Overview
Title
Small Entity Government Use License Exception
Agencies
ELI5 AI
The government made a small update in an important paper by changing a date from January 20 to January 21, 2021, to make sure everything happens at the right time.
Summary AI
The Federal Register issued a correction concerning a previous rule published by the Department of Commerce and the Patent and Trademark Office. Originally, the rule document 2020-27049 listed the date "January 20, 2021," which has now been corrected to "January 21, 2021." This change is detailed on page 82917 of the document published on December 21, 2020. This correction ensures that any references to next steps or actions are linked to the accurate date.
Keywords AI
Sources
AnalysisAI
Editorial Commentary
The document under review is a correction notice published in the Federal Register pertaining to a rule initially issued by the Department of Commerce and the Patent and Trademark Office ("PTO"). This notice specifically addresses a date change within the original rule document number 2020-27049. The correction shifts a referenced date from January 20, 2021, to January 21, 2021. While seemingly minor, this type of correction is a routine practice in regulatory documents to ensure accuracy and clarity.
General Summary
This correction notice is simple in nature. It rectifies the effective date specified within a previously published PTO rule regarding certain government license exceptions for small entities. The change, from January 20, 2021, to January 21, 2021, is documented in the Federal Register issue published on December 21, 2020. Such corrections are vital for maintaining the integrity and accuracy of official publications, which can often have broad administrative and legal implications.
Significant Issues or Concerns
One notable issue with this document is the lack of context. The correction notice does not include any information about the original rule's content or purpose. Consequently, readers who are not familiar with the referenced rule document may find it difficult to understand the significance of this change. Additionally, the correction involves a date alteration by merely one day, and without additional information, its importance may appear unclear. There is no explanation provided as to why the date was changed, nor is there any information on the potential consequences of this amendment.
Impact on the Public Broadly
For the general public, this correction might seem trivial. However, the accuracy of dates in federal regulations can have implications for compliance timelines, submission deadlines, and implementation periods that affect various stakeholders. While the general public might not be directly impacted by this change, the public relies on government agencies to ensure that all published rules are correct and up-to-date. Thus, maintaining accuracy is critically important even if the immediate impact appears minimal.
Impact on Specific Stakeholders
For specific stakeholders, particularly those directly affected by the small entity government use license exceptions, this date change could be significant. It may affect the timing for compliance or the execution of rights and responsibilities under the rule. Stakeholders such as small businesses, legal professionals, and government agencies need to align their schedules and practices with the corrected timeline. This change could be either an inconvenience or a relief, depending on individual circumstances and preparedness for the originally listed date. The lack of context in this correction notice makes it challenging to fully assesses its impact on these stakeholders.
Overall, while the correction might seem minor, it plays a crucial role in ensuring the accuracy and precision of federal documents, which is essential for regulatory compliance and effective governance.
Issues
• The TEXT section contains a correction notice without context. The original Federal Register entry referenced in rule document 2020-27049 is not included, which may make it difficult for some readers to understand the significance of the correction.
• The correction involves changing a date by one day, from January 20, 2021, to January 21, 2021. Without context, the importance of this date change is unclear, such as if it affects deadlines for small entity government use license exceptions.
• There is no information on the potential impact or reasoning for the date change, leaving readers unaware of whether this is a significant amendment or merely a clerical correction.
• The document assumes a level of familiarity with the original text and content of the rule document 2020-27049, which may not be the case for all readers, particularly those who have not accessed the original Federal Register issue.