Offc Action Outgoing

UNITED STATES PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE

 

 

 

OFFICE ACTION

 

TO AVOID ABANDONMENT, WE MUST RECEIVE A PROPER RESPONSE TO THIS OFFICE ACTION WITHIN 6 MONTHS OF OUR MAILING OR E-MAILING DATE. 

 

 

Serial Number  76/580883

 

The assigned trademark examining attorney has reviewed the referenced application filed on March 15, 2004, and has determined the following.

 

Search Statement

The Office records have been searched and no similar registered or pending mark has been found that would bar registration under Trademark Act Section 2(d), 15 U.S.C. §1052(d).  TMEP §704.02.

 

Identification of Services and Classification

The recitation of services is unacceptable as indefinite.  The wording “sales of financial and financial - related products and services” in the identification of services needs clarification because the nature of the services is unclear.  Applicant must amend this wording to specify the common commercial or generic name for the services.  If there is no common commercial or generic name for the services, then applicant must describe the nature of the services as well as their main purpose, channels of trade, and the intended consumer(s).  TMEP §1402.01.

 

The applicant may adopt the following recitation, if accurate:  multi-level marketing business services, namely, promoting the sales of financial and financial related products and services of others through the distribution of printed and audio promotional materials and by rendering sales promotion advice.  TMEP §1402.11.

 

If applicant adopts the suggested amendment of the goods and/or services, then applicant must amend the classification to International Class 35.  37 C.F.R. §§2.32(a)(7) and 2.85; TMEP §§1401 et seq.

 

For assistance with identifying goods and/or services in trademark applications, please see the online 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. Section 2.71(a); TMEP section 804.09.  Therefore, the applicant may not amend to include any services that are not within the scope of the services recited in the present identification.

 

Specimen Unacceptable

Applicant must submit (1) a substitute specimen showing the mark as it is used in commerce in the sale or advertising of the services, and (2) a statement that “the substitute specimen was in use in commerce at least as early as the filing date of the application,” verified with a notarized affidavit or a signed declaration under 37 C.F.R. §2.20.  37 C.F.R. §§2.56 and 2.59(a); TMEP §904.09.

 

The current specimen of record is unacceptable as evidence of actual service mark use because it does fails to show use of the mark in relation to the identified services.  Examples of acceptable specimens for services are signs, photographs, brochures, website printouts or advertisements that show the mark used in the sale or advertising of the services.  TMEP §§1301.04 et seq.

 

If applicant submits a response via electronic means, please note that the substitute specimen must be a digitized image submitted in .jpg format.  37 C.F.R. §2.56(d)(4).

 

 

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.

 

 

 

/esther borsuk/

Esther Borsuk

Examining Attorney

Law Office 112

Phone:  (571) 272-9131

Fax:  (571) 273-9112

 

 

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.

 

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 general and other useful information about trademarks, you are encouraged to visit the Office’s web site at http://www.gov.uspto.report/main/trademarks.htm

 

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