Department of Commerce December 21, 2016 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) implemented a pilot program (Extended Missing Parts Pilot Program) in which an applicant, under certain conditions, can request a 12-month time period to pay the search fee, the examination fee, any excess claim fees, and the surcharge (for the late submission of the search fee and the examination fee) in a nonprovisional application. The Extended Missing Parts Pilot Program benefits applicants by permitting additional time to determine if patent protection should be soughtat a relatively low costand by permitting applicants to focus efforts on commercialization during this period. The Extended Missing Parts Pilot Program benefits the USPTO and the public by adding publications to the body of prior art, and by removing from the USPTO's workload those nonprovisional applications for which applicants later decide not to pursue examination. While the USPTO has not yet completed its evaluation of the program, the number of participants in the program over the past several years indicates that there may be sufficient benefits to the patent community. Thus, the USPTO is extending the Extended Missing Parts Pilot Program until January 2, 2018, to allow the USPTO to continue its evaluation of the pilot program. The requirements of the program have not changed.

On November 23, 2016, the United States Court of International Trade (the Court) sustained the final second remand redetermination pertaining to the administrative review of the antidumping duty order on Chlorinated Isocyanurates from the People's Republic of China (PRC) for the period of review of June 1, 2010, through May 31, 2011.\1\ Consistent with the decision of the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (CAFC) in Timken Co., v United States, 893 F.2d 337 (Fed. Cir. 1990) (Timken), as clarified by Diamond Sawblades Mfrs. Coalition v. United States, 626 F.3d 1374 (Fed. Cir. 2010) (Diamond Sawblades), the Department of Commerce (the Department) is notifying the public that the final judgment in this case is not in harmony with the 2010-2011 AR Final Results,\2\ and that the Department is amending the 2010-2011 AR Final Results with respect to the weighted-average dumping margin assigned to both Juangcheng Kangtai Chemical Co. Ltd. (Kangtai), and Hebei Jiheng Chemical Co., Ltd. (Jiheng).

The Department of Commerce, as part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, invites the general public and other Federal agencies to take this opportunity to comment on proposed and/or continuing information collections, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995.

This notice announces a public meeting of the Commerce Spectrum Management Advisory Committee (Committee). The Committee provides advice to the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information and the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) on spectrum management policy matters.

The Secretary of Commerce is requesting nomination of individuals to the Commerce Data Advisory Council. The Secretary will consider nominations received in response to this notice, as well as from other sources. The SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section of this notice provides committee and membership criterial

The U.S. & Foreign Commercial Service (US&FCS) within the International Trade Administration (ITA) is seeking comment on its proposal to adjust user fees in light of an independent cost study which concluded that the US&FCS is not fully covering its costs for providing services under the current fee structure, as provided in the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Circular A-25. ITA provides a wide range of export and investment promotion information and services to U.S. individuals and entities. The services considered here are a subset of ITA activities that involve relatively more intensive time engagements with particular client firms; ITA will continue to provide information and services that are less intensive and/or benefit the general public without charge. As part of this proposal, US&FCS also proposes to revise the standards related to company size for determining the fees to be charged.