UNITED STATES PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE
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SERIAL NO: 76/575407
APPLICANT: Johnson, Kevin
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CORRESPONDENT ADDRESS: |
RETURN ADDRESS: Commissioner for Trademarks 2900 Crystal Drive Arlington, VA 22202-3514
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MARK: WRITING FOR THE LORD MINISTRIES
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CORRESPONDENT’S REFERENCE/DOCKET NO: N/A
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.
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Serial Number 76/575407
The assigned examining attorney has reviewed the referenced application and determined the following.
The examining 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. §1052(d). TMEP §704.02.
The applicant must rewrite the identification of goods in its entirety because of the nature and extent of the amendment. 37 C.F.R. §2.74(b).
The applicant must amend the identification of goods to delete any items used merely to conduct its internal business. Trademark Act Sections 1, 2 and 45, 15 U.S.C. §§1051, 1052 and 1127; TMEP §1202.06(b). Use of a mark on business cards or letterhead is not considered trademark use if these items are not goods that an applicant provides to others but are rather incidental items used in conducting a business enterprise. TMEP §§1202.06 et seq.
The wording “BOOKS” in the identification of goods need clarification. The applicant must specify the subject matter or field of use of the books. TMEP §1402.03(e).
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/.
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.
Trademark Act Section 6(a), 15 U.S.C. §1056(a), permits the Office to require a disclaimer of an unregistrable component of a mark. Trademark Act Section 2(e), 15 U.S.C. §1052(e), bars the registration of a mark which is merely descriptive or deceptively misdescriptive, or primarily geographically descriptive of the goods. Therefore, the examining attorney may require the disclaimer of a portion of a mark which, when used in connection with the goods or services, is merely descriptive or deceptively misdescriptive, or primarily geographically descriptive. If an applicant does not comply with a disclaimer requirement, the examining attorney may refuse registration of the entire mark. TMEP §1213.01(b).
A disclaimer does not remove the disclaimed matter from the mark. It is simply a statement that the applicant does not claim exclusive rights in the disclaimed wording or design apart from the mark as shown in the drawing.
The applicant must disclaim the descriptive wording “MINISTRIES” 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 because it indicates the purpose of the applicant’s goods. See attachment.
A properly worded disclaimer should read as follows:
No claim is made to the exclusive right to use MINISTRIES apart from the mark as shown.
The drawing is not acceptable because it will not reproduce satisfactorily. The applicant must submit a new drawing showing the mark clearly and conforming to 37 C.F.R. §2.52. TMEP §807.07(a).
The requirements for a special-form drawing are as follows:
· The drawing must appear in black and white if color is not claimed as a feature of the mark, or in color if color is claimed as a feature of the mark.
· Drawings must be typed or made with a pen or by a process that will provide high definition when copied. A photolithographic, printer’s proof copy, or other high quality reproduction of the mark may be used. All lines must be clean, sharp and solid, and must not be fine or crowded.
· The image must be no larger than 3.15 inches (8 cm) high by 3.15 inches (8cm) wide.
· If reduction of the mark to the required size renders any details illegible, then applicant may insert a statement in the application to describe the mark and these details.
37 C.F.R. §§2.52(b); See TMEP §§807.01(b) and 807.07(a).
If submitted on paper, the Office prefers that the drawing be depicted on a separate sheet of non-shiny, white paper that is 8 to 8.5 inches wide and 11 to 11.69 inches long (20.3 to 21.6 cm. wide and 27.9 to 29.7 cm. long). One of the shorter sides of the sheet should be regarded as its top edge. In addition, the drawing should include the caption “DRAWING PAGE” at the top of the drawing beginning one-inch (2.5 cm) from the top edge. 37 C.F.R. §2.54.
To submit a special form drawing electronically, the applicant must attach a digitized image of the mark to the submission. The Office will only accept an image in .jpg format. The image must be formatted at no less than 300 dots per inch and no more than 350 dots per inch; and with a length and width of no less than 250 pixels and no more than 944 pixels. All lines in the image must be clean, sharp and solid, and not fine or crowded, and produce a high quality image when copied. 37 C.F.R. §2.53.
The Office strictly enforces these drawing requirements.
The applicant must submit (1) a specimen (i.e., an example of how applicant actually uses its mark in commerce for the goods listed in the application) showing the mark as it is used in commerce, and, (2) a statement that “the specimen was in use in commerce at least as early as the filing date of the application,” verified with a notarized affidavit or signed declaration under 37 C.F.R. §2.20. 37 C.F.R. §2.59(a); TMEP §904.09.
A specimen showing use of the mark in commerce for the identified goods is required for an application based on use of the mark in commerce under Trademark Act Section 1(a), 15 U.S.C. §1051(a). This application does not include a specimen. TMEP §904.
Examples of acceptable specimens for goods are tags, labels, instruction manuals, containers, photographs that show the mark on the goods or packaging, or displays associated with the goods at their point of sale. TMEP §§904.04 et seq.
The following is a properly worded declaration under 37 C.F.R. §2.20. At the end of your response, please insert the declaration signed by someone authorized to sign under 37 C.F.R. §2.33(a):
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 statements may jeopardize the validity of the application or any resulting registration, declares that the facts set forth in this application are true; all statements made of his/her own knowledge are true; and all statements made on information and belief are believed to be true.
Signature __________________________
Name and Position _______________________________________
Date __________________________
NOTE: For the signature above, use the same format as the electronic signature on the original e-TEAS application, e.g., /john doe/ or /jd/. 37 CFR §2.193(c)(1)(iii); TMEP §§304.08 and 804.05.
No set form is required for response to this Office action. The applicant must respond to each point raised. The applicant should simply set forth the required changes or statements and request that the Office enter them. The applicant must sign the response. In addition to the identifying information required at the beginning of this letter, the applicant should provide a telephone number to speed up further processing.
If the applicant has any questions or needs assistance in responding to this Office action, please telephone the assigned examining attorney.
NOTICE: TRADEMARK OPERATION RELOCATING OCTOBER AND NOVEMBER 2004
The Trademark Operation is relocating to Alexandria, Virginia, in October and November 2004. 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, registration owners, attorneys and other Trademark customers are strongly encouraged to correspond with the USPTO online via the Trademark Electronic Application System (TEAS), at www.uspto.gov.
To reach the undersigned attorney by telephone after October 12, 2004, please call (571) 272-9264.
/MVS/
Maria-Victoria Suarez
Trademark Attorney
Law Office 102
(703) 308-9102, x196
maria-victoria.suarez@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 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.