Offc Action Outgoing

UNITED STATES PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE

 

 

 

OFFICE ACTION

 

RESPONSE TIME LIMIT:  TO AVOID ABANDONMENT, THE OFFICE MUST RECEIVE A PROPER RESPONSE TO THIS OFFICE ACTION WITHIN 6 MONTHS OF THE MAILING OR E-MAILING DATE. 

 

MAILING/E-MAILING DATE INFORMATION:  If the mailing or e-mailing date of this Office action does not appear above, this information can be obtained by visiting the USPTO website at http://tarr.gov.uspto.report/, inserting the application serial number, and viewing the prosecution history for the mailing date of the most recently issued Office communication.

 

Serial Number  76/108065

 

This letter responds to applicant’s communication filed on October 4, 2006.

 

The requirement for an acceptable specimen for International Class 39 is now made FINAL for the reasons set forth below.  The requirement for a substitute specimen for the International Class 35 services is withdrawn.

 

Applicant must submit a specimen showing use of the mark for the International Class 39 services specified in the application, because the specimen currently of record does not show use of the mark for any services in International Class 39 identified in the statement of use.  37 C.F.R. §§2.56 and 2.88(b)(2); TMEP §1109.09(b).  Applicant must also submit a statement that “the substitute specimen was in use in commerce prior to the expiration of the time allowed applicant for filing a statement of use,” verified with a notarized affidavit or a signed declaration under 37 C.F.R. §2.20.  37 C.F.R. §2.59(b)(2); TMEP §904.09.

 

The current specimen of record comprises a web page which shows the proposed mark appearing thereon.  It does not show use for applicant’s services in International Class 39 because it does not reference applicant’s “electronic and wireless storage and retrieval of data and documents.”

 

A service mark specimen must show use of the mark “in the sale or advertising of services.”  Trademark Act Section 45, 15 U.S.C. §1127; 37 C.F.R. §2.56.  Therefore, a specimen is unacceptable if it does not show use of the service mark in relation to the identified services.  There must be a direct association between the mark sought to be registered and the services specified in the application, with sufficient reference to the services in the specimen to create this association.  In re Monograms America, Inc., 51 USPQ2d 1317 (TTAB 1999); In re Adair, 45 USPQ2d 1211 (TTAB 1997); In re Restonic Corp., 189 USPQ 248 (TTAB 1975); TMEP §§1301.04 et seq.

 

Applicant must submit a statement that “the substitute specimen was in use in commerce prior to the expiration of the time allowed to the applicant for filing a statement of use,” verified with a notarized affidavit or a signed declaration under 37 C.F.R. §2.20.  37 C.F.R. §2.59(b)(2); TMEP §§904.09 and 1109.09(b).

 

The following is a sample declaration under 37 C.F.R. §2.20 with a supporting statement for a substitute specimen:

 

The undersigned being warned that willful false statements and the like are punishable by fine or imprisonment, or both, under 18 U.S.C. §1001, and that such willful false statements and the like may jeopardize the validity of the application or document or any registration resulting there from, declares that the substitute specimen was in use in commerce prior to the expiration of the time allowed to the applicant for filing a statement of use; all statements made of his/her own knowledge are true; and all statements made on information and belief are believed to be true.

 

 

_____________________________

(Signature)

 

_____________________________

(Print or Type Name and Position)

 

_____________________________

(Date)

 

 

In its response, applicant argues that the specimen of record supports its International Class 39 services because it references applicant’s “Two-Way Service,” which in applicant’s view “requires the data be electronically stored and retrieved, albeit temporarily,” and applicant’s website hosting services, which applicant notes “provides 5MB of free Web space to all customers who want to create their own personal Webpage.”  Applicant asserts that its web hosting service supports its International Class 39 services because it “is used by customers to store and retrieve data.”

 

Contrary to applicant’s position, however, the specimen of record does not support applicant’s services in International Class 39 because, to whatever extent these services involve the electronic storage and retrieval of data and documents, such electronic storage and retrieval services are merely ancillary to the services offered by applicant.  In particular, applicant’s “Two-Way Service” is a communications service by which data files may be transmitted over the Internet.  Similarly, applicant’s “Web Site Hosting” service, although it provides electronic storage capacity to applicant’s customers, is not an electronic storage and retrieval service per se but rather is advertised expressly as a service by which customers may “create their own personal Web page.”

 

Indeed, were applicant’s argument to be accepted, any communications or web hosting service, or virtually any Internet-related service for that matter, would of necessity also need to be regarded as an electronic storage and retrieval service since these services involve to some degree the electronic storage and retrieval of data and/or documents.  This construction, however, is clearly not contemplated in terms of the scope normally accorded to electronic storage and retrieval services in International Class 39.  Rather, specimens for electronic storage and retrieval services must clearly indicate that the entity providing these services is offering these services in and of themselves to third parties and not merely as services which are ancillary in nature.

 

If applicant does not respond within six months of the mailing date of this final action, then the following class to which the final refusal requirement applies will be deleted from the application:  International Class 39  The application will proceed forward for the remaining classes.  15 U.S.C. §1062(b); 37 C.F.R. §2.65(a).

 

Applicant may respond to this final action by: 

 

(1)   submitting a response that fully satisfies all outstanding requirements, if feasible (37 C.F.R. §2.64(a)); and/or

 

(2)   filing an appeal to the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board, with an appeal fee of $100 per class (37 C.F.R. §§2.6(a)(18) and 2.64(a); TMEP §§715.01 and 1501 et seq.; TBMP Chapter 1200).

 

In certain circumstances, a petition to the Director may be filed to review a final action that is limited to procedural issues, pursuant to 37 C.F.R. §2.63(b)(2).  37 C.F.R. §2.64(a).  See 37 C.F.R. §2.146(b), TMEP §1704, and TBMP Chapter 1201.05 for an explanation of petitionable matters.  The petition fee is $100.  37 C.F.R. §2.6(a)(15).

 

 

 

/Barney L. Charlon/

Trademark Examining Attorney

Law Office 104

(571) 272-9141

(571) 273-9104 (fax)

 

 

HOW TO RESPOND TO THIS OFFICE ACTION:

• ONLINE RESPONSE:  You may respond using the Office’s Trademark Electronic Application System (TEAS) Response to Office action form available on our website at http://www.gov.uspto.report/teas/index.html.  If the Office action issued via e-mail, you must wait 72 hours after receipt of the Office action to respond via TEAS.  NOTE:  Do not respond by e-mail.  THE USPTO WILL NOT ACCEPT AN E-MAILED RESPONSE.
• REGULAR MAIL RESPONSE:  To respond by regular mail, your response should be sent to the mailing return address above, and include the serial number, law office number, and examining attorney’s name.  NOTE:  The filing date of the response will be the date of receipt in the Office, not the postmarked date.  To ensure your response is timely, use a certificate of mailing.  37 C.F.R. §2.197.

 

STATUS OF APPLICATION: To check the status of your application, visit the Office’s Trademark Applications and Registrations Retrieval (TARR) system at http://tarr.uspto.gov.

 

VIEW APPLICATION DOCUMENTS ONLINE: Documents in the electronic file for pending applications can be viewed and downloaded online at http://portal.gov.uspto.report/external/portal/tow.

 

GENERAL TRADEMARK INFORMATION: For general information about trademarks, please visit the Office’s website at http://www.gov.uspto.report/main/trademarks.htm

 

FOR INQUIRIES OR QUESTIONS ABOUT THIS OFFICE ACTION, PLEASE CONTACT THE ASSIGNED EXAMINING ATTORNEY SPECIFIED ABOVE.