[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 109 (Monday, June 8, 1998)] [Notices] [Pages 31199-31200] From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov] [FR Doc No: 98-15126] ----------------------------------------------------------------------- DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request The Department of Commerce (DOC) 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: Patent and Trademark Office (PTO). Title: Trademark Processing. Agency Form Numbers: PTO Forms 1478, 1478(a), 4.8, 4.9, 1553, 1581, 205/209, 4.13a, and 4-17a (existing paper forms and electronic forms). OMB Approval Number: 0651-0009. Type of Request: Revision of a currently approved collection. Burden: 110,427 hours. Number of Respondents: 343,698. Avg. Hours Per Response: The time to respond ranges from 10 to 45 minutes. The existing paper forms take from 15 to 45 minutes, while the electronic forms take from 12 to 18 minutes. 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. Any individual or business owning a valid trademark or service mark, who use or intend to use their marks in commerce regulable by the U.S. Congress, may apply to by federally register its mark. The mark will remain on the register for ten years; however, the registration can be canceled by the Patent and Trademark Office (PTO) if the owner does not file an affidavit attesting to the continued use (or excusable non-use) of the mark in commerce between the fifth and sixth years following the issuance of the registration. The registration may be renewed for periods of ten years. The PTO administers the Trademark Act pursuant to 37 CFR part 2, which contains the rules that implement the Trademark 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 [[Page 31200]] information. The PTO 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. By accessing the PTO's information, potential trademark owners may reduce the possibility of initiating use of a mark previously adopted by another. Registration is not required to obtain rights in a mark; however, registration provides certain benefits, such as access to the Federal court system and nationwide constructive notice of the Registrant's rights. Entities who elect to seek registration are not required to use the forms in this collection. The forms are provided as a convenience to the public, and serve as guidance on what information is legally mandated, should an individual or business seek registration. The PTO uses this information to determine the eligibility of each mark for registration and to maintain a public search library where copies of the registration certificates for marks can be searched. The PTO also provides the information to the Patent and Trademark Depository Libraries (PTDLs) that also maintain the information for use by the public. The information is a matter of public record, and is used by the public for a variety of private business purposes related to establishing and reinforcing trademark rights. This information is important to the public, since both common law trademark owners and Federal trademark registrants must actively protect their own rights. Affected Public: Businesses or other for-profit, individuals or households, not-for-profit institutions, farms, federal government, and state, local, or tribal governments. Frequency: On occasion. Respondent's Obligation: Required to obtain or retain a benefit. OMB Desk Officer: Maya A. Bernstein, (202) 395-3785. Copies of the above information collection proposal can be obtained by calling or writing Linda Engelmeier, DOC Forms Clearance Officer, (202) 482-3272, Department of Commerce, Room 5327, 14th and Constitution Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20230. Written comments and recommendations for the proposed information collection should be sent within 30 days of publication to Maya A. Bernstein, OMB Desk Officer, Room 10236, New Executive Office Building, 725 17th Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20503. Dated: June 2, 1998. Linda Engelmeier, Departmental Forms Clearance Officer, Office of Management and Organization. [FR Doc. 98-15126 Filed 6-5-98; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 3510-16-P