View Information Collection Request (ICR) Package

OMB Control No: 0651-0035	ICR Reference No: 202603-0651-002
Status: Active	Previous ICR Reference No: 202507-0651-006
Agency/Subagency: DOC/PTO	Agency Tracking No:
Title: Representative and Address Provisions
Type of Information Collection: No material or nonsubstantive change to a currently approved collection	Common Form ICR: No
Type of Review Request: Regular
OIRA Conclusion Action: Approved without change	Conclusion Date: 05/14/2026
	Date Received in OIRA: 05/12/2026
Terms of Clearance:

	Inventory as of this Action	Requested	Previously Approved
Expiration Date	11/30/2028	11/30/2028	11/30/2028
Responses	182,492	0	182,085
Time Burden (Hours)	89,124	0	88,922
Cost Burden (Dollars)	24,698	0	24,698

Abstract: This information collection includes the information necessary to submit a request to grant or revoke power of attorney for an application, patent, or reexamination proceeding, and for a registered practitioner to withdraw as attorney or agent of record. This also includes the information necessary to change the correspondence address for an application, patent, or reexamination proceeding, to request a Customer Number and manage the correspondence address and list of practitioners associated with a Customer Number, and to designate or change the correspondence address or fee address for one or more patents or applications by using a Customer Number. Under 35 U.S.C. 2 and 37 CFR 1.31-1.32, power of attorney may be granted to one or more joint inventors or a person who is registered to practice before the USPTO to act in an application or a patent. In particular, for an application filed before September 16, 2012, or for a patent which issued from an application filed before September 16, 2012, power of attorney may be granted by the applicant for patent (as set forth in 37 CFR 1.41(b) (pre-AIA)) or the assignee of the entire interest of the applicant. For an application filed on or after September 16, 2012, or for a patent which issued from an application filed on or after September 16, 2012, power of attorney may be granted by the applicant for patent (as set forth in 37 CFR 1.42) or the patent owner. The USPTO provides two different versions of the most forms for establishing power of attorney based upon whether the application filing date was filed before or after September 16, 2012 or was filed on or after September 16, 2012. Providing forms based upon whether the application was filed before September 16, 2012 or was filed on or after September 16, 2012 reduces applicants’ burden in having to determine the appropriate power of attorney requirements for a given application. , to thereby reduce applicants’ burden in having to determine the appropriate power of attorney requirements for a given application. 37 CFR 1.36 provides for the revocation of a power of attorney at any stage in the proceedings of a case. 37 CFR 1.36 also provides a path by which a registered patent attorney or patent agent who has been given a power of attorney may withdraw as attorney or agent of record. A Customer Number is a unique number created by the USPTO and is used instead of a physical address. The Customer Number allows a group of filings to be associated with a single correspondence mailing address. The USPTO’s Customer Number practice permits applicants, patent owners, assignees, and practitioners of record, or the representatives of record for a number of applications or patents, to change the correspondence address of a patent application or patent with one change request instead of filing separate requests for each patent or application. Any changes to the address or practitioner information associated with a Customer Number will be applied to all patents and applications associated with said Customer Number. Changes of correspondence address or power of attorney may be filed separately for each patent or application without using a Customer Number. However, a valid Customer Number provides secure access to patent information through the registered USPTO.gov account using the USPTO patent electronic filing system (Patent Center), which is available through the USPTO website. Additionally, the use of a Customer Number is also required in order to grant power of attorney to more than ten practitioners or to establish a separate “fee address” for maintenance fee purposes that is different from the correspondence address for a patent or application.

Authorizing Statute(s): PL: Pub.L. 112 - 29 1 Name of Law: Leahy-Smith America Invents Act

Citations for New Statutory Requirements: None

Associated Rulemaking Information
RIN:	Stage of Rulemaking:	Federal Register Citation:	Date:
	Not associated with rulemaking

Federal Register Notices & Comments
60-day Notice:	Federal Register Citation:	Citation Date:
	90 FR 21760	05/21/2025
30-day Notice:	Federal Register Citation:	Citation Date:
	90 FR 44372	09/15/2025
Did the Agency receive public comments on this ICR? No

ICR Summary of Burden

	Total Approved	Previously Approved	Change Due to Agency Discretion
Annual Number of Responses	182,492	182,085	407
Annual Time Burden (Hours)	89,124	88,922	202
Annual Cost Burden (Dollars)	24,698	24,698	0

Burden increases because of Program Change due to Agency Discretion: Yes

Burden Increase Due to: Changing Regulations

Burden decreases because of Program Change due to Agency Discretion: No

Burden Reduction Due to:

Short Statement: In RIN 0651-AD85 (Required Use by Foreign Applicants and Patent Owners of a Patent Practitioner (91 FR 13510)), the USPTO is amending the Rules of Practice in Patent Cases to require patent applicants and patent owners whose domicile is not located within the United States (U.S.) or its territories to be represented by a registered patent practitioner. A requirement that foreign applicants/inventors and patent owners be represented by a registered patent practitioner will bring the U.S. in line with most other countries that require that such parties be represented by a licensed or registered person of that country. Additionally, this requirement will increase efficiency and enable the USPTO to more effectively use available mechanisms to enforce compliance by all foreign applicants/inventors and patent owners with U.S. statutory and regulatory requirements in patent matters, and enhance the USPTO’s ability to respond to false certifications, misrepresentations, and fraud. In support of RIN 0651-AD85, the USPTO is revising three IC lines in this information collection. There will be an increase in the total estimated respondents (+407) and burden hours (+202) to this information collection due to this action.

Annual Cost to Federal Government: $1,362,478

Does this IC contain surveys, censuses, or employ statistical methods? No

Does this ICR request any personally identifiable information (see OMB Circular No. A-130 for an explanation of this term)? Please consult with your agency's privacy program when making this determination. Yes

Does this ICR include a form that requires a Privacy Act Statement (see 5 U.S.C. §552a(e)(3))? Please consult with your agency's privacy program when making this determination. Yes

Is this ICR related to the Affordable Care Act [Pub. L. 111-148 & 111-152]? No

Is this ICR related to the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, [Pub. L. 111-203]? No

Is this ICR related to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA)? No

Is this ICR related to the Pandemic Response? No

Agency Contact: Raul Tamayo 571 272-7728 raul.tamayo@uspto.gov

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