. Pacific Remote Island Area, and targeted international regions including the wider Caribbean, the Coral Triangle, the South Pacific, and Micronesia. Publication of this document begins the official scoping period to help identify content for specific elements of the National Strategy. The intended effect of this notice is to provide the public with background on the scoping, seek specific input, and provide a general opportunity for comment the agency can consider while developing the National Strategy.

The U.S. Department of Commerce (Commerce) is conducting an administrative review of the antidumping duty order on certain uncoated paper (uncoated paper) from Portugal with respect to one exporter/ producer of subject merchandise. The period of review (POR) is March 1, 2021, through February 28, 2022. Commerce preliminarily finds that sales of uncoated paper from Portugal were made at less than normal value during the POR. We invite interested parties to comment on these preliminary results.

NMFS issues this proposed rule for the 2023 Pacific whiting fishery under the authority of the Pacific Coast Groundfish Fishery Management Plan, the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, the Pacific Whiting Act of 2006 (Whiting Act), and other applicable laws. This proposed rule would establish the domestic 2023 harvest specifications for Pacific whiting including the 2023 tribal allocation for the Pacific whiting fishery, the non-tribal sector allocations, and set-asides for incidental mortality in research activities and non-groundfish fisheries. The proposed measures are intended to help prevent overfishing, achieve optimum yield, ensure that management measures are based on the best scientific information available, and provide for the implementation of tribal treaty fishing rights.

In accordance with the regulations implementing the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA), as amended, notification is hereby given that NMFS has issued a renewal IHA to the U.S. Navy to harass marine mammals incidental to construction activities associated with the replacement of Pier 3 at Naval Station Norfolk in Norfolk, Virginia.

The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO or Office) will begin transitioning to the Patent Center Electronic Office (e-Office) Action program upon publication of this notice. The Patent Center e-Office Action program is designed to modernize the e-Office action process and further streamline the USPTO's service delivery processes. Implementation of the Patent Center e-Office Action program is another step in the USPTO's transition to Patent Center, a more modern, user-friendly system that provides improved system performance and a more intuitive user experience. Once fully implemented, the Patent Center e-Office Action program will replace the existing e- Office Action program available to users of the Private Patent Application Information Retrieval (PAIR) system. In addition, the Patent Center e-Office Action program offers a new option for users to receive courtesy postcards by email (e-postcards) as a reminder that there are available USPTO communications that have not been viewed or downloaded. The USPTO is implementing the e-postcard option based on feedback from customers, particularly to reduce paper consumption and mitigate the impact of potential postal delays. Through this notice, the USPTO seeks public comments on eliminating the postal postcard for all Patent Center e-Office Action program users in the future. As with the existing program, participation in the Patent Center e-Office Action program is optional.

As a result of this expedited second sunset review, the Department of Commerce (Commerce) finds that revocation of the countervailing duty (CVD) order on multilayered wood flooring (MLWF) from the People's Republic of China (China) would likely lead to continuation or recurrence of a countervailable subsidy at the levels indicated in the ``Final Results of Review'' section of this notice.