UNITED STATES PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE
|
SERIAL NO: 76/546169
APPLICANT: PIAA Corporation
|
|
|
CORRESPONDENT ADDRESS: |
RETURN ADDRESS: Commissioner for Trademarks P.O. Box 1451 Alexandria, VA 22313-1451
|
|
MARK: PIAA
|
|
|
CORRESPONDENT’S REFERENCE/DOCKET NO: JA TES TM/US
CORRESPONDENT EMAIL ADDRESS: |
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.
|
Serial Number 76/546169
This letter responds to the Applicant’s communication dated September 1, 2004.
The applicant submitted a substitute specimen and supporting declaration. This amendment is acceptable and has been entered into the record. The applicant claimed ownership of U.S. Registration Nos. 1,422,723, 1,447,345, and 1,467,189. This amendment is acceptable and has been entered into the record.
The applicant was required to make an amendment to the identification of goods in order to make it more definite. The applicant amended the identification of goods, however, the identification still lacks requisite specificity. The requirement that the identification of goods be made more definite is therefore, continued and made final.
The identification of goods or services should be clear, accurate and as concise as possible. See Procter & Gamble Co. v. Economics Laboratory, Inc., 175 USPQ 505 (TTAB 1972); In re Cardinal Laboratories, Inc., 149 USPQ 709 (TTAB 1966); California Spray-Chemical Corp. v. Osmose Wood Preserving Co. of America, Inc., 102 USPQ 321 (Comm'r Pats. 1954); Ex parte A.C. Gilbert Co., 99 USPQ 344 (Comm'r Pats. 1953). Furthermore, the identification of goods and services must be specific and definite. In re Societe Generale des Eaux Minerales de Vittel S.A., 1 USPQ2d 1296 (TTAB 1986), rev'd on other grounds, 824 F.2d 957, 3 USPQ2d 1450 (Fed. Cir. 1987). For a detailed discussion of this Office's authority and rationale for requiring a specific identification of goods or services in an application, see Skoler, Trademark Identification ‑ Much Ado About Something?, 76 Trademark Rep. 224 (1986).
The wording “signal or indicator lights” in the amended identification of goods is unacceptable as indefinite. The applicant must amend the identification to specify the commercial name of the goods. If there is no common commercial name for the product, the applicant must describe the product and its intended uses. TMEP §1402.01.
The wording “decorative lights and related light coverings thereof” in the amended identification of goods is too broad because it could include items classified in other classes. The applicant must amend the identification to list each item by its common commercial name. TMEP §§1401.04(b), 1402.01 and 1402.03.
The wording “automobile replacement blades, Automobiles carriers for mounting on roof of automobiles…Bus replacement blades; Bus carriers for mounting on roofs of buses…Truck replacement blades; Truck carriers for mounting on roofs of truck…Tractor replacement blades; Tractor carriers for mounting on roofs of tractors…Motorcycle replacement blades” in the amended identification of goods is unacceptable as indefinite. The applicant must amend the identification to specify the commercial name of the goods. If there is no common commercial name for the product, the applicant must describe the product and its intended uses. TMEP §1402.01.
The applicant may adopt the following identification of goods, if accurate:
International Class 011: Automobile, bus, truck, motorcycle and tractor lights, namely headlights, tail lights, turn signal indicator lights, side or width lights, front dashboard lights, rear dashboard lights, fog lights; and electric decorative lights for automobiles, buses, trucks, motorcycles, and tractors, namely, decorative colored headlights, tail lights, turn signal indicator lights, side or width lights, front dashboard lights, rear dashboard lights, fog lights; and electric light decorative strings for attachment to automobiles, buses, trucks, motorcycles, and tractors.
International Class 012: Automobile, bus, truck, tractor, and motorcycle windshield wiper blades and replacement windshield wiper blades; cargo carriers for vehicles for mounting on the roofs of automobiles, buses, trucks, and tractors; parts and accessories for automobiles, trucks, tractors, buses and motorcycles, namely, wheel covers, steering wheels, and tire snow chains.
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.
If applicant does not respond within six months of the mailing date of this final action, then the objectionable goods to which the final refusal(s) and/or requirement(s) apply will be deleted from the application. The application will proceed forward for the remaining goods. 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 matter. The petition fee is $100. 37 C.F.R. §2.6(a)(15).
Effective January 31, 2005 and pursuant to the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2005, Pub. L. 108-447, the following are the fees that will be charged for filing a trademark application:
(1) $325 per international class if filed electronically using the Trademark Electronic Application System (TEAS); or
(2) $375 per international class if filed on paper
These fees will be charged not only when a new application is filed, but also when payments are made to add classes to an existing application. If such payments are submitted with a TEAS response, the fee will be $325 per class, and if such payments are made with a paper response, the fee will be $375 per class.
The new fee requirements will apply to any fees filed on or after January 31, 2005.
NOTICE: TRADEMARK OPERATION RELOCATION
The Trademark Operation has relocated to Alexandria, Virginia. Effective October 4, 2004, all Trademark-related paper mail (except documents sent to the Assignment Services Division for recordation, certain documents filed under the Madrid Protocol, and requests for copies of trademark documents) must be sent to:
Commissioner for Trademarks
P.O. Box 1451
Alexandria, VA 22313-1451
Applicants, attorneys and other Trademark customers are strongly encouraged to correspond with the USPTO online via the Trademark Electronic Application System (TEAS), at http://www.gov.uspto.report/teas/index.html.
/Toni Y Hickey/
Trademark Examining Attorney
Phone (571) 272-9475
Fax (571) 273-9475
How to respond to this Office Action:
You may respond formally using the Office's Trademark Electronic Application System (TEAS) Response to Office Action form (visit http://eteas.gov.uspto.report/V2.0/oa242/WIZARD.htm and follow the instructions therein, but you must wait until at least 72 hours after receipt if the office action issued via e-mail). PLEASE NOTE: Responses to Office Actions on applications filed under the Madrid Protocol (Section 66(a)) CANNOT currently be filed via TEAS.
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.