G303 Application Prosecution Survey Submission Request

Request for Approval under the “Generic Clearance for the Collection of Routine Customer Feedback” (OMB Control Number: 0651-0080)

TITLE OF INFORMATION COLLECTION: G303: Trademark Application Prosecution – Office Actions

PURPOSE: USPTO wants to collect customer feedback on the office actions (official letters) it sends during trademark application prosecution. The feedback will be used by the business unit to gain insight into the customer experience during application prosecution, specifically when receiving office actions, and identify trends. Using customer feedback to inform tactical communication enhancements will ensure the USPTO is maintaining or improving its customer experience.

DESCRIPTION OF RESPONDENTS:

Respondents will be trademark customers to filed an initial application and are now receiving a response from the USPTO in writing.

TYPE OF COLLECTION: (Check one or multiple)

[x] Customer Comment Card/Complaint Form [ ] Customer Satisfaction Survey

[ ] Usability Testing (e.g., Website or Software [ ] Small Discussion Group

[ ] Focus Group [ ] Other: _________________

CERTIFICATION:

I certify the following to be true:

1. The collection is voluntary.

2. The collection is low-burden for respondents and low-cost for the Federal Government.

3. The collection is non-controversial and does not raise issues of concern to other federal agencies.

4. The results are not intended to be disseminated to the public.

5. Information gathered will not be used for the purpose of substantially informing influential policy decisions.

6. The collection is targeted to the solicitation of opinions from respondents who have experience with the program or may have experience with the program in the future.

Business Unit: _________/Jill A. Leyden/_ _______________________

To assist review, please provide answers to the following question:

Personally Identifiable Information:

1. Is personally identifiable information (PII) collected? [ ] Yes [x] No

1a. If Yes, is the information that will be collected included in records that are subject to

the Privacy Act of 1974? [ ] Yes [ ] No

2. If applicable, has a System of Records Notice been published? [ ] Yes [ ] No

Gifts or Payments:

Is an incentive (e.g., money or reimbursement of expenses, token of appreciation) provided to participants? [ ] Yes [x] No

BURDEN HOURS

Intrument Name	No. of Respondents	Participation Time	Burden
Customer survey	14,000	4 mins	466.67 hrs
Totals	14,000/yr		933.33 hours

The USPTO estimates that 100% of the surveys (small discussions, focus groups, etc.) will be conducted electronically.

FEDERAL COST: The estimated annual cost to the Federal government is the combined average hourly rate of $57.25 per hour for a GS-13 step 5 + 17.18 (30%) * 150 hours and $62.23 per hour for a GS-14 step 5 + 18.67 (30%) * 100 hours, which totals $23,299.50.

If you are conducting a focus group, survey, or plan to employ statistical methods, please provide answers to the following questions:

The selection of your targeted respondents

1. Do you have a customer list or something similar that defines the universe of potential respondents and do you have a sampling plan for selecting from this universe? [ ] Yes [x] No

If the answer is yes, please provide a description of both below (or attach the sampling plan)? If the answer is no, please provide a description of how you plan to identify your potential group of respondents and how you will select them?

An opportunity to participate in a survey will be emailed to customers within one week after receiving an office action during application prosecution. Customers will not be surveyed multiple times in quick succession even if they receive several office actions.

Administration of the Instrument

1. How will you collect the information? (Check all that apply)

[x] Web-based or other forms of Social Media

[ ] Telephone

[ ] In-person

[ ] Mail

[ ] Other, Explain: live poll software

2. Will interviewers or facilitators be used? [ ] Yes [x] No

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