UNITED STATES PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE

 

 

 

 POST REGISTRATION OFFICE ACTION

 

 

 

Registration Number  2824367

 

The Section 8 Affidavit, filed on September 17, 2009, is not accepted for the reason(s) set forth below.

 

Fee Issue

The owner must submit the filing fee of $100 for the submitted Section 8 Affidavit in one class(es).  37 C.F.R. §2.161(d)(1); TMEP §1604.06(a).  The fee for filing a Section 8 Affidavit is $100 per class.  37 C.F.R. §2.6.  The required fee was submitted with the Section 8 Affidavit but the Office mistakenly refunded.  

 

Ownership Issue

The party who filed the Section 8 Affidavit must establish its ownership of the subject registration.  Trademark Act Section 8 requires the current owner of the registration to file the Section 8 Affidavit.  15 U.S.C. §1058; 37 C.F.R. §§2.161(a) and 3.73(b); TMEP §1604.07(a).  Office records do not show clear chain of title in the party who filed the Section 8 Affidavit.

 

Office records show clear chain of title to the registration in INDEPENDENT TELEVISION NETWORK, INC. (New York Corporation). However, the party who filed the Section 8 Affidavit is identified as ITN NETWORKS, LLC. 

 

The party who filed the Section 8 Affidavit must establish its current ownership of the subject registration as of  September 15, 2009, the date the Section 8 Affidavit was signed.  15 U.S.C. §1058; 37 C.F.R. §2.161(a); TMEP §1604.07(a).  Ownership can be established by satisfying one of the following:  (1) recording the appropriate documents with the Assignment Division of the Office; or (2) submitting actual evidence showing the transfer of title to the party who filed the Section 8 Affidavit.  37 C.F.R. §3.73(b); TMEP §§502.01 and 1604.07(b).  More information about these two methods for establishing ownership of the subject registration appears directly below. 

 

(1)  If the present owner chooses to record the appropriate documents with the Assignment Division, the documents must be recorded before expiration of the time for filing a response.  In addition, you must notify the undersigned when the documents have been recorded.  For information regarding recording assignments, name changes and mergers, please visit the webpage http://www.gov.uspto.report/web/trademarks/workflow/assign.htm and see TMEP §§503 et seq.  For specific questions, please contact the Assignment Division at 571-272-3350.  To expedite recordation, the owner is encouraged to file requests for recordation through the Electronic Trademark Assignment System (ETAS) at http://etas.uspto.gov.  There is a fee for recording ownership documents.

 

(2)  If the present owner prefers to submit actual evidence of ownership directly to the undersigned paralegal, copies of the actual documents transferring title or a statement explaining the valid transfer of legal title must be submitted.  If submitting a statement of facts explaining the transfer of title, this statement must be verified with an affidavit or a signed declaration under 37 C.F.R. §2.20.  See 37 C.F.R. §3.73 and TMEP §502.

 

Please note that if the party who filed the Section 8 Affidavit submits sufficient evidence to establish ownership but the ownership documents are not recorded with the Assignment Division before expiration of the time to file a response, then the acceptance notice will issue in the name of the owner of record.  37 C.F.R. §3.85; TMEP §502.02.

 

However, if the wrong party filed the Section 8 Affidavit and there is time remaining in the statutory filing period, the current owner must file a new Section 8 Affidavit with a new fee or the registration will be cancelled.  If the new Section 8 Affidavit is filed during the six-month grace period, the owner must pay the filing fee for the Section 8 Affidavit and the grace period fee.  15 U.S.C. §1058; 37 C.F.R. §§2.160 and 2.161; TMEP §1604.07(a)

 

If the wrong party filed the Section 8 Affidavit and there is no time remaining in the statutory filing period, the current owner cannot file a new Section 8 Affidavit.  The registration will be cancelled.  15 U.S.C. §1058; 37 C.F.R. §2.164(b); TMEP §1604.07(a).  This is not a deficiency that can be cured after the expiration of the grace period.  See In re Precious Diamonds, Inc., 635 F.2d 845, 208 USPQ 410 (C.C.P.A. 1980); In re Media Central IP Corp., 65 USPQ2d 1637 (Dir USPTO 2002).

 

RESPONSE TIME DEADLINE:  A complete response must be received within 6 months from the issuance date of this Office action or prior to expiration of the 6^th year anniversary date on March 23, 2010, whichever is later.  The owner must respond to all inquiries set forth in this Office action to avoid cancellation of the registration.  37 C.F.R. §2.163(b)-(c); TMEP §§1604.16 and 1604.17(a).

 

DEFICIENCY SURCHARGE INFORMATION:  A $100 deficiency surcharge must be submitted if the response to this Office action is received by the Office after March 23, 2010 date of 6^th year anniversary.  37 C.F.R. §§2.6 and 2.164(a)(1).

 

ADVISORY:  If a response to this Office action is not filed within the response deadline above, and time remains in the grace period, the registrant may avoid cancellation of its registration by filing a new affidavit of use within the grace period.  37 C.F.R. §2.163(c).  Additional fees are required to file a new affidavit during the grace period.  37 C.F.R. §2.161(d)(1)-(2).  For more information about this, please contact the undersigned.

 

PLEASE ENCLOSE THIS FORM WITH YOUR RESPONSE

**This form must be included with your response to ensure proper fee processing.**

 

Registration No. 2824367_____________________

 

The Post Registration Paralegal has determined that the amounts indicated below are outstanding:

 

$__100______ Section 8 affidavit filing fee (fee code 6205)

 

$________ Section 8 affidavit grace period surcharge (fee code 6206)

 

$________ Section 8 affidavit deficiency surcharge (fee code 6207)

 

$________ Section 9 renewal application filing fee (fee code 6201)

 

$________ Section 9 renewal application grace period surcharge (fee code 6203)

 

$________ Section 9 renewal application deficiency surcharge (fee code 6204)

 

$________ Section 15 affidavit filing fee (fee code 6208)

 

$________ Section 7 correction filing fee (fee code 6212)

 

$________ Section 7 amendment filing fee (fee code 6214)

 

$________ Section 7 issue new certificate of registration filing fee (fee code 6211)

 

$__100______ Deficiency surcharge—if response filed after _March 23, 2010 (fee code 6207)

                                                                                                     Date

 

 

$________ Deficiency surcharge—if response filed after ___________ (fee code 6204)

                                                                                                     Date

 

/Macy Ma/

Trademark Specialist

Post Registration Division

Office of Trademark Services

Tel. 571-272-9538

Fax 571-273-9538

 

 

 

How to respond to this Office Action:

 

To respond formally via regular mail, your response should be sent to the mailing Return Address listed above and include the registration number, the words 'Post Registration' and the examiner's name on the upper right corner of each page of your response.

 

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

 

FOR INQUIRIES OR QUESTIONS ABOUT THIS OFFICE ACTION, PLEASE CONTACT THE ASSIGNED EXAMINER.