Department of Commerce April 16, 2007 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents
Results 1 - 14 of 14
Revisions and Technical Corrections Affecting Requirements for Ex Parte
The United States Patent and Trademark Office (Office) is revising the rules of practice relating to ex parte and inter partes reexamination. The Office is designating the correspondence address for the patent as the correct address for all communications for patent owners in an ex parte reexamination or an inter partes reexamination, and simplifying the filing of reexamination papers by providing for the use of a single ``mail stop'' address for the filing of substantially all ex parte reexamination papers (such is already the case for inter partes reexamination papers). The Office is revising the rules to prohibit supplemental patent owner responses to an Office action in an inter partes reexamination proceeding without a showing of sufficient cause. Finally, the Office is making miscellaneous clarifying changes as to terminology and applicability of the reexamination rules. The Office is not implementing its proposal (that was set forth in the proposed rule making) to newly provide for a patent owner reply to a request for reexamination, prior to the Office's decision on the request.
Taking and Importing of Marine Mammals
The Assistant Administrator for Fisheries, NMFS, (Assistant Administrator) has renewed the affirmative finding for the Government of Spain under the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA). This affirmative finding will allow yellowfin tuna harvested in the eastern tropical Pacific Ocean (ETP) in compliance with the International Dolphin Conservation Program (IDCP) by Spanish-flag purse seine vessels or purse seine vessels operating under Spanish jurisdiction to be imported into the United States. The affirmative finding was based on review of documentary evidence submitted by the Government of Spain and obtained from the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission (IATTC) and the U.S. Department of State.
Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic Zone Off Alaska; Allocating Gulf of Alaska Fishery Resources
NMFS issues this proposed rule for the Central Gulf of Alaska (GOA) rockfish fisheries to revise monitoring and enforcement (M&E) provisions related to catcher/processor vessels harvesting under the opt-out fishery, and to make changes to regulations governing the rockfish fisheries. This action is necessary to clarify procedures and to correct discrepancies in a November 20, 2006, final rule. This proposed rule is intended to promote the goals and objectives of the Fishery Management Plan for groundfish of the Gulf of Alaska (FMP), the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (Magnuson- Stevens Act), and other applicable law.
Fisheries of the Economic Exclusive Zone Off Alaska; Pacific Cod in the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands
NMFS is opening directed fishing for Pacific cod by catcher vessels less than 60 feet (18.3 meters (m)) length overall (LOA) using pot or hook-and-line gear in the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands management area (BSAI). This action is necessary to fully use the 2007 total allowable catch (TAC) of Pacific cod specified for catcher vessels less than 60 feet (18.3 m) LOA using pot or hook-and-line gear in the BSAI.
Continuation of Antidumping Duty Order on Canned Pineapple Fruit from Thailand
As a result of the determinations by the Department of Commerce (the Department) and the International Trade Commission (ITC) that revocation of the antidumping duty order on canned pineapple fruit (CPF) from Thailand would likely lead to continuation or recurrence of dumping, and material injury to an industry in the United States, the Department is publishing notice of continuation of this antidumping duty order.
Environmental Technologies Trade Advisory Committee (ETTAC)
The Environmental Technologies Trade Advisory Committee (ETTAC) will hold a plenary meeting on May 11, 2007, at the U.S. Department of Commerce, 14th Street and Constitution Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20230, in Room 4830. The ETTAC will discuss Committee priorities and goals for the year and other international topics related to trade and the environmental technologies industry. (e.g. the Asia Pacific Partnership on Clean Development and Climate; update on the latest round of negotiations in the World Trade Organization's environmental goods and services trade liberalization; intellectual property rights; etc.). The meeting is open to the public and time will be permitted for public comment. Written comments concerning ETTAC affairs are welcome anytime before or after the meeting. Minutes will be available within 30 days of this meeting. The ETTAC is mandated by Public Law 103-392. It was created to advise the U.S. government on environmental trade policies and programs, and to help it to focus its resources on increasing the exports of the U.S. environmental industry. ETTAC operates as an advisory committee to the Secretary of Commerce and the Trade Promotion Coordinating Committee (TPCC). ETTAC was originally chartered in May of 1994. It was most recently rechartered until September 3, 2008.
2010 Census Advisory Committee
The Bureau of the Census (U.S. Census Bureau) is giving notice of a meeting of the 2010 Census Advisory Committee. Committee members will address policy, research, and technical issues related to the 2010 Decennial Census Program. Working groups will be convened to assist in planning efforts for the 2010 Census and the American Community Survey. Last-minute adjustments to the agenda are possible, which could prevent giving advance notification of schedule changes.
Correspondence With the Madrid Processing Unit of the United States Patent and Trademark Office
The United States Patent and Trademark Office (Office) revises the rules of practice to change the address for correspondence with the Madrid Processing Unit of the Office. The Office relocated to Alexandria, Virginia, in 2004, and hereby changes the address for correspondence with the Office relating to filings pursuant to the Protocol Relating to the Madrid Agreement Concerning the International Registration of Marks to an Alexandria, Virginia address.
Proposed Data Sharing Activity
The Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) will provide to the Bureau of the Census (Census Bureau) data collected from several surveys that it conducts on U.S. direct investment abroad, foreign direct investment in the United States, and U.S. international services transactions for statistical purposes exclusively. In accordance with the requirement of Section 524(d) of the Confidential Information Protection and Statistical Efficiency Act of 2002 (CIPSEA), we provided the opportunity for public comment on this data-sharing action (see the January 23, 2007 edition of the Federal Register (72 FR 2854)). The data provided to Census Bureau will be used for two purposes: (1) Data from BEA surveys of U.S. direct investment abroad and foreign direct investment in the United States will be linked with data from the Survey of Industrial Research and Development conducted by the Census Bureau under a joint partnership agreement with the National Science Foundation (NSF). The linked data will be used to produce aggregate tabulations for the NSF, which will provide an integrated data set on R&D performance and funding with domestic and foreign ownership detail. BEA will use the linked data to augment its existing R&D-related data, identify data quality issues arising from reporting differences in BEA and Census Bureau surveys, and improve its survey sample frames. The Census Bureau will identify unmatched companies on BEA files that conduct R&D activities and add them to the R&D survey to improve the survey's sample. The NSF will be provided non-confidential aggregate data (public use) and reports that have cleared BEA and Census Bureau disclosure review. Disclosure review is a process conducted to verify that the data to be released do not reveal any confidential information. (2) BEA will also provide data to the Census Bureau in order to link records from its surveys of U.S. international services transactions, U.S. direct investment abroad, and foreign direct investment in the United States with information from the Census Bureau's Business Register and with data from the 2002 Economic Census. This linked information will be used by the BEA to evaluate the feasibility of developing state-level estimates of service exports.
Commerce Debt Collection
This rule revises the Department of Commerce (Commerce Department or Commerce) debt collection regulations to conform to the Debt Collection Improvement Act of 1996, the revised Federal Claims Collection Standards, and other laws applicable to the collection of non-tax debts owed to the Commerce Department. This rule also revises Commerce's regulations governing the offset of Commerce-issued payments to collect debts owed to other Federal agencies.
Magnuson-Stevens Act Provisions; Fisheries of the Northeastern United States; Northeast Multispecies Fishery; 2007 Georges Bank Cod Hook Sector Operations Plan and Agreement and Allocation of Georges Bank Cod Total Allowable Catch
Amendment 13 to the Northeast (NE) Multispecies Fishery Management Plan (FMP) (Amendment 13) authorized allocation of up to 20 percent of the annual Georges Bank (GB) cod total allowable catch (TAC) to the GB Cod Hook Sector (Sector). Pursuant to that authorization, the Sector has submitted an Operations Plan and Sector Contract entitled, ``Georges Bank Cod Hook Sector Fishing Year 2007-2008 Operations Plan and Agreement'' (together referred to as the Sector Agreement) and has requested an allocation of GB cod, consistent with regulations implementing Amendment 13. A Supplemental Environmental Assessment has also been prepared. This document provides interested parties an opportunity to comment on the proposed Sector Agreement prior to final approval or disapproval of the Sector Operations Plan and allocation of GB cod TAC to the Sector for the 2007 fishing year (FY).
Magnuson-Stevens Act Provisions; Fisheries of the Northeastern United States; Northeast Multispecies Fishery; 2007 Georges Bank Cod Fixed Gear Sector Operations Plan and Agreement and Allocation of Georges Bank Cod Total Allowable Catch
Framework Adjustment (FW) 42 to the Northeast (NE) Multispecies Fishery Management Plan (FMP) created the Georges Bank (GB) Cod Fixed Gear Sector (Fixed Gear Sector) and authorized allocation of up to 20 percent of the annual GB cod total allowable catch (TAC) to the Fixed Gear Sector. Pursuant to that authorization, a representative of the Fixed Gear Sector has submitted an Operations Plan, Sector Agreement (Contract) and requested an allocation of GB cod to the Fixed Gear Sector for fishing year 2007 (FY 2007). A Supplemental Environmental Assessment (EA) has also been prepared. This document provides interested parties an opportunity to comment on the proposed Sector Operations Plan and EA prior to final approval or disapproval of the Sector Operations Plan and allocation of GB cod TAC to the Fixed Gear Sector for FY 2007.
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