35  U.S.C. §41(i)    Patent and trademark search systems.

  • (i) ELECTRONIC PATENT AND TRADEMARK DATA.—
    • (1) MAINTENANCE OF COLLECTIONS.—The Director shall maintain, for use by the public, paper, microform, or electronic collections of United States patents, foreign patent documents, and United States trademark registrations arranged to permit search for and retrieval of information. The Director may not impose fees directly for the use of such collections, or for the use of the public patent or trademark search rooms or libraries.
    • (2) AVAILABILITY OF AUTOMATED SEARCH SYSTEMS.—The Director shall provide for the full deployment of the automated search systems of the Patent and Trademark Office so that such systems are available for use by the public, and shall assure full access by the public to, and dissemination of, patent and trademark information, using a variety of automated methods, including electronic bulletin boards and remote access by users to mass storage and retrieval systems.
    • (3) ACCESS FEES.—The Director may establish reasonable fees for access by the public to the automated search systems of the Patent and Trademark Office. If such fees are established, a limited amount of free access shall be made available to users of the systems for purposes of education and training. The Director may waive the payment by an individual of fees authorized by this subsection upon a showing of need or hardship, and if such a waiver is in the public interest.
    • (4) ANNUAL REPORT TO CONGRESS.—The Director shall submit to the Congress an annual report on the automated search systems of the Patent and Trademark Office and the access by the public to such systems. The Director shall also publish such report in the Federal Register. The Director shall provide an opportunity for the submission of comments by interested persons on each such report.

(Added Pub. L. 102-204, §5(d)(1), 105 Stat. 1637, Dec. 10, 1991; Pub. L. 112-29, 125 Stat. 323, 324, Sept. 16, 2011.)