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  76/583996

 

The assigned trademark examining attorney has reviewed the referenced application and has determined the following.

Search

 

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.

 

However, the applicant must respond to the following informalities.

 

Disclaimer

 

Applicant must disclaim the descriptive wording “COCHLEAR” apart from the mark as shown because it merely describes a feature of applicant’s goods. Trademark Act Section 6, 15 U.S.C. §1056; TMEP §§1213 and 1213.03(a). 

The term COCHLEAR refers to a portion of the ear, a type of hearing aid or implant, and describes a type of battery for the aids or implants.  See the attached definition and several articles obtained via searches on the Google search engine for a) “cochlear” and “hearing aid” and b) “cochlear battery.”  Thus, COCHLEAR appears descriptive of applicant’s goods. 

 

The Office can require an applicant to disclaim exclusive rights to an unregistrable part of a mark, rather than refuse registration of the entire mark.  Trademark Act Section 6(a), 15 U.S.C. §1056(a).  Under Trademark Act Section 2(e), 15 U.S.C. §1052(e), the Office can refuse registration of the entire mark where it is determined that the entire mark is merely descriptive, deceptively misdescriptive, or primarily geographically descriptive of the goods.  Thus, the Office may require the disclaimer of a portion of a mark which, when used in connection with the goods or services, is merely descriptive, deceptively misdescriptive, primarily geographically descriptive, or otherwise unregistrable (e.g., generic).  TMEP §1213.03(a).  If an applicant does not comply with a disclaimer requirement, the Office may refuse registration of the entire mark.  TMEP §1213.01(b).

 

A disclaimer does not physically remove the disclaimed matter from the mark, but rather is a written statement that applicant does not claim exclusive rights to the disclaimed wording and/or design separate and apart from the mark as shown in the drawing.

 

The computerized printing format for the Office’s Trademark Official Gazette requires a standardized format for a disclaimer.  TMEP §1213.08(a)(i).  The following is the standard format used by the Office:

 

No claim is made to the exclusive right to use “COCHLEAR” apart from the mark as shown.

 

See In re Owatonna Tool Co., 231 USPQ 493 (Comm’r Pats. 1983).

 

Declaration

 

Applicant submitted a declaration with the application.  However, the application was filed under Section 1(b), intent-to-use and the declaration included in the application indicated that applicant was the owner of the mark and that the mark was “in use in commerce.”

 

Therefore, applicant must submit a new written statement attesting to the facts set forth in the application, and confirming that applicant had a bona fide intention to use the mark in commerce on or in connection with the goods or services listed in the application as of the application filing date.  15 U.S.C. §1051(b)(3)(B); 37 C.F.R. §§2.34(a)(2)(i), (a)(3)(i) and (a)(4)(ii).  This statement must be dated and signed by a person authorized to sign under 37 C.F.R. §2.33(a) and verified with a notarized affidavit or signed declaration under 37 C.F.R. §2.20.  No signed verification was included with the application.

 

To satisfy this requirement, applicant may add the following declaration paragraph at the end of its response, properly signed and dated:

 

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 he/she is properly authorized to execute this application on behalf of the applicant; he/she believes the applicant to be the owner of the trademark/service mark sought to be registered, or, if the application is being filed under 15 U.S.C. 1051(b), 1126(d) or 1126(e), he/she believes applicant to be entitled to use such mark in commerce; that the applicant has a bona fide intention to use the mark in commerce on or in connection with the goods or services listed in the application as of the application filing date; that the facts set forth in the application are true and correct; to the best of his/her knowledge and belief no other person, firm, corporation, or association has the right to use the mark in commerce, either in the identical form thereof or in such near resemblance thereto as to be likely, when used on or in connection with the goods/services of such other person, to cause confusion, or to cause mistake, or to deceive; and that all statements made of his/her own knowledge are true and all statements made on information and belief are believed to be true.

 

_____________________________

(Signature)

 

_____________________________

(Print or Type Name and Position)

 

_____________________________

(Date)

 

If the declaration is filed electronically through TEAS, then applicant should sign the declaration by entering a “symbol” that applicant has adopted as a signature (e.g., /john doe/, /drl/, and /544-4925/).  The Office will accept any combination of letters, numbers, spaces and/or punctuation marks as a valid signature if it is placed between two forward slash (“/”) symbols.  37 C.F.R. §§ 2.33(d) and 2.193(c)(1)(iii); TMEP §§304.08 and 804.05.

 

If applicant has any questions, please do not hesitate to contact the undersigned.

 

/mld/

 

Maureen L. Dall

Trademark Attorney, Law Office 110

Phone: 571-272-9714

 

 

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.

 

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.