UNITED STATES PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE
SERIAL NO: 76/652206
APPLICANT: Gibson Guitar Corp.
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CORRESPONDENT ADDRESS: 1600 DIVISION STREET, SUITE 500
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Commissioner for TrademarksP.O. Box 1451 Alexandria, VA 22313-1451
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MARK: EPOCH
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CORRESPONDENT’S REFERENCE/DOCKET NO: N2724
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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EXAMINER’S AMENDMENT/PRIORITY ACTION
RESPONSE TIME LIMIT: To avoid abandonment, the Office must receive a proper response to this Office action within 6 months of the mailing or e-mailing date. If applicant responds to the issues below within two months of the above mailing or e-mailing date, this case will be given priority handling.
MAILING/E-MAILING DATE INFORMATION: If the mailing or e-mailing date of this Office action does not appear above, this information can be obtained by visiting the USPTO website at http://tarr.gov.uspto.report/, inserting the application serial number, and viewing the prosecution history for the mailing date of the most recently issued Office communication.
OFFICE RECORDS 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.
ADVISORY – AMENDMENTS TO GOODS/SERVICES: If the identification of goods and/or services has been amended below, any future amendments must be in accordance with 37 C.F.R. §2.71(a) and TMEP §1402.07(e).
QUESTIONS: Please contact the assigned trademark examining attorney with any questions.
Serial Number 76/652206
AMENDMENT(S) AUTHORIZED: As authorized by Lucian Wayne Beavers on June 26, 2006, the application is amended as noted below. If applicant disagrees with or objects to any of the amendments below, please notify the undersigned trademark examining attorney immediately. Otherwise, no response is necessary. TMEP §707.
Identification of Goods
The identification of goods is amended to read as follows:
“Electronic amplifiers for musical instruments” in International Class 009.
“Musical instruments, namely, electric guitar kits sold as a unit, COMPRISED OF guitar, strings, picks, cord, tuner, strap and DVD; and collapsible guitar stands with carrying case” in International Class 015. TMEP §1402.01(e).
Applicant must respond to each refusal and/or requirement raised below. If applicant responds to the issues below within two months of the above mailing or e-mailing date, this case will be given priority handling. TMEP §§708.01 and 708.05.
Applicant must submit (1) a substitute specimen showing the mark as it is used in commerce on the goods or on packaging for the goods, 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 §§904.01 et seq. and 904.09.
The current specimens of record comprise photographs of what appear to be proof sheets for product packaging and are unacceptable as evidence of actual trademark use because they do not show actual use of the mark in connection with the sale of the goods. In addition, the specimens are not completely legible and do not clearly show the mark being used in connection with a guitar kit. 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 sample declaration under 37 C.F.R. §2.20 with a supporting statement for a substitute specimen:
The undersigned being warned that willful false statements and the like are punishable by fine or imprisonment, or both, under 18 U.S.C. §1001, and that such willful false statements and the like may jeopardize the validity of the application or document or any registration resulting there from, declares that the substitute specimen was in use in commerce at least as early as the filing date of the application; all statements made of his/her own knowledge are true; and all statements made on information and belief are believed to be true.
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(Signature)
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(Print or Type Name and Position)
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(Date)
If applicant has questions about its application or needs assistance in responding to this Office action, please telephone the assigned trademark examining attorney directly at the number below.
/Robert J. Struck/
Robert J. Struck
Trademark Examining Attorney
Law Office 109
Phone - (571) 272-1513
HOW TO RESPOND TO THIS OFFICE ACTION:
· ONLINE RESPONSE: You may respond using the Office’s Trademark Electronic Application System (TEAS) Response to Office action form available on our website at http://www.gov.uspto.report/teas/index.html. If the Office action issued via e-mail, you must wait 72 hours after receipt of the Office action to respond via TEAS. NOTE: Do not respond by e-mail. THE USPTO WILL NOT ACCEPT AN E-MAILED RESPONSE.
· REGULAR MAIL RESPONSE: To respond by regular mail, your response should be sent to the mailing return address above, and include the serial number, law office number, and examining attorney’s name. NOTE: The filing date of the response will be the date of receipt in the Office, not the postmarked date. To ensure your response is timely, use a certificate of mailing. 37 C.F.R. §2.197.
STATUS OF APPLICATION: To check the status of your application, visit the Office’s Trademark Applications and Registrations Retrieval (TARR) system at http://tarr.uspto.gov.
VIEW APPLICATION DOCUMENTS ONLINE: Documents in the electronic file for pending applications can be viewed and downloaded online at http://portal.gov.uspto.report/external/portal/tow.
GENERAL TRADEMARK INFORMATION: For general information about trademarks, please visit the Office’s website at http://www.gov.uspto.report/main/trademarks.htm