[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 84 (Wednesday, May 3, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 20587-20589]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-08897]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
Patent and Trademark Office
Global Intellectual Property Academy (GIPA) Surveys
ACTION: Proposed collection; comment request.
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SUMMARY: The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), as
required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C.
3506(c)(2)(A)), invites comments on a proposed extension of an existing
information collection.
DATES: Written comments must be submitted on or before July 3, 2017.
ADDRESSES: You may submit any comments by any of the following methods:
Email: [email protected]. Include ``0651-
0065 comment'' in the subject line of the message.
Mail: Marcie Lovett, Records and Information Governance
Division Director, Office of the Chief Technology Officer, United
States Patent and Trademark Office, P.O. Box 1450, Alexandria, VA
22313-1450.
Federal Rulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information
should be directed to J. David Binsted, Program Manager, Global
Intellectual Property Academy, United States Patent and Trademark
Office, P.O. Box 1450, Alexandria, VA 22313-1450; by telephone at 571-
272-1500; or by email at [email protected]. Additional
information about this collection is also available at http://www.reginfor.gov under ``Information Collection Review.''
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Abstract
The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) surveys
international and domestic participants of the USPTO's Global
Intellectual Property Academy (GIPA) training programs to obtain
feedback from the participants on the effectiveness of the various
services provided to them in the training programs. GIPA was
established in 2006 to offer training programs on the enforcement of
intellectual property rights, patents, trademarks, and copyright. The
training programs offered by GIPA are designed to meet the specific
needs of foreign government officials (including judges; prosecutors;
police; customs officials; patent, trademark, and copyright officials;
and policy makers) concerning various intellectual property topics,
such as global intellectual property rights protection, enforcement,
and strategies to handle the protection and enforcement issues in their
respective countries.
This collection contains three surveys directed to separate
audiences: Pre-program, post-program, and alumni. The pre-program
survey is designed to obtain the background and experience of a
participant and is delivered to the participant prior to their arrival
for a GIPA training program. The post-program survey is used to analyze
the overall effectiveness of the program and is conducted at the
conclusion of the training program. The alumni survey is used to
determine the value of the GIPA
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training program on the future job performance of the participant. The
data obtained from these participation satisfaction surveys will be
used to evaluate the percentage of foreign officials trained by GIPA
who have increased their expertise in intellectual property, the
satisfaction with the intellectual property program, and the value of
the experience as it relates to future job performance. The data
received from these surveys will also be used to help the USPTO meet
organizational performance and accountability goals through the
following legislative mandates: Government Performance and Results Act
of 1993 (GPRA), the President's Management Agenda (PMA), and the Office
of OMB's (OMB's) Program Assessment Rating Tool (PART). These surveys
also support various business goals developed by the USPTO to fulfill
customer service and performance goals, to assist the USPTO in
strategic planning for future initiatives, to very existing service
standards, and to establish new ones.
The GIPA surveys are voluntary surveys. The USPTO expects to hire a
survey contractor to conduct these surveys. The surveys will primarily
be conducted electronically, but the USPTO will also have paper surveys
to mail to those participants who have poor Internet connectivity or
have access restrictions. In-person surveys may also be conducted.
Survey participants will be able to access the online surveys through
links provided to them in email invitations. The links provided in
these emails are individualized links that are uniquely tied to the
survey participants so passwords, user IDs, or usernames are not needed
to access the surveys.
Information collected from the surveys will be kept private, to the
extent provided by law. Responses to the pre-program, post-program, and
alumni surveys can be linked to the participants and to the demographic
data collected from them during the various GIPA training programs.
However, the actual data recorded from the surveys will not be directly
linked to the participants. Any data linking the individual to their
responses will not be retained after the data has been aggregated. The
USPTO will have limited access to the data. The only data that the
USPTO can access will be the aggregated survey data and the frequency
of the responses. The agency will not be able to view the individual
responses or the data related to the survey. The survey contractor will
have access to individual survey responses for analysis purposes only
and will only report the aggregated data and the frequency of the
responses. The USPTO does not intend to collect any personally
identifying data from the participants and intends to maintain the
contact information for the participants in a separate file for the
quantitative data.
II. Method of Collection
The surveys will primarily be online surveys but the USPTO will
also have paper surveys to mail to those participants who have poor
Internet connectivity or have access restrictions. The surveys will
also be distributed by email. In-person surveys may also be conducted.
III. Data
OMB Number: 0651-0065.
Form Number(s): None.
Type of Review: Extension of a currently approved collection.
Affected Public: Individuals or households and business or other
for-profit institutions.
Estimated Number of Respondents: 450 responses per year. The USPTO
estimates that approximately 100% of the surveys will be filed
electronically.
Estimated Time per Response: The USPTO estimates that it takes the
public approximately 15 minutes (0.25 hours) to complete the surveys in
this collection. This includes the time to gather the necessary
information, respond to the survey, and submit it to the USPTO.
Estimated Total Annual Respondent Burden Hours: 112.50 hours per
year.
Estimated Total Annual Respondent Cost Burden: $20,475.00 per year.
The USPTO expects that the audience for the GIPA training programs will
typically consist of high-ranking government officials, judges,
lawyers, examiners, and others. The USPTO estimates that roughly 20% of
the attendees fall into the high-ranking categories, while the rest
make up 80% of the attendees. The USPTO estimates the hourly rate of
$410 for high-ranking attendees, while the rest would be roughly
equivalent to the para-professional hourly rate of $125. Using a 20/80
weighted average for the attendee categories, the blended rate for
attendees is $182. Since individuals with varying job titles and pay
grades typically attend the GIPA training programs, the USPTO is
currently unable to derive a concise international labor rate for these
individuals. Additionally, since the training is conducted in the
United States, the USPTO is using the corresponding United States pay
rate to calculate the hourly labor rates. If the agency can obtain more
concise hourly labor rate data for these individuals, these rates will
be used to calculate the respondent burden in the future. The USPTO
estimates that the total respondent cost burden for this collection is
$20,475.00 per year.
Table 1--Total Hourly Burden
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Estimated time
IC No. Item for response Estimated annual Estimated Annual Rate ($/hr) Estimated annual
(hours) responses Burden Hours burden
(a) (b) (a) x (b) = (c) (d) (c) x (d) = (e)
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1................................ Pre-Program Survey......... 0.25 150 37.50 $182.00 $6,825.00
2................................ Post-Program Survey........ 0.25 150 37.50 182.00 6,825.00
3................................ Alumni Survey.............. 0.25 150 37.50 182.00 6,825.00
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Totals....................... 450 112.50 20,475.00
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Estimated Total Annual Non-hour Respondent Cost Burden: $0.00 per
year. There are no maintenance, operation, capital start-up, or
recordkeeping costs associated with this information collection. These
surveys do not have filing or other fees associated with them. The
USPTO expects to conduct these surveys electronically using a survey
tool and may also conduct in-person surveys. In either case, there will
be no postage costs associated with these surveys.
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IV. Request for Comments
Comments submitted in response to this notice will be summarized
and/or included in the request for OMB approval. All comments will
become a matter of public record.
The USPTO is soliciting public comments to:
(a) Evaluate whether the proposed collection of information is
necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency,
including whether the information will have practical utility;
(b) Evaluate the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden of
the proposed collection of information, including the validity of the
methodology and assumptions used;
(c) Enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to
be collected; and
(d) Minimize the burden of the collection of information on those
who are to respond, including through the use of appropriate automated,
electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or
other forms of information technology, e.g., permitting electronic
submission of responses.
Dated: April 14, 2017.
Marcie Lovett,
Records and Information Governance Division Director, USPTO, Office of
the Chief Technology Officer.
[FR Doc. 2017-08897 Filed 5-2-17; 8:45 am]
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