Monday, October 10, 2011

Public User at USPTO ID Badging

[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 195 (Friday, October 7, 2011)]
[Notices][Pages 62387-62388][FR Doc No: 2011-26014]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
United States Patent and Trademark Office

Public User ID Badging

ACTION: Proposed collection; comment request.
To see the complete text of this comment request access: http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi?dbname=2011_register&docid=2011-26014.
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The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) is required by 35 U.S.C. 41(i)(1) to maintain a Public Search Facility to provide patent and trademark collections for searching and retrieval of information. The Public Search Facility is maintained for public use with paper and electronic search files and trained staff to assist searchers. The USPTO also offers training courses to assist the public with using the advanced electronic search systems available at the
facility.

In order to manage the patent and trademark collections that are available to the public, the USPTO issues online access cards to customers who wish to use the electronic search systems at the Public Search Facility. Customers may obtain an online access card by completing the application at the Public Search Facility reference desk and providing proper identification. The plastic online access cards
include a bar-coded user number and an expiration date. Users may renew their cards by validating and updating the required information and may obtain a replacement for a lost card by providing proper identification.

Under the authority provided in 41 CFR 102-81, the USPTO issues security identification badges to members of the public who wish to use the facilities at the USPTO. Public users may apply for a security badge in person at the USPTO Office of Security by providing the necessary information and presenting a valid form of identification with photograph. The security badges include a color photograph of the user and must be worn at all times while at the USPTO facilities.

In January 2011, the USPTO discontinued the $120 fee for users requesting private instruction for the online search systems available at the Public Search Facility. Therefore, the private instruction fee is being deleted from this collection.

Prior User Rights

[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 195 (Friday, October 7, 2011)]
[Notices][Pages 62388-62389][FR Doc No: 2011-26154]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
United States Patent and Trademark Office

Notice of Public Hearing and Request for Comments on the Study of Prior User Rights

The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) is interested in gathering information on patent prior user rights for purposes of preparing a report on the subject as required by the America Invents
Act. In particular, the USPTO seeks information about the following as specified in the America Invents Act: (1) Comparison(s) between the patent laws of the United States and the laws of other industrialized countries; (2) the effect of prior user rights on innovation rates; (3) the correlation, if any, between prior user rights and start-up enterprises as well as the ability to attract venture capital to start new companies; (4) the effect of prior user rights, if any, on small businesses, universities, and individual inventors; (5) legal and constitutional issues with placing trade secret law in patent law; and (6) whether or not the change to a first-to-file patent system creates any particular need for prior user rights. To assist in gathering this information, the USPTO is holding a public hearing at which interested members of the public are invited to testify on the issues outlined above and in the supplementary information section of this notice.
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Those wishing to present oral testimony at the hearing must request an opportunity to do so in writing by e-mail to IP.Policy@uspto.gov no later than October 18, 2011. Requests to testify at the hearing must indicate the following information: (1) The name of the person desiring to testify; (2) the person's contact information (telephone number and electronic mail address); and (3) the organization(s) the person represents, if any; and (4) a preliminary written copy of their testimony. Based on the requests received, an agenda of scheduled testimony will be sent to testifying respondents, and posted on the USPTO Internet Web site (address: http://www.uspto.gov/americainventsact).

Speakers selected to provide testimony at the hearing should provide a final written copy of their testimony for inclusion in the record of the proceedings no later than October 21, 2011.
. . .
The USPTO plans to make the public hearing available via webcast. Webcast information will be available on the USPTO's Internet Web site (address: http://www.uspto.gov/americainventsact) before the public hearing.

To see the complete text of this comment request including sample questions to assist in gathering information, access: http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi?dbname=2011_register&docid=2011-26154.

International Patent Protection for Small Businesses

[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 195 (Friday, October 7, 2011)]
[Notices][Pages 62389-62391][FR Doc No: 2011-26157]

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
United States Patent and Trademark Office
[Docket No.: PTO-P-2011-0062]

Request for Comments and Notice of Public Hearings on the Study of International Patent Protection for Small Businesses

The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) is interested in gathering information on international patent protection for small businesses for purposes of preparing a report on the subject as required by the America Invents Act. To assist in gathering this information, the USPTO is holding a public hearing at which interested members of the public are invited to testify on this topic. In addition, members of the public may submit written comments.

Public Hearing: The USPTO will hold two hearings in support of the study of international patent protection for small businesses. The first public hearing will be held on October 27, 2011, beginning at 1 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) and ending at 4 p.m. EDT. The first public hearing will be held at the USPTO in the Madison Auditorium on the concourse level of the Madison [[Page 62390]] Building, located at 600 Dulany Street, Alexandria, Virginia 22314. The second public hearing will be held on November 1, 2011, beginning at 9 a.m. Pacific Daylight Time (PDT) and ending at 12 p.m. PDT. The second public hearing will be held at the University of Southern California in the Gould School of Law, located at 699 Exposition Boulevard, Los Angeles, California 90089.

To see the complete text of this comment request including sample questions to assist in gathering information, access: http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi?dbname=2011_register&docid=2011-26157.