[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 172 (Wednesday, September 5, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 45104-45106]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-19202]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
Patent and Trademark Office
Patent Review and Derivation Proceedings
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 invites comments on a
proposed extension of an existing information collection: 0651-0069
(Patent Review and Derivation Proceedings).
DATES: Written comments must be submitted on or before November 5,
2018.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments by any of the following methods:
Email: [email protected]. Include ``0651-
0069 comment'' in the subject line of the message.
Federal Rulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov.
Mail: Michael P. Tierney, 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.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information
should be directed to Michael P. Tierney, Vice Chief Administrative
Patent Judge, Patent Trial and Appeal Board, United States Patent and
Trademark Office, P.O. Box 1450, Alexandria, VA 22313-1450; by
telephone at 571-272-4676; or by email to [email protected]
with ``0651-0069 comment'' in the subject line. Additional information
about this collection is also available at http://www.reginfo.gov under
``Information Collection Review.''
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Abstract
The Leahy-Smith America Invents Act, which was enacted into law on
[[Page 45105]]
September 16, 2011, provided for many changes to the procedures of the
Patent Trial and Appeal Board (``PTAB'' or ``Board'', formerly the
Board of Patent Appeals and Interferences) procedures. These changes
included the introduction of inter partes review, post-grant review,
derivation proceedings, and the transitional program for covered
business method patents. Under these administrative trial proceedings,
third parties may file a petition with the PTAB challenging the
validity of issued patents, with each proceeding having different
requirements regarding timing restrictions, grounds for challenging
validity, and who may request review.
Inter partes review is a trial proceeding conducted at the Board to
review the patentability of one or more claims in a patent only on a
ground that could be raised under Sec. Sec. 102 or 103, and only on
the basis of prior art consisting of patents or printed publications.
Post grant review is a trial proceeding conducted at the Board to
review the patentability of one or more claims in a patent on any
ground that could be raised under Sec. 282(b)(2) or (3). A derivation
proceeding is a trial proceeding conducted at the Board to determine
whether (1) an inventor named in an earlier application derived the
claimed invention from an inventor named in the petitioner's
application, and (2) the earlier application claiming such invention
was filed without authorization. The transitional program for covered
business method patents is a trial proceeding conducted at the Board to
review the patentability of one or more claims in a covered business
method patent.
This collection covers information submitted by the public to
petition the Board to initiate an inter partes review, post-grant
review, derivation proceeding, and the transitional program for covered
business method patents, as well as any responses to such petitions,
and the filing of any motions, replies, oppositions, and other actions,
after a review/proceeding has been instituted.
II. Method of Collection
Electronically, if applicants submit the information using the PTAB
End-to-End (PTAB E2E). Applicants may submit information via email if
PTAB E2E is unavailable.
III. Data
OMB Number: 0651-0069.
IC Instruments and Forms: N/A.
Type of Review: Extension of an existing information collection.
Affected Public: Business or other for-profit organizations;
individuals or households; not-for-profit institutions; Federal
Government; and state, local, or tribal governments.
Estimated Number of Respondents: 11,994 responses per year.
Estimated Time per Response: The USPTO estimates that it will take
the public between an estimated 6 minutes (0.10 hours) to 165.30 hours
to complete an individual form in this collection.
Estimated Total Annual Respondent Burden Hours: 1,474,449 hours.
Estimated Total Annual Respondent (Hourly) Cost Burden:
$645,808,793. The USPTO expects that attorneys will complete the
instruments associated with this information collection. The
professional hourly rate for intellectual property attorneys in
privates firms is $438 as established by estimates in the 2017 Report
of the Economic Survey, published by the Committee on Economics of
Legal Practice of the American Intellectual Property Law Association.
Using this hourly rate, the USPTO estimates that the total respondent
cost burden for this collection is $645,808,793 per year.
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Estimated
IC No. Item response time Estimated Estimated Rate Estimated cost
(hours) responses burden hours burden
(a) (b) (a) x (b) = (c) (d) (c) x (d) = (e)
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1................................... Petition for Inter Partes Review 124 1,553 192,572.00 $438.00 $84,346,536.00
2................................... Petition for Post-Grant Review 165.30 91 15,042.30 438.00 6,588,527.40
or Covered Business Method
Patent Review.
3................................... Petition for Derivation......... 165.30 11 1,818.30 438.00 796,415.40
4................................... Patent Owner Preliminary 91.60 1,333 122,102.80 438.00 53,481,026.40
Response to Petition for
Initial Inter Partes Review.
5................................... Patent Owner Preliminary 91.60 68 6,228.80 438.00 2,728,214.40
Response to Petition for
Initial Post-Grant Review or
Covered Business Method Patent
Review.
6................................... Request for Rehearing........... 80 322 25,760.00 438.00 11,282,880.00
7................................... Motions, Replies, and 158 6,482 1,024,156.00 438.00 448,580,328.00
Oppositions After Institution
in Inter Partes Review.
8................................... Motions, Replies, and 148 245 36,260.00 438.00 15,881,880.00
Oppositions After Institution
in Post-Grant Review or Covered
Business Method Review.
9................................... Motions, Replies, and 120 7 840.00 438.00 367,920.00
Oppositions After Institution
in Derivation Proceedings.
10.................................. Request for Oral Hearing........ 18.30 727 13,304.10 438.00 5,827,195.80
11.................................. Request to Treat a Settlement as 2 356 712.00 438.00 311,856.00
Business Confidential.
12.................................. Settlement...................... 100 356 35,600.00 438.00 15,592,800.00
13.................................. Arbitration Agreement and Award. 4 2 8.00 438.00 3,504.00
14.................................. Request to Make a Settlement 1 1 1.00 438.00 438.00
Agreement Available.
[[Page 45106]]
15.................................. Notice of Judicial Review of a 0.10 440 44.00 438.00 19,272.00
Board Decision (e.g., Notice of
Appeal Under 35 U.S.C. 142).
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Total........................... ................................ .............. 11,994 1,474,449.30 .............. 645,808,793.40
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Estimated Total Annual (Non-hour) Respondent Cost Burden:
$54,307,175. There are no capital start-up, maintenance, or postage
associated with this information collection. However, this collection
does have annual (non-hour) costs in the form of filing fees.
Filing Fees
The filing fees associated with this information collection are
listed in the table below:
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IC No. Item Responses Filing fees Total cost
(a) (b) (a) x (b) = (c)
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1............................... Inter Partes Review Request 1,560 $15,500.00 $24,180,000.00
Fee.
1............................... Inter Partes Post-Institution 1,569 15,000.00 23,535,000.00
Fee.
1............................... Inter Partes Review Request 3,390 300.00 1,017,000.00
of Each Claim in Excess of
20.
1............................... Inter Partes Post-Institution 1,786 600.00 1,071,600.00
Request of Each Claim in
Excess of 15.
2............................... Post-Grant or Covered 92 16,000.00 1,472,000.00
Business Method Review
Request Fee--Up to 20 Claims.
2............................... Post-Grant or Covered 92 22,000.00 2,024,000.00
Business Method Review Post-
Institution Fee--Up to 15
Claims.
2............................... Post-Grant or Covered 638 375.00 239,250.00
Business Method Review
Request of Each Claim in
Excess of 20.
2............................... Post-Grant or Covered 925 825.00 763,125.00
Business Method Review Post-
Institution Fee of Each
Claim in Excess of 15.
3............................... Petition for Derivation...... 12 400.00 4,800.00
14.............................. Request to Make a Settlement 1 400.00 400.00
Agreement Available.
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Total....................... ............................. .............. .............. 54,307,175.00
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IV. Request for Comments
Comments submitted in response to this notice will be summarized or
included in the request for OMB approval of this information
collection. They also will become a matter of public record.
Comments are invited on:
(a) Whether the proposed collection of information is necessary for
the proper performance of the functions of the agency, including
whether the information shall have practical utility;
(b) The accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden (including
hours and cost) of the proposed collection of information;
(c) Ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the
information to be collected; and
(d) Ways to minimize the burden of the collection of information on
respondents, e.g., the use of automated collection techniques or other
forms of information technology.
Marcie Lovett,
Records and Information Governance Division Director, OCTO United
States Patent and Trademark Office.
[FR Doc. 2018-19202 Filed 9-4-18; 8:45 am]
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