[Federal Register: June 20, 2007 (Volume 72, Number 118)]
[Notices]
[Page 33981-33982]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr20jn07-57]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
Patent and Trademark Office
[Docket No. PTO-C-2007-0023]
Public Advisory Committees
AGENCY: United States Patent and Trademark Office, DOC.
ACTION: Notice and request for nominations.
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SUMMARY: On November 29, 1999, the President signed into law the Patent
and Trademark Office Efficiency Act (the ``Act''), Pub. L. 106-113,
Appendix I, Title IV, Subtitle G, 113 Stat.1501A-572, which, among
other things, established two Public Advisory Committees to review the
policies, goals, performance, budget and user fees of the United States
Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) with respect to patents, in the
case of the Patent Public Advisory Committee, and with respect to
trademarks, in the case of the Trademark Public Advisory Committee, and
to advise the Director on these matters. The USPTO is requesting
nominations for three (3) members to each Public Advisory Committee for
terms of three years that begin from date of appointment.
DATES: Nominations must be postmarked or electronically transmitted on
or beforeSeptember 1, 2007.
ADDRESSES: Persons wishing to submit nominations should send the
nominee's resum[eacute] to Chief of Staff, Office of the Under
Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the
USPTO, Post Office Box 1450, Alexandria, Virginia 22313-1450; by
electronic mail to: PPACnominations@uspto.gov for the Patent Public
Advisory Committee or TPACnominations@uspto.gov for the
[[Page 33982]]
Trademark Patent Public Advisory Committee; by facsimile transmission
marked to the Chief of Staff's attention at (571) 273-0464, or by mail
marked to the Chief of Staff's attention and addressed to the Office of
the Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director
of the USPTO, Post Office Box 1450,Alexandria, Virginia 22313-1450.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Eleanor K. Meltzer, Chief of Staff, by
facsimile transmission marked to her attention at (571) 273-0464, or by
mail marked to her attention and addressed to the Office of the Under
Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the
USPTO, Post Office Box 1450, Alexandria, Virginia 22313-1450.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Advisory Committees' duties include:
Review policies, goals, performance, budget, and user fees
of the USPTO relating to patents and trademarks, respectively, and
advise the Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and
Director of the USPTO on these matters; and
Within 60 days after the end of each fiscal year: (1)
Prepare an annual report on matters listed above; (2) transmit a report
to the Secretary of Commerce, the President, and the Committees on the
Judiciary of the Senate and the House of Representatives; and (3)
publish the report in the Official Gazette of the USPTO.
Members of the Patent and Trademark Public Advisory Committees are
appointed by and serve at the pleasure of the Secretary of Commerce for
three (3)-year terms.
Advisory Committees
The Public Advisory Committees are each composed of nine (9) voting
members who are appointed by the Secretary of Commerce (the
``Secretary''). The Public Advisory Committee members must be United
States citizens and represent the interests of diverse users of the
USPTO, both large and small entity applicants in proportion to the
number of such applications filed. The Committees must include members
who have ``substantial backgrounds and achievement in finance,
management, labor relations, science, technology, and office
automation.'' 35 U.S.C. 5(b)(3). In the case of the Patent Public
AdvisoryCommittee, at least twenty-five (25) percent of the members
must represent ``small business concerns, independent inventors, and
nonprofit organizations,'' and at least one member must represent the
independent inventor community. 35 U.S.C. 5(b)(2).Each of the Public
Advisory Committees also includes three (3) non-voting members
representing each labor organization recognized by the USPTO.
Procedures and Guidelines of the Patent and Trademark Public Advisory
Committees
Each newly appointed member of the Patent and Trademark Public
Advisory Committees will serve for a term of three years from date of
appointment. As required by the Act, members of the Patent and
Trademark Public Advisory Committees will receive compensation for each
day while the member is attending meetings or engaged in the business
of that Advisory Committee. The rate of compensation is the daily
equivalent of the annual rate of basic pay in effect for level III of
the Executive Schedule under section 5314 of title 5, United States
Code.While away from home or regular place of business, each member
will be allowed travel expenses, including per diem in lieu of
subsistence, as authorized by section 5703 of title 5,United States
Code. The USPTO will provide the necessary administrative support,
including technical assistance, for the Committees.
Applicability of Certain Ethics Laws
Members of each Public Advisory Committee shall be special
Government employees within the meaning of section 202 of title 18,
United States Code. The following additional information includes
several, but not all, of the ethics rules that apply to members, and
assumes that members are not engaged in Public Advisory Committee
business more than sixty days during each calendar year:
Each member will be required to file a confidential
financial disclosure form within thirty (30) days of appointment. 5 CFR
2634.202(c), 2634.204, 2634.903, and 2634.904(b).
Each member will be subject to many of the public
integrity laws, including criminal bars against representing a party,
18 U.S.C. 205(c), in a particular matter that came before the member's
committee and that involved at least one specific party. See also 18
U.S.C. 207 for post-membership bars. A member also must not act on a
matter in which the member (or any of certain closely related entities)
has a financial interest. 18 U.S.C. 208.
Representation of foreign interests may also raise issues.
35 U.S.C. 5(a)(1) and 18 U.S.C. 219.
Meetings of the Patent and Trademark Public Advisory Committees
Meetings of each Advisory Committee will take place at the call of
the Chair to consider an agenda set by the Chair. Meetings may be
conducted in person, electronically through the Internet, or by other
appropriate means. The meetings of each Advisory Committee will be open
to the public except each Advisory Committee may, by majority vote,
meet in executive session when considering personnel, privileged, or
other confidential matters. Nominees must also have the ability to
participate in Committee business through the Internet.
Procedures for Submitting Nominations
Submit resum[eacute]s for nomination for the Patent Public Advisory
Committee and the Trademark Public Advisory Committee to: Chief of
Staff to the Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and
Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office, utilizing
the addresses provided above.
Dated: June 14, 2007.
Jon W. Dudas,
Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property andDirector of
the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
[FR Doc. E7-11918 Filed 6-19-07; 8:45 am]
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