[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 53 (Wednesday, March 19, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 15317-15319]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-06002]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
Patent and Trademark Office
Global Intellectual Property Academy (GIPA) Surveys
ACTION: Proposed collection; comment request.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), as part
of its continuing efforts to reduce paperwork and respondent burden,
invites the general public and other Federal agencies to take this
opportunity to comment on this extension of a continuing information
collection, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, Public
Law 104-13 (44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)).
DATES: Written comments must be submitted on or before May 19, 2014.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments by any of the following methods:
Email: [email protected]. Include ``0651-
0065 comment'' in the subject line of the message.
Mail: Susan K. Fawcett, Records Officer, Office of the
Chief Information 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 the attention of 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.reginfo.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 enforcement of
intellectual property rights, patents, trademarks, and copyrights. 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 and enforcement
and strategies to handle the protection and enforcement issues in their
respective countries.
This collection contains three surveys: 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 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 initiated or
implemented a positive intellectual property change in their
organization; the percentage of foreign officials trained by GIPA who
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
[[Page 15318]]
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 Management and
Budget's (OMB) 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 verify 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 personal
identifying data from the participants and intends to maintain the
contact information for the participants in a separate file from 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 businesses or other
for profit institutions.
Estimated Number of Respondents: 650 responses per year. The USPTO
estimates that approximately 350 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. The
USPTO calculates that, on balance, it takes the same amount of time to
complete and submit the surveys, whether the participant completes the
survey in paper or electronically.
Estimated Total Annual Respondent Burden Hours: 163 hours per year.
Estimated Total Annual Respondent Cost Burden: $28,688 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 that the hourly rate
for 20% of the attendees would be roughly equivalent to the
professional hourly rate of $389, while the rest would be roughly
equivalent to the para-professional hourly rate of $122. Using these
U.S. hourly rates, the USPTO estimates a professional hourly rate of
$78 and a paraprofessional hourly rate of $98, for a total hourly rate
of $176. Please note that 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. Due to this and the fact that the training is conducted in
the United States, the USPTO is using the corresponding United States
pay rates 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 $28,688 per year.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Estimated time
Item for response Estimated annual Estimated annual
(minutes) responses burden hours
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pre-Program Survey........................................ 15 100 25
Electronic Pre-Program Survey............................. 15 100 25
Post-Program Survey....................................... 15 100 25
Electronic Post-Program Survey............................ 15 100 25
Alumni Survey............................................. 15 100 25
Electronic Alumni Survey.................................. 15 150 38
-----------------------------------------------------
Total................................................. ................ 650 163
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Estimated Total Annual Non-hour Respondent Cost Burden: $0 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.
IV. Request for Comments
Comments submitted in response to this notice will be summarized
and/or
[[Page 15319]]
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: March 14, 2014.
Susan K. Fawcett,
Records Officer, USPTO, Office of the Chief Information Officer.
[FR Doc. 2014-06002 Filed 3-18-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-16-P