Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 174 / Monday, September 11, 2023 / Notices 62349 

Participants for SEDAR Workshops are 

appointed by the Gulf of Mexico, South 

Atlantic, and Caribbean Fishery 

Management Councils and NOAA 

Fisheries Southeast Regional Office, 

Highly Migratory Species Management 

Division, and Southeast Fisheries 

Science Center. Participants include: 

data collectors and database managers; 

stock assessment scientists, biologists, 

and researchers; constituency 

representatives including fishermen, 

environmentalists, and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs); 

international experts; and staff of 

Councils, Commissions, and State and 

Federal agencies. 

The items of discussion at the SEDAR 82 

South Atlantic Gray Triggerfish Assessment 

Webinar 6 are as follows: discuss any leftover 

data issues that were not cleared up during 

the data process, answer any questions that 

the analysts have, and discuss model 

development and model setup. 

Although non-emergency issues not 

contained in this agenda may come 

before this group for discussion, those 

issues may not be the subject of formal 

action during this meeting. Action will 

be restricted to those issues specifically 

identified in this notice and any issues 

arising after publication of this notice 

that require emergency action under 

section 305(c) of the Magnuson-Stevens 

Fishery Conservation and Management 

Act, provided the public has been 

notified of the intent to take final action 

to address the emergency. 

Special Accommodations 

This meeting is accessible to people 

with disabilities. Requests for auxiliary 

aids should be directed to the South 

Atlantic Fishery Management Council 

office (see ADDRESSES) at least 5 

business days prior to the meeting. 

Note: The times and sequence specified in 

this agenda are subject to change. 

Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq. 

Dated: September 6, 2023. 

Rey Israel Marquez, 

Acting Deputy Director, Office of Sustainable 

Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service. 

[FR Doc. 2023–19514 Filed 9–8–23; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

Patent and Trademark Office 

[Docket No.: PTO–C–2023–0034] 

Joint ITA–NIST–USPTO Collaboration 

Initiative Regarding Standards; Notice 

of Public Listening Session and 

Request for Comments 

AGENCY: United States Patent and 

Trademark Office, Department of 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Notice of public listening 

session; request for comments. 

SUMMARY: The International Trade 

Administration (ITA) creates prosperity 

by strengthening the international 

competitiveness of U.S. industry, 

promoting trade and investment, and 

ensuring fair trade and compliance with 

trade laws and agreements. The 

National Institute of Standards and 

Technology (NIST) promotes U.S. 

innovation and industrial 

competitiveness by advancing 

standards, and technology in ways that 

enhance economic security and improve 

our quality of life. The United States 

Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) 

plays an important role in incentivizing 

and protecting innovation, including 

innovations contributed to international 

standards bodies. In May 2023, the 

White House announced the United 

States Government National Standards 

Strategy for Critical and Emerging 

Technology (‘‘the Strategy’’), which, 

among other things, seeks to strengthen 

U.S. engagement in standards for critical 

and emerging technologies. As a means 

to further the implementation of the 

Strategy, and pursuant to a Request for 

Information on Implementation of the 

United States Government National 

Standards Strategy for Critical and 

Emerging Technology published by 

NIST (Docket No. NIST–2023–0005), 

ITA, NIST, and the USPTO (‘‘the 

Agencies’’) are initiating a listening 

session with stakeholders focused on 

issues at the intersection of standards 

and intellectual property. The Agencies 

are seeking stakeholder input on the 

current state of U.S. firm participation 

in standard setting, and the ability of 

U.S. industry to readily adopt standards 

to grow and compete, especially as that 

relates to the standardization of critical 

and emerging technologies. 

DATES: The public listening session will 

be held on Wednesday, September 20, 

2023, from 1 to 5 p.m. ET. Persons 

seeking to speak at the listening session 

must attend in person and register by 5 

p.m. on September 13, 2023. Persons 

seeking to attend, either in person or 

virtually but not speak at the event, 

must register by September 18, 2023. 

Seating is limited for in-person 

attendance. Written comments will be 

accepted until September 29, 2023. 

ADDRESSES: Public Listening Session: A 

public listening session focused on 

issues at the intersection of standards 

and intellectual property will take 

place, in person, in the Clara Barton 

Auditorium at the USPTO headquarters, 

600 Dulany Street, Alexandria, VA 

22314. The session will also be available 

via live feed for those wishing to attend 

remotely. Registration is required for 

both in-person and virtual attendance. 

Information on registration is available 

at https://www.uspto.gov/about-us/ 

events/public-listening-sessioninnovating-ideas-standards-andintellectual-property. Registrants must 

indicate whether they are registering as 

a listen-only attendee or as a speaker 

participant. Requests to participate as a 

speaker must include: 

1. The name of the person desiring to 

participate; 

2. The organization(s) that person 

represents, if any; 

3. Contact information (address, 

telephone number, and email); and 

4. Information on the specific 

question(s) of interest to the speaker (or 

their organization) and identification of 

the primary question of interest. 

Speaking slots are limited; preference 

will be given to speakers wishing to 

address one of the questions raised in 

this request for comments. We will 

attempt to group speakers by topics 

relating to the questions. Topics and 

speakers will be announced before the 

public listening session. The agencies 

have a strong preference for speakers to 

attend in person. Speakers are required 

to submit their written remarks for the 

listening session in advance through the 

Federal eRulemaking Portal at 

www.regulations.gov. We will inform 

each speaker in advance of their 

assigned time slot. If we receive more 

requests to speak than time allows and 

are unable to assign a time slot as 

requested, we will invite the requestor 

to submit written comments. Time slots 

will be at least five minutes but may be 

longer, depending on the number of 

speakers registered. A panel of ITA, 

NIST, and USPTO personnel may 

reserve time to ask questions of 

particular speakers after the delivery of 

a speaker’s remarks. Outcomes of the 

listening session may include a followon request for comments or a further 

focused workshop. 

The roundtable will be physically 

accessible to people with disabilities. 

Individuals requiring accommodation, 

such as sign language interpretation or 


ddrumheller on DSK120RN23PROD with NOTICES1
62350 Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 174 / Monday, September 11, 2023 / Notices 

other ancillary aids, should 

communicate their needs at least seven 

business days prior to the roundtable to 

Ms. Lakeshia Harley in the USPTO’s 

Office of Policy and International 

Affairs at 571–272–9300, at 

Lakeshia.Harley@uspto.gov, or by postal 

mail addressed to: Mail Stop OPIA, 

United States Patent and Trademark 

Office, P.O. Box 1450, Alexandria, VA 

22314–1450, ATTN: Lakeshia Harley. 

Attendees joining in person should 

arrive at least a half hour prior to the 

start of the roundtable and must present 

a valid government-issued photo 

identification upon arrival. 

Request for Comments 

You may submit written comments as 

follows. For reasons of government 

efficiency, comments must be submitted 

through the Federal eRulemaking Portal 

at www.regulations.gov. To submit 

comments via the portal, enter docket 

number PTO–C–2023–0034 on the 

homepage and select ‘‘search.’’ The site 

will provide a search results page listing 

all documents associated with this 

docket. Find a reference to this request 

for comments and select on the 

‘‘comment’’ icon, complete the required 

fields, and enter or attach your 

comments. Attachments to electronic 

comments will be accepted in Adobe®

portable document format (PDF) or 

Microsoft Word® format. Information 

that the submitter does not desire to 

make public, such as an address or 

phone number, should not be included 

in the comments because comments will 

be made available for public inspection. 

Visit the Federal eRulemaking Portal for 

additional instructions on providing 

comments via the portal. If electronic 

submission of comments is not feasible 

due to a lack of access to a computer 

and/or the internet, please contact the 

USPTO using the contact information 

below for special instructions regarding 

how to submit comments by mail or by 

hand delivery. 

Comments containing references, 

studies, research, and other empirical 

data that are not widely published 

should include copies of the referenced 

materials. All submissions, including 

attachments and other supporting 

materials, will become part of the public 

record and subject to public disclosure. 

The Agencies will not accept comments 

accompanied by a request that part or 

all of the material be treated 

confidentially because of its business 

proprietary nature. Therefore, do not 

submit confidential business 

information or otherwise sensitive, 

protected information. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. 

Chris Hannon, at 571–272–7385 or Mr. 

Anthony Quinn, at 202–893–6488. 

Inquiries can also be sent to SEP_

Policy@uspto.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Background 

On May 4, 2023, the White House 

released the United States Government 

National Standards Strategy for Critical 

and Emerging Technology (‘‘the 

Strategy’’). The Strategy calls for a 

whole of government approach to 

reinvigorate our rules-based and private 

sector-led approach to standards 

development. The Strategy seeks to 

prioritize efforts for standards 

development that are essential for U.S. 

competitiveness and national security 

including communication and 

networking technologies, 

semiconductors and microelectronics, 

artificial intelligence and machine 

learning, biotechnologies, clean energy, 

and quantum information technologies, 

to name a few. The Strategy highlights 

the importance of widely adopted 

standards as they facilitate access and 

growth in new markets and support new 

market entrants. 

As a means to achieve increased U.S. 

private and public engagement with 

standard development organizations, 

the Strategy identifies the following four 

objectives: (1) investment, (2) 

participation, (3) workforce, and (4) 

integrity and inclusivity. Each objective 

is accompanied by particular lines of 

effort, such as helping to remove and 

prevent barriers to private sector 

participation in standard development, 

improving communications between 

public and private sectors on standards, 

and educating and empowering the new 

standards workforce. 

Pursuant to a Request for Information 

on Implementation of the United States 

Government National Standards 

Strategy for Critical and Emerging 

Technology, Docket No. NIST–2023– 

0005 (https://www.federalregister.gov/d/ 

2023-19245), the Agencies are seeking 

feedback on issues that stakeholders 

face at the intersection of standards and 

intellectual property, especially small 

and medium enterprises (SMEs). SMEs 

are encouraged to self-identify in their 

comment submissions. The listening 

session and stakeholder feedback 

received will be used to narrow the 

scope of future collaborative efforts 

between the Agencies and with 

stakeholders. 

II. Focused Listening Session 

The purpose of this listening session 

and request for comments is to obtain 

public input on areas for ITA–NIST– 

USPTO collaboration and engagement 

related to the Strategy. We are seeking 

feedback from a broad group of 

stakeholders, including, but not limited 

to, private sector companies, standards 

bodies and entities that participate in 

them, licensors and licensees of 

standardized technologies, academia 

and the general public. To facilitate 

stakeholder feedback, questions are 

provided below. These questions are not 

meant to be exhaustive, and 

stakeholders are encouraged to address 

these and/or other related issues and to 

submit research and data that inform 

their comments on these topics. 

Responses to these questions may result 

in the need for additional workshops, 

hack-a-thons, or events to solve the 

identified challenges. 

III. Questions for Public Comment 

Respondents may address any, all, or 

none of the following questions and 

may address additional related topics 

that implicate the intersection of 

standards and intellectual property 

rights. Please identify, where possible, 

the questions your comments are 

intended to address. ITA, NIST, and the 

USPTO invite written responses from 

the public to the following questions: 

1. Do the intellectual property rights 

policies of foreign jurisdictions threaten 

any of U.S. leadership in international 

standard setting, U.S. participation in 

international standard setting, and/or 

the growth of U.S. SMEs that rely on the 

ability to readily license standard 

essential patents? 

2. If responding affirmatively to 

question 1, what can the Department of 

Commerce do to mitigate the effects of 

any adverse foreign policies relating to 

intellectual property rights and 

standards? Please clearly identify any 

such adverse foreign policies with 

specificity. 

3. What more can other entities do, 

such as standards development 

organizations, industry or consumer 

associations, academia, or U.S. 

businesses to help improve American 

leadership, participation in 

international standard setting, and/or 

increased participation of small to 

medium-sized enterprises that rely on 

the ability to readily license standard 

essential patents? 

4. Are current fair, reasonable, and 

non-discriminatory (FRAND) licensing 

practices adequate to sustain U.S. 

innovation and global competitiveness? 

Are there other international models 

which would better serve U.S. 

innovation in the future? 

5. Are there specific U.S. intellectual 

property laws or policies that inhibit 

participation in standards development? 


ddrumheller on DSK120RN23PROD with NOTICES1
Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 174 / Monday, September 11, 2023 / Notices 62351 

6. Are there specific U.S. intellectual 

property laws or policies that inhibit 

growth of SMEs that rely on licensing 

and implementing standards? 

7. Which, if any, actions would be 

advisable for the Department of 

Commerce to further explore regarding 

the interplay of intellectual property 

and standards, including but not limited 

to: 

a. educational guidance to SMEs to 

become more involved in standards; 

b. recommendations for standards 

development organizations regarding 

intellectual property policies and 

enforcement thereof; 

c. a database of judicially determined 

or otherwise voluntarily-made-public 

licensing rates for technologies covered 

by a FRAND commitment; and 

d. other voluntary and/or public 

disclosures? 

8. How can the Department of 

Commerce reinforce the importance of 

IP-based incentives for participation in 

international technology standards 

development, especially around critical 

and emerging technologies? 

9. What can the Department of 

Commerce do to mitigate emergence or 

facilitate the resolution of FRAND 

licensing disputes? Can requiring 

further transparency concerning patent 

ownership make standard essential 

patent (SEP) licensing more efficient? 

What are other impediments to reaching 

a FRAND license that the Department of 

Commerce could address through policy 

or regulation? 

10. Are there steps that the 

Department of Commerce can take 

regarding intellectual property rights 

policy that will help advance U.S. 

leadership in standards development 

and implementation for critical and 

emerging technologies? 

11. Do policy solutions that would 

require SEP holders to agree collectively 

on rates or have parties rely on joint 

negotiation to reach FRAND license 

agreements with SEP holders create 

legal risks? Are there other concerns 

with these solutions? 

12. What can the Department of 

Commerce do to help facilitate the 

efficient resolution of FRAND disputes? 

What can the Department of Commerce 

do with the World Intellectual Property 

Organization and/or standard setting 

bodies to promote alternative dispute 

resolution to more efficiently resolve 

FRAND disputes? 

Katherine K. Vidal, 

Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual 

Property and Director of the United States 

Patent and Trademark Office. 

[FR Doc. 2023–19667 Filed 9–8–23; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–16–P 

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE 

Office of the Secretary 

[Docket ID: DoD–2023–OS–0037] 

Submission for OMB Review; 

Comment Request 

AGENCY: Office of the Under Secretary of 

Defense for Personnel and Readiness 

(OUSD(P&R)), Department of Defense 

(DoD). 

ACTION: 30-Day information collection 

notice. 

SUMMARY: The DoD has submitted to the 

Office of Management and Budget 

(OMB) for clearance the following 

proposal for collection of information 

under the provisions of the Paperwork 

Reduction Act. 

DATES: Consideration will be given to all 

comments received by October 11, 2023. 

ADDRESSES: Written comments and 

recommendations for the proposed 

information collection should be sent 

within 30 days of publication of this 

notice to www.reginfo.gov/public/do/ 

PRAMain. Find this particular 

information collection by selecting 

‘‘Currently under 30-day Review—Open 

for Public Comments’’ or by using the 

search function. 

You may also submit comments and 

recommendations, identified by Docket 

ID number DoD–2023–OS–0037 and 

title at http://www.regulations.gov. 

Follow the instructions for submitting 

comments. 

Instructions: All submissions received 

must include the agency name, Docket 

ID number, and title for this Federal 

Register document. The general policy 

for comments and other submissions 

from members of the public is to make 

these submissions available for public 

viewing on the internet at http://

www.regulations.gov as they are 

received without change, including any 

personal identifiers or contact 

information. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Angela Duncan, 571–372–7574, whs.mcalex.esd.mbx.dd-dod-informationcollections@mail.mil. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 

Active Duty Spouse Survey (ADSS) is 

the primary source for reliable and 

generalizable survey data on the effects 

of military life on military spouses and 

their families and the effectiveness of 

current programs and policies. The 

Office of People Analytics (OPA) will 

administer the Active Duty Spouse 

Survey (ADSS) to active duty spouses of 

Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, 

and Space Force members who are 

below flag rank. This scientific survey is 

designed to enhance understanding of 

how spouse and family resilience 

impact force readiness and retention 

and inform the effectiveness of 

programs and policies under the 

purview of DoD’s Military Community 

and Family Policy (MC&FP) 

Department. The ADSS provides 

unique, ongoing, reliable data to equip 

policymakers with the information they 

need to make strategic, data-driven 

decisions on a vital component of the 

total force—military spouses and 

families. All active duty spouses who 

want to share their experiences but were 

not selected as part of the larger 

scientific survey will be able to 

complete a shorter survey hosted online 

during the same field period. 

Title; Associated Form; and OMB 

Number: Active Duty Spouse Survey; 

OMB Control Number 0704–0604. 

Type of Request: Revision. 

Number of Respondents: 11,500. 

Responses per Respondent: 1. 

Annual Responses: 11,500. 

Average Burden per Response: 15 

minutes. 

Annual Burden Hours: 2,875. 

Affected Public: Individuals or 

households. 

Frequency: Biennially. 

Respondent’s Obligation: Voluntary. 

Request for Comments 

Comments are invited on: (1) Whether 

the proposed collection of information 

is necessary for the proper performance 

of the functions of DOD, including 

whether the information collected has 

practical utility; (2) the accuracy of 

DOD’s estimate of the burden (including 

hours and cost) of the proposed 

collection of information; (3) ways to 

enhance the quality, utility, and clarity 

of the information to be collected; and 

(4) ways to minimize the burden of the 

collection of information on 

respondents, including automated 

collection techniques or the use of other 

forms of information technology. 

OMB Desk Officer: Ms. Jasmeet 

Seehra. 

DOD Clearance Officer: Ms. Angela 

Duncan. 

Requests for copies of the information 

collection proposal should be sent to 

Ms. Duncan at whs.mc-alex.esd.mbx.dddod-information-collections@mail.mil. 

Dated: September 6, 2023. 

Natalie M. Ragland, 

Alternate OSD Federal Register Liaison 

Officer, Department of Defense. 

[FR Doc. 2023–19533 Filed 9–8–23; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 5001–06–P 


ddrumheller on DSK120RN23PROD with NOTICES1