UNITED STATES PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE
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SERIAL NO: 76/671553
APPLICANT: Miller, Catherine
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CORRESPONDENT ADDRESS: |
RETURN ADDRESS: Commissioner for Trademarks P.O. Box 1451 Alexandria, VA 22313-1451
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MARK: PASSIONATE BUSINESS
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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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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.
Serial Number 76/671553
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.
Identification of Goods and Services Amendment Required
The identification of goods and services is unacceptable as indefinite. The applicant may adopt the following identification, if accurate: TMEP section 1402.01.
Class 9: Downloadable webcasts featuring inspirational and motivational development in the field of personal and professional growth; downloadable electronic publications in the nature of magazines, brochures, informational flyers, books and newsletters all in the field of inspirational and motivational development personal professional growth
Class 16: Printed materials, namely, magazines, brochures, informational flyers, books and newsletters all in the field of inspirational and motivational development for personal and professional growth; printed instructional, educational, and teaching materials all in the field of inspirational and motivational development for personal growth.
Class 41: Educational and entertainment services, namely, television and radio programs in the field of inspirational and motivational development for personal and professional growth; production of motion picture films, documentaries, DVDs, and video cassettes; live music concerts and music production services; and conducting classes, workshops, lectures, and seminars in the field of inspirational and motivational development
Class 45: Providing a website featuring inspirational and motivational development in the field of personal and professional growth
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 1402.06. Therefore, the applicant may not amend to include any goods or services that are not within the scope of the goods and services recited in the present identification.
If applicant prosecutes this application as a combined, or multiple-class application, then applicant must comply with each of the requirements below for those goods and/or services based on actual use in commerce under Trademark Act Section 1(a):
(1) Applicant must list the goods/services by international class with the classes listed in ascending numerical order;
(2) Applicant must submit a filing fee for each international class of goods and/or services not covered by the fee already paid (current fee information should be confirmed at http://www.uspto.gov); and
(3) For each additional class of goods and/or services, applicant must submit:
(a) dates of first use of the mark anywhere and dates of first use of the mark in commerce, or a statement that the dates of use in the initial application apply to that class; the dates of use, both anywhere and in commerce, must be at least as early as the filing date of the application;
(b) one specimen showing use of the mark for each class of goods and/or services; the specimen must have been in use in commerce at least as early as the filing date of the application;
(c) a statement that “the specimen was in use in commerce on or in connection with the goods and/or services listed in the application at least as early as the filing date of the application;” and
(d) verification of the statements in 3(a) and 3(c) in an affidavit or a signed declaration under 37 C.F.R. §2.20. (NOTE: Verification is not required where (1) the dates of use for the added class are stated to be the same as the dates of use specified in the initial application, or (2) the original specimens are acceptable for the added class.)
37 C.F.R. §§2.6, 2.34(a), 2.59, 2.71(c), and 2.86(a); TMEP §§810, 904.09, 1403.01 and 1403.02(c).
Please note that the specimen(s) of record are acceptable for classes 9, 41 and 45 only.
The specimen is not acceptable for Class 16 because it does not show the applied-for mark used in connection with any of the Class 16 goods specified in the application. An application must include a specimen showing the applied-for mark in use in commerce for each class of goods and/or services based on Section 1(a) in the application. Trademark Act Sections 1, 2, 3 and 45, 15 U.S.C. §§1051-1053 and 1127; 37 C.F.R. §§2.34(a)(1)(iv) and 2.56; TMEP §§904 and 1301.04.
Therefore, applicant must submit the following:
(1) A substitute specimen showing use of the mark for the Class 16 goods specified in the application; and
(2) The following statement, verified with an affidavit or signed declaration under 37 C.F.R. §2.20: “The specimen was in use in commerce at least as early as the filing date of the application.” 37 C.F.R. §2.59(a); TMEP §904.09. If submitting a specimen requires an amendment to the dates of use, applicant must also verify the amended dates. 37 C.F.R. §2.71(c).
Examples of 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. Examples of 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 cannot satisfy the above requirements, applicant may amend the Section 1(a) filing basis (use in commerce) for Class 16 to Section 1(b) (intent to use basis), for which no specimen is required. However, should applicant amend the basis to Section 1(b), registration cannot be granted until applicant later amends the application back to use in commerce by filing an acceptable allegation of use with a proper specimen. 15 U.S.C. §1051(c); 37 C.F.R. §§2.76, 2.88; TMEP Chapter 1100.
In order to amend to Section 1(b), applicant must submit the following statement, verified with an affidavit or signed declaration under 37 C.F.R. §2.20: “Applicant has 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 filing date of the application.” 15 U.S.C. §1051(b); 37 C.F.R. §§2.34(a)(2) and 2.35(b)(1); TMEP §806.01(b).
Pending a proper response, registration is refused because the specimen does not show the applied-for mark in use in commerce as a trademark or service mark for the identified goods or services. 15 U.S.C. §§1051-1053, and 1127; 37 C.F.R. §§2.34(a)(1)(iv) and 2.56.
The applicant must disclaim the descriptive wording “BUSINESS” apart from the mark as shown. Trademark Act Section 6, 15 U.S.C. §1056; TMEP §§1213 and 1213.03(a). The wording should be disclaimed because it describes a feature of applicant’s services which feature, at least in part, topics dealing with “business” issues. See applicant’s description of goods/services and specimen of record.
The computerized printing format for the Trademark Official Gazette requires a standard form for a disclaimer. TMEP §1213.08(a)(i). A properly worded disclaimer should read as follows:
No claim is made to the exclusive right to use BUSINESS apart from the mark as shown.
See In re Owatonna Tool Co., 231 USPQ 493 (Comm’r Pats. 1983).
/Russ Herman/
Attorney
Law Office 101
571-272-9172
571-273-9101 (fax)
NOTICE OF NEW PROCEDURE FOR E-MAILED OFFICE ACTIONS: In late spring 2007, for any applicant who authorizes e-mail communication with the USPTO, the USPTO will no longer directly e-mail the actual Office action to the applicant. Instead, upon issuance of an Office action, the USPTO will e-mail the applicant a notice with a link/web address to access the Office action using Trademark Document Retrieval (TDR), which is located on the USPTO website at http://portal.gov.uspto.report/external/portal/tow. The Office action will not be attached to the e-mail notice. Upon receipt of the notice, the applicant can then view and print the actual Office action and any evidentiary attachments using the provided link/web address. TDR is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, including holidays and weekends. This new process is intended to eliminate problems associated with e-mailed Office actions that contain numerous attachments.
HOW TO RESPOND TO THIS OFFICE ACTION:
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
FOR INQUIRIES OR QUESTIONS ABOUT THIS OFFICE ACTION, PLEASE CONTACT THE ASSIGNED EXAMINING ATTORNEY SPECIFIED ABOVE.