Offc Action Outgoing

UNITED STATES PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE

 POST REGISTRATION OFFICE ACTION

Registration Number  2907933

The Sections 8 & 15 Combined Affidavit submitted on May 11, 2010, cannot be accepted or acknowledged for the reasons set forth below.

SPECIMEN

The owner must submit (1) a substitute specimen showing current use in commerce of the registered mark on or in connection with the goods and/or services in the registration, and (2) a statement that the substitute specimen was in use in commerce during the relevant period for filing the6-year Section 8.  This statement must be verified with an affidavit or a signed declaration under 37 C.F.R. §2.20.  37 C.F.R. §2.161(g); TMEP §1604.12(c). 

The specimen of record does not show the registered mark.

DECLARATION TO SIGN AND DATE

The following statement and declaration under 37 C.F.R. §2.20 can be used to verify the Combined Affidavit, if properly signed and dated:

The owner was using the mark in commerce on or in connection with the goods and/or services identified in the registration for which use of the mark in commerce is claimed, as evidenced by the submitted specimen, during the relevant period for filing the 6-year Section 8, that is, between the 5^th and 6^th year anniversary after the date of registration or the date of publication under 15 U.S.C. §1062 .

The mark has been in continuous use in commerce for five (5) consecutive years after the date of registration or the date of publication under 15 U.S.C. §1062(c), and is still in use in commerce on or in connection with all goods and/or services listed in the existing registration.  There has been no final decision adverse to the owner’s claim of ownership of such mark for such goods and/or services, or to the owner’s rights to register the same or to keep the same on the register; and there is no proceeding involving said rights pending and not disposed of either in the United States Patent and Trademark Office or in the courts.

The undersigned, being hereby warned that willful false statements and the like so made are punishable by fine or imprisonment, or both, under 18 U.S.C. §1001, and that such willful false statement may jeopardize the validity of this document, declares that s/he is properly authorized to execute this document on behalf of the owner, and all statements made of his/her own knowledge are true and that all statements made on information and belief are believed to be true.

__________________________

Signature of Authorized Person

__________________________

Type or Print Name

__________________________

Date

The following persons are authorized to sign a Combined Affidavit on behalf of the owner:

(1)   A person with legal authority to bind the owner;

(2)   A person with firsthand knowledge of the facts and actual or implied authority to act on behalf of the owner; and

(3)   An attorney as defined in 37 C.F.R. §11.1 who has actual or implied written or verbal power of attorney from the owner.

37 C.F.R. §2.161(b); TMEP §1604.08(a).

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 December 7, 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 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.

How to respond to this Office Action:

To file a response to this office action, please use the Trademark Post Registration Response Application, (TEAS) Trademark Electronic Application System located on (www.USPTO.GOV) when applicable.

You may also submit the response via regular mail, e-mail(include a j-peg for specimen substitution), or facsimile, the response must include the following: registration number, the words 'Post Registration', and name of Trademark Specialist to expedite forwarding.  Use the Return Address listed above in the right hand corner if sending your response via regular mail. 

The filing date of a document with the Office is the date the document is received in the Office.  37 C.F.R. §2.195(a); TMEP §§303 and 303.01.  However, if a “certificate of mailing” by first class mail or a “certificate of facsimile transmission” under 37 C.F.R. §2.197 is added to the response and the procedures in 37 C.F.R. §§2.195(c) and 2.197 are satisfied, then the document will be considered timely filed if the document is mailed or transmitted prior to expiration of the response time period regardless of whether it was received in the Office after the response time period.  TMEP §§305.02 and 306.05 et seq.

Certificate of Mailing under 37 C.F.R. §2.197:

I hereby certify that this correspondence is being deposited with the United States Postal Service as first class mail with postage paid in an envelope addressed to:  Commissioner for Trademarks, P.O. Box, 1451, Alexandria, VA 22313-1451, on the date shown below.

____________________________

Signature

____________________________

Typed or Printed Name

____________________________

Date

Certificate of Facsimile transmission under 37 C.F.R. §2.197:

I hereby certify that this correspondence is facsimile transmitted to the United States Patent and Trademark Office on the date shown below.

____________________________

Signature

____________________________

Typed or Printed Name

____________________________

Date

To expedite inquiries about this office action, please contact the assigned Trademark Specialist via e-mail.

Should you need assistance for the following: Navigating through USPTO website, Post Registration TEAS Response applications, or general Trademark questions please contact: TrademarkAssistanceCenter@uspto.gov, or telephone either 571-272-9250 or 1-800-786-9199.

Dawn Hembry

/Dawn Hembry/

Dawn.Hembry@USPTO.gov

Trademark Specialist

Post Registration Division

571/272-9506

571/273-9506 (fax)

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/