1. PRA Roundtable 2013 Renewal of Information Collection 0651-0032 12/11/131

2. Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) Before requiring or requesting information from the public, the PRA requires Federal agencies to (1) seek public comment on the proposed collection of information, and (2) submit a request to collect the information to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval. 2

3. Goals of the PRA Minimize and control burdens Maximize the practical utility and public benefit of the information collected. 3

4. OMB Approval 4 OMB approval of a collection of information is generally effective for three years from the approval date. Agencies seek renewal of their approval from OMB to collect the information prior to the expiration of the three- year term.

5. USPTO Information Collections The USPTO has 47 active information collections. Patents alone has 19 active information collections. 12/11/135

6. Patents’ Information Collections 6 Patents’ information collections reflect the full spectrum of patent prosecution at the USPTO, including: –Initial application filings –Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) –Representative and Address Provisions –Patent application processing –Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH) –Post Allowance and Refiling –Patent Maintenance Fees –Patent Term Extension –Patent Reexaminations

7. Information Collection 0651-0032 7 Information collection 0651–0032, Initial Patent Applications, covers the information collected by the USPTO in connection with the requirements related to the initial filing of a patent application. Sample items of information covered by the 0651- 0032 collection include: –New utility, design, and plant patent applications –Continuations and divisionals thereof –Papers filed in connection therewith, such as application data sheets

8. 8 Renewal of 0651-0032 The USPTO began the process of renewing the 0651– 0032 collection by publishing a notice in the Federal Register on October 1, 2013, inviting the public to provide written comment on the renewal. The notice provides USPTO estimates of the burdens associated with providing the information covered by the collection.

9. 9 Renewal of 0651-0032 The October 1 notice requests feedback from the public on all of the estimates provided by the USPTO in the 0651–0032 information collection request. The deadline for receipt of written comments in response to the notice is December 16, 2013.

10. 10 Goal of Today’s Roundtable To increase the level of stakeholder participation in this information collection renewal To provide an additional avenue for the USPTO to receive stakeholder feedback on the burdens associated with the 0651–0032 collection

11. Stakeholder Feedback 11 The USPTO is responsive to the feedback it receives during the PRA renewal process. As recently as 2006, the USPTO was estimating 10 hours and 45 minutes for the time it takes to gather the necessary information, prepare a new utility application, and submit the completed application to the USPTO. The October 1, 2013 notice estimates that it takes 33 hours and 12 minutes for the same action.

12. 12 More Information For more information on the renewal of 0651-0032, please visit: http://www.uspto.gov/patents/init_events/praroundtable2013.jsp and http://www.uspto.gov/news/fedreg/fr_2013.jsp For more information on the renewal of any other USPTO information collection, please visit: http://www.uspto.gov/news/fedreg/fr_2013.jsp and http://www.reginfo.gov (under ‘‘Information Collection Review”)

13. 13 PRA Roundtable 2013 Thank you!