Proposed Rules. Notice of extension of comment period

Agency: United States Patent and Trademark Office, Commerce
Action: Notice of extension of comment period
Citation: FR Doc. 04-1888 · RIN 0651-AB55 · Docket No.: 2002-C-005 · 37 CFR 11

Summary

The United States Patent and Trademark Office (Office or USPTO) is extending the public comment period on proposed rules, USPTO Rules of Professional Conduct, published in the Federal Register on December 12, 2003 (68 FR 69442). This will allow additional time following publication on December 12, 2003, for public comments, including whether the Rules of Professional Conduct should include the revisions to the Model Rules as amended by the American Bar Association at the end of its February 2002 Midyear Meeting, also known as the Ethics 2000 revisions.

Dates

You must submit your comments by Monday, April 12, 2004. The Office may not necessarily consider or include in the Administrative Record for the proposed rule comments that the Office receives after the close of this extended comment period or comments delivered to an address other than those listed below.

Supplementary Information

The USPTO published the proposed rules on December 12, 2003 (68 FR 69442) and provided a 60-day comment period that will end on February 10, 2004. We are extending the comment period on proposed rules 11.100 through 11.900 in subpart D until April 12, 2004, to allow the public additional time to provide us with their comments. The Office seeks comments regarding proposed rules 11.100 through 11.900 in subpart D, in part, because the proposed rules do not contemplate inclusion of the Ethics 2000 revisions to the Model Rules of Professional Conduct. The Ethics 2000 revisions have not been widely adopted by state bars. Proposed rules 11.100 through 11.900, in large part, are based on the widely adopted Model Rules of Professional Conduct. The extended comment period provides the public an opportunity to address proposed rules 11.100 through 11.900, and whether the Ethics 2000 revisions should be included in the rules adopted by the Office. Dated: January 22, 2004. Jon W. Dudas, Acting Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Acting Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office. [FR Doc. 04-1888 Filed 1-28-04; 8:45 am]