Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 113 Part 2.djvu/1090

 113 STAT. 1501A-572 PUBLIC LAW 106-113—APPENDIX I SEC. 4608. EFFECTIVE DATE. (a) IN GENERAL.— Subject to subsection (b), this subtitle and the amendments made by this subtitle shall take effect on the date of the enactment of this Act and shall apply to any patent that issues from an original application filed in the United States on or after that date. (b) SECTION 4605(a). —The amendments made by section 4605(a) shall take effect on the date that is 1 year after the date of the enactment of this Act. Subtitle G—Patent and Trademark Office SEC. 4701. SHORT TITLE. This subtitle may be cited as the "Patent and Trademark Office Efficiency Act". CHAPTER 1—UNITED STATES PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE SEC. 4711. ESTABLISHMENT OF PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE. Section 1 of title 35, United States Code, is amended to read as follows: "*§ 1. Establishment "(a) ESTABLISHMENT. —The United States Patent and Trademark Office is established as an agency of the United States, within the Department of Commerce. In carrying out its functions, the United States Patent and Trademark Office shall be subject to the policy direction of the Secretary of Commerce, but otherwise shall retain responsibility for decisions regarding the management and administration of its operations and shall exercise independent control of its budget allocations and expenditures, personnel decisions and processes, procurements, and other administrative and management functions in accordance with this title and applicable provisions of law. Those operations designed to grant and issue patents and those operations which are designed to facilitate the registration of trademarks shall be treated as separate operating units within the Office. "(b) OFFICES. —The United States Patent and Trademark Office shall maintain its principal office in the metropolitan Washington, D.C., area, for the service of process and papers and for the purpose of carrying out its functions. The United States Patent and Trademark Office shall be deemed, for purposes of venue in civil actions, to be a resident of the district in which its principal office is located, except where jurisdiction is otherwise provided by law. The United States Patent and Trademark Office may establish satellite offices in such other places in the United States as it considers necessary and appropriate in the conduct of its business. "(c) REFERENCE.—For purposes of this title, the United States Patent and Trademark Office shall also be referred to as the 'Office' and the 'Patent and Trademark Office'.". SEC. 4712. POWERS AND DUTIES. Section 2 of title 35, United States Code, is amended to read as follows:

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