0651-0012 Change Worksheet July 2024

JUSTIFICATION FOR NONMATERIAL/NONSUBSTANTIVE CHANGE

(Admission to Practice and Roster of Registered Patent Attorneys and Agents Admitted to Practice Before the United States Patent and Trademark Office)

OMB Control Number 0651-0012

Background

This collection of information is required by 35 U.S.C. 2(b)(2)(D), which permits the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO or Office) to establish regulations governing the recognition and conduct of agents, attorneys, or other persons representing applicants or other parties before the USPTO. This statute permits the USPTO to require information from applicants that shows that they are of good moral character and reputation and possess the necessary qualifications to assist applicants with the patent application process and to represent them before the USPTO. This information collection addresses submissions required by the regulations at 37 CFR 1.4, 1.32, 11.1, 11.5, 11.6, 11.8, 11.10, 11.16, 11.704, and 41.106, which, in part, set forth the requirements to become recognized to represent others before the USPTO. The Office of Enrollment and Discipline (OED) collects this information to determine the qualifications of individuals entitled to represent applicants before the USPTO.

This information collection request is to update form PTO-107R, which is used by the public to apply for reinstatement to practice in patent matters before the USPTO. The changes clarify and simplify the form for when a patent practitioner requests reinstatement to “active” status after being in another status. Citations to reserved and incorrect sections of the rules have been removed and corrected. The update to form PTO-107R reorders the fields in Question 1 and alters the language slightly, but the contents of the form remain substantially the same.

Summary of Changes

There is no change to the burdens associated with this information collection.