UNITED STATES PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE
SERIAL NO: 76/462618
APPLICANT: Best Buy Concepts, Inc.
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CORRESPONDENT ADDRESS: RITA COYLE DEMEULES ROBINS, KAPLAN, MILLER & CIRESI, L.L.P. 2800 LASALLE PLAZA 800 LASALLE AVE. MINNEAPOLIS, MN 55402-2015 |
RETURN ADDRESS: Commissioner for Trademarks 2900 Crystal Drive Arlington, VA 22202-3514 ecom108@uspto.gov
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MARK: SONOPUR 5.1
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CORRESPONDENT’S REFERENCE/DOCKET NO: N/A
CORRESPONDENT EMAIL ADDRESS:
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Please provide in all correspondence:
1. Filing date, serial number, mark and applicant's name. 2. Date of this Office Action. 3. Examining Attorney's name and Law Office number. 4. Your telephone number and e-mail address.
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Serial Number 76/462618
The assigned examining attorney has reviewed the referenced application and determined the following.
SEARCH OF THE OFFICE RECORDS
The trademark attorney has searched the Office records and has found no similar registered or pending mark which would bar registration under Trademark Act Section 2(d), 15 U.S.C. Section 1052(d). TMEP section 1105.01.
INFORMALITIES
Before the application can be considered further, the following informal issues must be addressed.
The wording “STEREO EQUIPMENT” in the identification of goods is unacceptable as indefinite. The applicant may amend this wording to “stereo equipment, namely ____________ [specify the type of equipment by their common commercial names]” if accurate. TMEP §1402.01.
In the identification, the applicant must use the common commercial names for the goods, be as complete and specific as possible and avoid the use of indefinite words and phrases. If the applicant chooses to use indefinite terms, such as “accessories,” “components,” “devices,” “equipment,” “materials,” “parts,” “systems” and “products,” then those words must be followed by the word “namely” and the goods listed by their common commercial names. TMEP §§1402.01 and 1402.03(a).
Please note that, while an application may be amended to clarify or limit the identification, additions to the identification are not permitted. 37 C.F.R. §2.71(a); TMEP §1402.06. Therefore, the applicant may not amend to include any goods that are not within the scope of goods set forth in the present identification.
For assistance regarding an acceptable listing of goods and/or services, please see the on‑line searchable Manual of Acceptable Identifications of Goods and Services, at http://www.gov.uspto.report/web/offices/tac/doc/gsmanual/.
The applicant must indicate whether SONPUR or 5.1 has any significance in the relevant trade, any geographical significance or any meaning in a foreign language. 37 C.F.R. Section 2.61(b).
The drawing shows the mark, which includes a diacritical mark (an umlaut), in typed form. The application should be amended to include the following statement, if accurate:
The mark is presented without any claim as to special form. TMEP section 807.09
The applicant must disclaim the descriptive wording “5.1 apart from the mark as shown. Trademark Act Section 6, 15 U.S.C. §1056; TMEP §§1213 and 1213.03(a). The wording is merely descriptive of the applicant’s goods.
The computerized printing format for the Trademark Official Gazette requires a standard form for a disclaimer. TMEP §1213.08(a)(i). A properly worded disclaimer should read as follows:
No claim is made to the exclusive right to use 5.1 apart from the mark as shown.
See In re Owatonna Tool Co., 231 USPQ 493 (Comm’r Pats. 1983).
INFORMATION REQUIREMENT
Trademark Rule 2.61(b) states "The examiner may require the applicant to furnish such information and exhibits as may be reasonably necessary to the proper examination of the application". The Trademark Trial and Appeal Board has upheld a refusal of registration based on the applicant's failure to provide information requested under this rule. In re Babies Beat Inc., 13 USPQ2d 1729 (TTAB 1990)(failure to submit patent information regarding configuration).
NOTE:
If the applicant has any questions or needs assistance in responding to this Office action, please telephone the assigned examining attorney.
/WILLIAM H. DAWE III/
Trademark Attorney
Law Office 108
(703) 308-9108 ext. 294
(703) 746-8108 (Fax)
ecom108@uspto.gov
How to respond to this Office Action:
To respond formally using the Office’s Trademark Electronic Application System (TEAS), visit http://www.gov.uspto.report/teas/index.html and follow the instructions.
To respond formally via E-mail, visit http://www.gov.uspto.report/web/trademarks/tmelecresp.htm and follow the instructions.
To respond formally via regular mail, your response should be sent to the mailing Return Address listed above and include the serial number, law office and examining attorney’s name on the upper right corner of each page of your response.
FOR INQUIRIES OR QUESTIONS ABOUT THIS OFFICE ACTION, PLEASE CONTACT THE ASSIGNED EXAMINING ATTORNEY.