Extension of the First-Time Filer Expedited Examination Pilot Program, 17441-17442 [2024-05102]
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ddrumheller on DSK120RN23PROD with NOTICES1
Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 48 / Monday, March 11, 2024 / Notices
administrated by the International
Bureau (IB) of the World Intellectual
Property Organization (WIPO) located in
Geneva, Switzerland.
Under the Hague Agreement, U.S.
applicants can file international design
applications in English ‘‘indirectly’’
through the United States Patent and
Trademark Office (USPTO), which will
forward the applications to the IB or
‘‘directly’’ with the IB. An international
design application is subject to the
payment of three types of fees: (1) a
basic fee, (2) a publication fee, and (3)
in respect of each Contracting Party
where protection is sought, either in a
standard or an individual designation
fee. All applications are subject to a
three-level structure of standard fees,
which reflects the level of examination
carried out by the Office of a
Contracting Party. Also, an additional
fee is required where the application
contains a description that exceeds 100
words. In addition, a transmittal fee is
required for international design
applications filed through an office of
indirect filing. Thus, international
design applications filed through the
USPTO as an Office of indirect filing are
subject to payment of a transmittal fee
for processing and forwarding the
international design applications to the
IB. The fees required by the IB may be
paid either directly to the IB or through
the USPTO as an office of indirect filing
in the amounts specified on the World
Intellectual Property Organization
website. If applicants want to pay the
required fees through USPTO as an
office of indirect filing, the fees must be
paid no later than the date of payment
of the transmittal fee. The fees will then
be forwarded to the IB. The industrial
design or designs will be eligible for
protection in all the Contracting Parties
designated by applicants.
The IB ascertains whether the
international design application
complies with formal requirements,
registers the international design to the
international register, and publishes the
international registration in the
International Designs Bulletin. The
international registration contains all of
the data of the international application,
any reproduction of the international
design, date of the international
registration, number of the international
registration, and the relevant class of the
International Classification.
The IB will provide a copy of the
publication of the international
registration to each Contracting party
designated by the application. A
designated Contracting Party may
perform a substantive examination of
the design application. The USPTO will
perform a substantive examination for
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patentability of the international design
application, as in the case of regular
U.S. design applications.
This information collection covers all
the necessary information required for
an international design application that
is filed through the USPTO as an Office
of indirect filing and those filed directly
through the IB. The information in this
collection is used to register a design
patent under the provisions of the
Hague Agreement. The majority of the
items are WIPO forms managed by the
IB, but this information collection also
includes two forms maintained by the
USPTO.
Forms: (WIPO DM = WIPO Dessins et
Modeles (design representations); PTOL
= Patent Trademark Office Legal).
• PTO 1595: (Recordation Form Cover
Sheet)
• PTOL 85 Part B (Hague): (Fee(s)
Transmittal)
• WIPO DM/1 (E): (Application for
International Application)
• WIPO DM/1/I (E): (Annex I: Oath or
Declaration of the Creator under Rule
8(1)(a)(ii) of the Common Regulations)
• WIPO DM/1/III (E): (Annex III:
Information on Eligibility for
Protection under Rule 7(5)(g) and
Section 408(d) of the Administrative
Instructions)
• WIPO DM/1/IV (E): (Annex IV:
Reduction of United States Individual
Designation Fee under Section 408(b)
of the Administrative Instructions)
• WIPO DM/1/V (E): (Annex V:
Supporting Document(s) Concerning
Priority Claim under Article 4 of the
Paris Convention—Korean Intellectual
Property Office (KIPO))
• WIPO DM/7 (E): (Appointment of a
Representative)
Two forms listed above are used by
the processes covered in this
information collection, but receive OMB
approval and clearance through other
USPTO information collections. These
forms are:
• PTO 1595—approved through USPTO
information collection 0651–0027
(Recording Assignments)
• PTOL 85 Part B (Hague)—approved
through USPTO information
collection 0651–0033 (Post Allowance
and Refiling)
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: On occasion.
Estimated Number of Annual
Respondents: 1,231 respondents.
Estimated Number of Annual
Responses: 1,231 responses.
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17441
Estimated Time per Response: The
USPTO estimates that the responses in
this information collection will take the
public approximately between 15
minutes (0.25 hours) and 6 hours to
complete. This includes the time to
gather the necessary information, create
the document, and submit the
completed request to the USPTO.
Estimated Total Annual Respondent
Burden Hours: 2,052 hours.
Estimated Total Annual Respondent
Non-Hourly Cost Burden: $3,708,240.
This information collection may be
viewed at www.reginfo.gov. Follow the
instructions to view Department of
Commerce, USPTO information
collections currently under review by
OMB.
Written comments and
recommendations for this information
collection should be submitted within
30 days of the publication of this notice
on the following website,
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
feature and entering the title of the
information collection or the OMB
Control Number, 0651–0075.
Further information can be obtained
by:
• Email: InformationCollection@
uspto.gov. Include ‘‘0651–0075
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 2313–
1450.
Justin Isaac,
Information Collections Officer, Office of the
Chief Administrative Officer, United States
Patent and Trademark Office.
[FR Doc. 2024–05052 Filed 3–8–24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–16–P
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
Patent and Trademark Office
[Docket No.: PTO–P–2022–0042]
Extension of the First-Time Filer
Expedited Examination Pilot Program
Patent and Trademark Office,
Commerce.
ACTION: Notice.
AGENCY:
On March 9, 2023, the United
States Patent and Trademark Office
(USPTO) implemented the First-Time
Filer Expedited Examination Pilot
Program, which permits patent
applications from certain micro entity
SUMMARY:
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ddrumheller on DSK120RN23PROD with NOTICES1
17442
Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 48 / Monday, March 11, 2024 / Notices
first-time filers to be advanced out of
turn for examination and reviewed
earlier (accorded special status). The
pilot program was originally scheduled
to end on March 11, 2024. In view of the
continued interest in the program, the
USPTO is extending it until either
March 11, 2025, or until the date on
which the USPTO grants a total of 1,000
petitions since the start of the pilot
program, whichever occurs first. All
pilot parameters will remain the same as
those for the original pilot.
DATES:
Applicable Date: March 11, 2024.
Duration: The First-Time Filer
Expedited Examination Pilot Program
will continue to run until either March
11, 2025, or until the date on which the
USPTO grants a total of 1,000 petitions
since the start of the pilot program,
whichever occurs first. Therefore,
petitions to make special under the
First-Time Filer Expedited Examination
Pilot Program must be filed on or before
March 11, 2025. The USPTO may
further extend the pilot program (with
or without modifications) or terminate it
depending on factors such as workload
and resources needed to administer the
program, feedback from the public, and
the effectiveness of the program. If the
program is terminated, the USPTO will
notify the public. The USPTO will
continue to indicate the number of
applications accepted into the program
on the First-Time Filer Expedited
Examination Pilot Program web page
(www.uspto.gov/FirstTimePatentFiler).
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Brannon Smith, Legal Advisor (571–
270–1601 or Brannon.Smith@
uspto.gov); or Susy Tsang-Foster, Senior
Legal Advisor (571–272–7711 or
susy.tsang-foster@uspto.gov), of the
Office of Patent Legal Administration,
Office of the Deputy Commissioner for
Patent Examination Policy.
Questions regarding electronic
application filing may be directed to the
Patent Electronic Business Center at
866–217–9197 during its operating
hours of 6 a.m. to midnight ET,
Monday-Friday, or ebc@uspto.gov.
Questions regarding a filed petition to
make special under this pilot may be
directed to the Office of Petitions at
571–272–3282 during its operating
hours of 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET,
Monday-Friday.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The
USPTO published a notice of the
implementation of the First-Time Filer
Expedited Examination Pilot Program
on March 9, 2023. See First-Time Filer
Expedited Examination Pilot Program,
88 FR 14607 (March 9, 2023) (First-Time
Filer Notice). The pilot program is one
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of the initiatives under the USPTO’s
Council for Inclusive Innovation to
increase access to the patent system for
inventors who are new to the patent
application process, including those in
historically underserved geographic and
economic areas. The First-Time Filer
Notice established that micro entity
first-time filers who meet the
requirements specified in the notice
may have their applications examined
out of turn. The program was
established under 37 CFR 1.102(d)
without requiring either the 37 CFR
1.17(h) fee for a petition to make special
or all conditions of the accelerated
examination program set forth in section
708.02(a), subsection I, of the Manual of
Patent Examining Procedure (9th
Edition, Rev. 07.2022, February 2023).
The First-Time Filer Notice
established that the pilot program
would run until March 11, 2024. In
view of the continued interest in the
pilot program, the USPTO is hereby
extending the program through March
11, 2025, or until the date on which the
USPTO grants a total of 1,000 petitions
since the start of the pilot program,
whichever occurs first. The extension
will also allow the USPTO to continue
its evaluation of the pilot program. The
requirements of the pilot program have
not been modified.
Various stakeholders from around the
world have filed petitions to participate
in the pilot program—they include pro
se inventors, middle school students,
and small companies. To date, over 350
petitions requesting participation in the
pilot program have been filed, over 130
applications have been accepted into
the program, and more than 15 patents
have been granted under the program.
The USPTO may again extend the pilot
program (with or without modifications)
depending on the feedback from the
participants, continued interest, and the
effectiveness of the pilot program.
The USPTO maintains a web page for
the First-Time Filer Expedited
Examination Pilot Program
(www.uspto.gov/FirstTimePatentFiler).
The web page includes frequently asked
questions, a recorded webinar about the
program, and detailed information about
how to apply. The web page further
includes links to educational resources
to help inventors become reasonably
trained on the basics of the USPTO’s
patent application process. Interested
parties are strongly encouraged to
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review all the resources available on the
program web page prior to applying.
Katherine K. Vidal,
Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual
Property and Director of the United States
Patent and Trademark Office.
[FR Doc. 2024–05102 Filed 3–8–24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–16–P
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Department of the Army
[Docket ID: USA–2024–HQ–0004]
Proposed Collection; Comment
Request
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
(USACE), Department of the Army,
Department of Defense (DoD).
ACTION: 60-Day information collection
notice.
AGENCY:
In compliance with the
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the
USACE announces a proposed public
information collection and seeks public
comment on the provisions thereof.
Comments are invited on: whether the
proposed collection of information is
necessary for the proper performance of
the functions of the agency, including
whether the information shall have
practical utility; the accuracy of the
agency’s estimate of the burden of the
proposed information collection; ways
to enhance the quality, utility, and
clarity of the information to be
collected; and ways to minimize the
burden of the information collection on
respondents, including through the use
of automated collection techniques or
other forms of information technology.
DATES: Consideration will be given to all
comments received by May 10, 2024.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments,
identified by docket number and title,
by any of the following methods:
Federal eRulemaking Portal: https://
www.regulations.gov. Follow the
instructions for submitting comments.
Mail: Department of Defense, Office of
the Assistant to the Secretary of Defense
for Privacy, Civil Liberties, and
Transparency, Regulatory Directorate,
4800 Mark Center Drive, Mailbox #24,
Suite 08D09, Alexandria, VA 22350–
1700.
Instructions: All submissions received
must include the agency name, docket
number and title for this Federal
Register document. The general policy
for comments and other submissions
from members of the public is to make
these submissions available for public
viewing on the internet at https://
www.regulations.gov as they are
SUMMARY:
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]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 48 (Monday, March 11, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 17441-17442]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-05102]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
Patent and Trademark Office
[Docket No.: PTO-P-2022-0042]
Extension of the First-Time Filer Expedited Examination Pilot
Program
AGENCY: Patent and Trademark Office, Commerce.
ACTION: Notice.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: On March 9, 2023, the United States Patent and Trademark
Office (USPTO) implemented the First-Time Filer Expedited Examination
Pilot Program, which permits patent applications from certain micro
entity
[[Page 17442]]
first-time filers to be advanced out of turn for examination and
reviewed earlier (accorded special status). The pilot program was
originally scheduled to end on March 11, 2024. In view of the continued
interest in the program, the USPTO is extending it until either March
11, 2025, or until the date on which the USPTO grants a total of 1,000
petitions since the start of the pilot program, whichever occurs first.
All pilot parameters will remain the same as those for the original
pilot.
DATES:
Applicable Date: March 11, 2024.
Duration: The First-Time Filer Expedited Examination Pilot Program
will continue to run until either March 11, 2025, or until the date on
which the USPTO grants a total of 1,000 petitions since the start of
the pilot program, whichever occurs first. Therefore, petitions to make
special under the First-Time Filer Expedited Examination Pilot Program
must be filed on or before March 11, 2025. The USPTO may further extend
the pilot program (with or without modifications) or terminate it
depending on factors such as workload and resources needed to
administer the program, feedback from the public, and the effectiveness
of the program. If the program is terminated, the USPTO will notify the
public. The USPTO will continue to indicate the number of applications
accepted into the program on the First-Time Filer Expedited Examination
Pilot Program web page (www.uspto.gov/FirstTimePatentFiler).
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Brannon Smith, Legal Advisor (571-270-
1601 or [email protected]); or Susy Tsang-Foster, Senior Legal
Advisor (571-272-7711 or [email protected]), of the Office of
Patent Legal Administration, Office of the Deputy Commissioner for
Patent Examination Policy.
Questions regarding electronic application filing may be directed
to the Patent Electronic Business Center at 866-217-9197 during its
operating hours of 6 a.m. to midnight ET, Monday-Friday, or
[email protected].
Questions regarding a filed petition to make special under this
pilot may be directed to the Office of Petitions at 571-272-3282 during
its operating hours of 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET, Monday-Friday.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The USPTO published a notice of the
implementation of the First-Time Filer Expedited Examination Pilot
Program on March 9, 2023. See First-Time Filer Expedited Examination
Pilot Program, 88 FR 14607 (March 9, 2023) (First-Time Filer Notice).
The pilot program is one of the initiatives under the USPTO's Council
for Inclusive Innovation to increase access to the patent system for
inventors who are new to the patent application process, including
those in historically underserved geographic and economic areas. The
First-Time Filer Notice established that micro entity first-time filers
who meet the requirements specified in the notice may have their
applications examined out of turn. The program was established under 37
CFR 1.102(d) without requiring either the 37 CFR 1.17(h) fee for a
petition to make special or all conditions of the accelerated
examination program set forth in section 708.02(a), subsection I, of
the Manual of Patent Examining Procedure (9th Edition, Rev. 07.2022,
February 2023).
The First-Time Filer Notice established that the pilot program
would run until March 11, 2024. In view of the continued interest in
the pilot program, the USPTO is hereby extending the program through
March 11, 2025, or until the date on which the USPTO grants a total of
1,000 petitions since the start of the pilot program, whichever occurs
first. The extension will also allow the USPTO to continue its
evaluation of the pilot program. The requirements of the pilot program
have not been modified.
Various stakeholders from around the world have filed petitions to
participate in the pilot program--they include pro se inventors, middle
school students, and small companies. To date, over 350 petitions
requesting participation in the pilot program have been filed, over 130
applications have been accepted into the program, and more than 15
patents have been granted under the program. The USPTO may again extend
the pilot program (with or without modifications) depending on the
feedback from the participants, continued interest, and the
effectiveness of the pilot program.
The USPTO maintains a web page for the First-Time Filer Expedited
Examination Pilot Program (www.uspto.gov/FirstTimePatentFiler). The web
page includes frequently asked questions, a recorded webinar about the
program, and detailed information about how to apply. The web page
further includes links to educational resources to help inventors
become reasonably trained on the basics of the USPTO's patent
application process. Interested parties are strongly encouraged to
review all the resources available on the program web page prior to
applying.
Katherine K. Vidal,
Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of
the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
[FR Doc. 2024-05102 Filed 3-8-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-16-P
