46042 Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 190 / Tuesday, October 3, 2017 / Notices 

or other activity to the vessel, aids law 

enforcement, and is valuable in actions 

concerning the damage, loss of gear, and 

civil proceedings. 

II. Method of Collection 

Third party disclosure 

III. Data 

OMB Control Number: 0648–0360. 

Form Number: None. 

Type of Review: Regular submission 

(extension of a currently approved 

collection). 

Affected Public: Business or other forprofit organizations, individuals, or 

households. 

Estimated Number of Respondents: 

339. 

Estimated Time per Response: 45 

minutes per Pacific Islands fishing 

vessel; one hour and 15 minutes per 

South Pacific purse seine vessel; 5 

minutes per gear marking. 

Estimated Total Annual Burden 

Hours: 2,348. 

Estimated Total Annual Cost to 

Public: $50,850 in recordkeeping/ 

reporting costs. 

IV. Request for Comments 

Comments are invited on: (a) Whether 

the proposed collection of information 

is necessary for the proper performance 

of the functions of the agency, including 

whether the information shall have 

practical utility; (b) the accuracy of the 

agency’s estimate of the burden 

(including hours and cost) of the 

proposed collection of information; (c) 

ways to enhance the quality, utility, and 

clarity of the information to be 

collected; and (d) ways to minimize the 

burden of the collection of information 

on respondents, including through the 

use of automated collection techniques 

or other forms of information 

technology. 

Comments submitted in response to 

this notice will be summarized and/or 

included in the request for OMB 

approval of this information collection; 

they also will become a matter of public 

record. 

Dated: September 28, 2017. 

Sarah Brabson, 

NOAA PRA Clearance Officer. 

[FR Doc. 2017–21213 Filed 10–2–17; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

United States Patent and Trademark 

Office 

[Docket No. PTO–P–2017–0039] 

Cash Payment Method Will No Longer 

Be Accepted 

AGENCY: United States Patent and 

Trademark Office, Department of 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: The United States Patent and 

Trademark Office (USPTO) will no 

longer accept cash, including coins, as 

payment for products and services for 

which fees are required. 

DATES: Applicable Date: November 1, 

2017. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Matthew Lee, Director, Receipts 

Accounting Division, Office of Finance, 

by email at matthew.lee@uspto.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Effective 

November 1, 2017, the USPTO will no 

longer accept cash, including coins, as 

payment for products and services for 

which fees are required. This change is 

being made to streamline the 

administrative fee collection process 

and is in accordance with the 

Department of the Treasury’s policy on 

agencies adopting a no-cash policy. See 

https://tfm.fiscal.treasury.gov/v1/bull/ 

17–12.pdf. There is no requirement that 

the USPTO accept cash payments. See, 

e.g., 37 CFR 1.23. 

The USPTO’s total net revenue for the 

last three fiscal years exceeded $3.0 

billion each year, and the cash payment 

method collections averaged less than 

$14,000 each year. In fiscal year (FY) 

2016, the cash payment method 

comprised less than $11,000, which 

represented less than 0.0004 percent of 

total net revenue collections. 

Furthermore, the USPTO processed over 

4.95 million total fee transactions in FY 

2016, and only 55 patent fees totaling 

under $5,000, and eleven trademark fees 

totally under $4,000, were paid by cash. 

The only other fees collected by cash 

in FY 2016 were about $1,500 in 

copying fees. The current self-service 

copiers are to be discontinued as part of 

Office plans to enter a ‘‘No Cost’’ 

contract with a vendor who will keep all 

payments collected in exchange for 

providing this service. See Setting and 

Adjusting Patent Fees During Fiscal 

Year 2017, 81 FR 68150, 68168 (Oct. 3, 

2016) (proposed rule). 

For the past three years, the 

overwhelming majority of fees have 

been paid to the USPTO using a 

payment method other than cash, and 

the costs of handling, safeguarding, 

auditing, transporting, and depositing of 

cash payments greatly outweigh the 

benefits of continuing to accept the cash 

payment method. 

While the USPTO will no longer 

accept the cash payment method on or 

after November 1, 2017, payments will 

continue to be accepted in-person and 

by mail when made by check or money 

order, credit/debit card, or deposit 

account. Payment of fees attempted with 

cash will be refused and returned. More 

information about all accepted payment 

methods is available at https://

www.uspto.gov/learning-and-resources/ 

fees-and-payment/accepted-paymentmethods. 

Dated: September 25, 2017. 

Joseph D. Matal, 

Performing the Functions and Duties of the 

Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual 

Property and Director of the United States 

Patent and Trademark Office. 

[FR Doc. 2017–21194 Filed 10–2–17; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–16–P 

BUREAU OF CONSUMER FINANCIAL 

PROTECTION 

[Docket No. CFPB–2017–0033] 

Agency Information Collection 

Activities: Comment Request 

AGENCY: Bureau of Consumer Financial 

Protection. 

ACTION: Notice and request for comment. 

SUMMARY: In accordance with the 

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 

(PRA), the Bureau of Consumer 

Financial Protection (Bureau) is 

requesting to renew the Office of 

Management and Budget (OMB) 

approval for an existing information 

collection, titled, ‘‘Generic Information 

Collection Plan for Studies of 

Consumers using Controlled Trials in 

Field and Economic Laboratory 

Settings.’’ 

DATES: Written comments are 

encouraged and must be received on or 

before December 4, 2017 to be assured 

of consideration. 

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments, 

identified by the title of the information 

collection, OMB Control Number (see 

below), and docket number (see above), 

by any of the following methods: 

• Electronic: http://

www.regulations.gov. Follow the 

instructions for submitting comments. 

• Mail: Consumer Financial 

Protection Bureau (Attention: PRA 

Office), 1700 G Street NW., Washington, 

DC 20552. 


asabaliauskas on DSKBBXCHB2PROD with NOTICES