2021 National Patent Application Drafting Competition (NPADC) GEN IC Submission Request

Instructions for completing a Request for Approval under the Generic Clearance for Challenge and Competition Solicitations

These instructions are specific for a challenge utilizing the Department of Commerce (DOC) generic clearance (0690 –0031). Before running a challenge/competition , if you are asking questions or for information that may be subject to the Paperwork Reduction Act, you must submit the attached form, a copy of the Federal Register notice announcing the Challenge, and ideally, a screenshot of the questions that will be asked of the solution providers (as part of their entry)¹.

If you are asking questions or you are asking for other information that OMB has determined is not subject to Paperwork Reduction Act, you do not have to submit this information.

Instructions for Form

We are not utilizing challenge.gov for this competition, as it is limited to law students.

TITLE OF CHALLENGE OR CONTEST: Provide the name of the challenge as it appears in the FR notice and will appear on Challenge.gov (or another platform).

PROVIDE A BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE QUESTIONS THAT PARTICIPANTS WILL BE ASKED TO ANSWER OR INFORMATION THEY WILL BE ASKED TO PROVIDE: A short description will be sufficient. (e.g., We will be requesting information on pending patents and basic demographic information, such as race, age, and gender with each submission.)

BURDEN HOURS:

Category of Respondents: Identify who you expect the respondents to be in terms of the following categories: (1) Individuals or Households; (2) Private Sector; (3) State, local, or tribal governments; or (4) Federal Government. Only one type of respondent can be selected per row.

Law School Students and Team Coaches

No. of Respondents: Provide an estimate of the Number of entries. - 75

Participation Time: Provide an estimate of the amount of time (in minutes) required for a respondent to provide the information (e.g., provide information about their pending patents or their demographic information) – 1 Hour, 20 Minutes

Burden: Provide the Annual burden hours: Multiply the Number of Respondents and the Participation Time then divide by 60.

100 Hours

Request for Approval of Information Collection under the

Generic Clearance for Challenge and Competition Solicitations

(OMB Control Number: 0690-0031)

TITLE OF CHALLENGE/COMPETITION:

2021 National Patent Application Drafting Competition (NPADC)

PROVIDE A BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE QUESTIONS THAT PARTICIPANTS WILL BE ASKED TO ANSWER OR INFORMATION THEY WILL BE ASKED TO PROVIDE:

Full Name, School, and Contact Information.

Background:

The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) is hosting a competition (National Patent Application and Drafting Competition) to allow law students to become familiar with issues arising in US patent law and to develop their patent application drafting skills. Participants will be challenged to engage in the patent process and gain an understanding of how patents are examined and prosecuted. The USPTO plans to host a single nationwide competition each year.

The USPTO is required by Title 35 of the United States Code, including 35 U.S.C. § 131, to examine applications for patents. Each patent application must provide sufficient information to allow the USPTO to properly examine the application to determine whether it meets the criteria set forth in the patent statutes and regulations for issuance as a patent.

In this competition, student teams will be given a hypothetical invention statement for which they will then search the prior art, prepare a specification, draft claims, and present their reasoning for patentability before a panel of judges comprised of patent examiners, practitioners, and high profile guest judges.

This proposed addition to this information collection includes the registration materials for the contest and the materials used by participants in creating their contest entry. This entry includes the use of forms available on USPTO’s website and additional materials defined in the contest rules. There are no fees or other non-hourly cost burdens associated with this competition. The information collected will be handled according to the contest rules. These contest materials will not be maintained in the patent application systems and therefore there is no guarantee of confidentiality or privacy.

Category of Respondents:

Teams organized by and representing Law Schools (Students and Team Coaches) (Private Sector)

No. of Respondents: 75

Participation Time: 1 hour, 20 minutes

BURDEN HOURS (Please fill in the table below):

Category of Respondent	No. of Submissions	Participation Time	Burden Hours
National Patent Application and Drafting Competition	75	1 Hour	75
National Patent Application and Drafting Competition – Team Declaration Form	75	20 Minutes	25
Totals	150		100

REQUESTED APPROVAL DATE:

NAME OF CONTACT PERSON:

Deepak Dashairya

TELEPHONE NUMBER: (313) 446-6632, (248) 494-2627

NAME OF OFFICE/PROGRAM:

USPTO – Office of Undersecretary – Midwest Regional USPTO

1 If you are using Challenge.Gov to host the challenge, this task can be accomplished using the ‘preview mode. If such a screen shot is not yet available, you should submit a list of the questions that will be asked of the solution providers. The questions should be presented in the same form and order as they will be asked of solution providers.