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    <RIN_INFO>
        <RIN>0651-AC95</RIN>
        <PUBLICATION>
            <PUBLICATION_ID>201410</PUBLICATION_ID>
            <PUBLICATION_TITLE>The Regulatory Plan and the Unified Agenda of Federal Regulatory and Deregulatory Actions</PUBLICATION_TITLE>
        </PUBLICATION>
        <AGENCY>
            <CODE>0651</CODE>
            <NAME>Patent and Trademark Office</NAME>
            <ACRONYM>PTO</ACRONYM>
        </AGENCY>
        <PARENT_AGENCY>
            <CODE>0600</CODE>
            <NAME>Department of Commerce</NAME>
            <ACRONYM>DOC</ACRONYM>
        </PARENT_AGENCY>
        <RULE_TITLE>Changes to Facilitate Applicants Authorization of Access for Unpublished U.S. Applications to Foreign Intellectual Property Offices</RULE_TITLE>
        <ABSTRACT><![CDATA[The electronic sharing of information and documents between intellectual property (IP) offices is critical for increasing the efficiency and quality of patent examination worldwide.  The United States Patent and Trademark Office (Office) is proposing to amend its rules of practice to expressly permit applicants to provide the Office with authority to give a foreign IP office access to all or part of the file contents of an application.  This authorization would allow the Office to provide the foreign IP office with the relevant contents of an application to satisfy a requirement imposed on the applicant by the foreign IP office as a result of a foreign counterpart application having been filed.  By the Office providing the foreign IP office with the required document(s) or information on applicants behalf, the applicant would not need to expend resources (e.g., time, money, etc.) to provide the document(s) or information to the foreign IP office.  Under the proposed rules, information sharing would be limited to those foreign IP offices in which applicant has filed a counterpart application and provided written authority for access to all or a portion of the application.]]></ABSTRACT>
        <PRIORITY_CATEGORY>Substantive, Nonsignificant</PRIORITY_CATEGORY>
        <RIN_STATUS>Previously Published in The Unified Agenda</RIN_STATUS>
        <RULE_STAGE>Final Rule Stage</RULE_STAGE>
        <MAJOR>No</MAJOR>
        <UNFUNDED_MANDATE_LIST>
            <UNFUNDED_MANDATE>No</UNFUNDED_MANDATE>
        </UNFUNDED_MANDATE_LIST>
        <CFR_LIST>
            <CFR>37 CFR 1.1</CFR>
        </CFR_LIST>
        <LEGAL_AUTHORITY_LIST>
            <LEGAL_AUTHORITY>35 USC 122</LEGAL_AUTHORITY>
            <LEGAL_AUTHORITY>35 USC 2(b)(2)</LEGAL_AUTHORITY>
            <LEGAL_AUTHORITY>5 USC 553</LEGAL_AUTHORITY>
        </LEGAL_AUTHORITY_LIST>
        <LEGAL_DLINE_LIST/>
        <RPLAN_ENTRY>No</RPLAN_ENTRY>
        <TIMETABLE_LIST>
            <TIMETABLE>
                <TTBL_ACTION>NPRM</TTBL_ACTION>
                <TTBL_DATE>07/11/2014</TTBL_DATE>
                <FR_CITATION>79 FR 40035</FR_CITATION>
            </TIMETABLE>
            <TIMETABLE>
                <TTBL_ACTION>NPRM Comment Period End</TTBL_ACTION>
                <TTBL_DATE>09/09/2014</TTBL_DATE>
            </TIMETABLE>
            <TIMETABLE>
                <TTBL_ACTION>Final Rule</TTBL_ACTION>
                <TTBL_DATE>12/00/2014</TTBL_DATE>
            </TIMETABLE>
            <TIMETABLE>
                <TTBL_ACTION>Final Rule Effective</TTBL_ACTION>
                <TTBL_DATE>01/00/2015</TTBL_DATE>
            </TIMETABLE>
        </TIMETABLE_LIST>
        <RFA_REQUIRED>No</RFA_REQUIRED>
        <SMALL_ENTITY_LIST>
            <SMALL_ENTITY>No</SMALL_ENTITY>
        </SMALL_ENTITY_LIST>
        <GOVT_LEVEL_LIST>
            <GOVT_LEVEL>None</GOVT_LEVEL>
        </GOVT_LEVEL_LIST>
        <FEDERALISM>No</FEDERALISM>
        <ENERGY_AFFECTED>No</ENERGY_AFFECTED>
        <PRINT_PAPER>No</PRINT_PAPER>
        <INTERNATIONAL_INTEREST>No</INTERNATIONAL_INTEREST>
        <AGENCY_CONTACT_LIST>
            <CONTACT>
                <FIRST_NAME>Raul</FIRST_NAME>
                <LAST_NAME>Tamayo</LAST_NAME>
                <AGENCY>
                    <CODE>0651</CODE>
                    <NAME>Patent and Trademark Office</NAME>
                    <ACRONYM>PTO</ACRONYM>
                </AGENCY>
                <PHONE>571 272-7728</PHONE>
                <FAX>571 273-7728</FAX>
                <EMAIL>raul.tamayo@uspto.gov</EMAIL>
                <MAILING_ADDRESS>
                    <STREET_ADDRESS>600 Dulany Street, P.O. Box 1450,</STREET_ADDRESS>
                    <CITY>Alexandria</CITY>
                    <STATE>VA</STATE>
                    <ZIP>22313</ZIP>
                </MAILING_ADDRESS>
            </CONTACT>
        </AGENCY_CONTACT_LIST>
    </RIN_INFO>
</REGINFO_RIN_DATA>
