To: | Apple Inc. (laperle@apple.com) |
Subject: | U.S. TRADEMARK APPLICATION NO. 85609317 - N/A |
Sent: | 11/13/2013 3:36:23 PM |
Sent As: | ECOM104@USPTO.GOV |
Attachments: |
UNITED STATES PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE (USPTO)
OFFICE ACTION (OFFICIAL LETTER) ABOUT APPLICANT’S TRADEMARK APPLICATION
U.S. APPLICATION SERIAL NO. 85609317
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CORRESPONDENT ADDRESS: |
CLICK HERE TO RESPOND TO THIS LETTER: http://www.gov.uspto.report/trademarks/teas/response_forms.jsp
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APPLICANT: Apple Inc.
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CORRESPONDENT’S REFERENCE/DOCKET NO: CORRESPONDENT E-MAIL ADDRESS: |
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OFFICE ACTION
TO AVOID ABANDONMENT OF APPLICANT’S TRADEMARK APPLICATION, THE USPTO MUST RECEIVE APPLICANT’S COMPLETE RESPONSE TO THIS LETTER WITHIN 6 MONTHS OF THE ISSUE/MAILING DATE BELOW.
ISSUE/MAILING DATE: 11/13/2013
The statement of use has been reviewed by the assigned trademark examining attorney. Applicant must respond timely and completely to the issue below. 15 U.S.C. §1062(b); 37 C.F.R. §§2.62(a), 2.65(a); TMEP §§711, 718.03.
SPECIMEN – SOUND OF THE MARK ONLY
Although applicant describes the specimen as a “television commercial showing mark in connection with the goods/services,” the media file submitted to TEAS was a .wav file of the sound of the mark only.
Applicant may respond to this refusal by submitting a different specimen (a verified “substitute” specimen) that (a) was in actual use in commerce prior to the expiration of the deadline for filing the statement of use and (b) shows the mark in actual use in commerce for the goods and/or services identified in the statement of use.
Applicant, however, may not withdraw the statement of use. See 37 C.F.R. §2.88(g); TMEP §1109.17.
SUBMITTING A SUBSITUTE SPECIMEN FOR SOUND MARKS
To show that a sound mark actually identifies and distinguishes the goods and services and indicates their source, an applicant must submit a specimen that contains a sufficient portion of the audio or video content to show how the mark is used on or in connection with the goods and services. See TMEP §904.03(f).
For paper responses, specimens for sound marks must be submitted on DVDs. 37 C.F.R. §2.56(d)(3). See TMEP §904.03(d). For TEAS responses, the specimen and must be an electronic file in .wmv, .mpg, or .avi format. Video files should not exceed 30 MB, because TEAS cannot accommodate larger files. To submit an electronic file in connection with a TEAS response, the file must be sent after the TEAS document is transmitted, as an attachment to an e-mail message directed to TEAS@uspto.gov, with clear instructions that the electronic file should be associated with “the application filed under Serial No. 85609317.” See In re Powermat Inc., 105 USPQ2d 1789, 1791 (TTAB 2013). Note, however, that audio and video files attached to an e-mail currently cannot exceed 9 MB.
For more information about this refusal and instructions on how to submit a verified “substitute” specimen online using the Trademark Electronic Application System (TEAS) form, please go to http://www.gov.uspto.report/trademarks/law/specimen.jsp.
Examining Attorney
Law Office 104
Phone - (571) 272-8856
Fax - (571) 273-8856
jason.blair@uspto.gov
TO RESPOND TO THIS LETTER: Go to http://www.gov.uspto.report/trademarks/teas/response_forms.jsp. Please wait 48-72 hours from the issue/mailing date before using the Trademark Electronic Application System (TEAS), to allow for necessary system updates of the application. For technical assistance with online forms, e-mail TEAS@uspto.gov. For questions about the Office action itself, please contact the assigned trademark examining attorney. E-mail communications will not be accepted as responses to Office actions; therefore, do not respond to this Office action by e-mail.
All informal e-mail communications relevant to this application will be placed in the official application record.
WHO MUST SIGN THE RESPONSE: It must be personally signed by an individual applicant or someone with legal authority to bind an applicant (i.e., a corporate officer, a general partner, all joint applicants). If an applicant is represented by an attorney, the attorney must sign the response.
PERIODICALLY CHECK THE STATUS OF THE APPLICATION: To ensure that applicant does not miss crucial deadlines or official notices, check the status of the application every three to four months using the Trademark Status and Document Retrieval (TSDR) system at http://tsdr.gov.uspto.report/. Please keep a copy of the TSDR status screen. If the status shows no change for more than six months, contact the Trademark Assistance Center by e-mail at TrademarkAssistanceCenter@uspto.gov or call 1-800-786-9199. For more information on checking status, see http://www.gov.uspto.report/trademarks/process/status/.
TO UPDATE CORRESPONDENCE/E-MAIL ADDRESS: Use the TEAS form at http://www.gov.uspto.report/trademarks/teas/correspondence.jsp.