Offc Action Outgoing

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 Goods

The wording “vinyl dressing preparations” in the identification of goods is unacceptable as indefinite because the nature of the goods is unclear and must be specified. TMEP §1402.01. The applicant may adopt the following identification, if accurate:

Cleaning, polishing and vinyl dressing preparations in the nature of vinyl cleaners for automobiles, boats and other motorized or manual road and off-road vehicles. International Class 3.

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 or services that are not within the scope of the goods and services recited in the present identification.

For assistance with identifying and classifying goods and/or services in trademark applications, please see the online searchable Manual of Acceptable Identifications of Goods and Services at http://tess2.gov.uspto.report/netahtml/tidm.html.

Specimen of Use Omitted

The application is incomplete because it does not include the required specimen showing use of the applied-for mark in commerce for the goods identified in the application. An application based on Section 1(a) of the Trademark Act must include a specimen showing the applied-for mark in use in commerce for each class of goods. Trademark Act Sections 1(a) and 45, 15 U.S.C. §§1051(a) and 1127; 37 C.F.R. §§2.34(a)(1)(iv) and 2.56; TMEP §904.

Therefore, applicant must submit the following:

(1) A specimen (i.e., an example of how applicant actually uses its mark in commerce) for each class of goods based on use in commerce; 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. §2.56(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).

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.

_____________________________

(Signature)

_____________________________

(Print or Type Name and Position)

_____________________________

(Date)

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.

If applicant cannot satisfy the above requirements, applicant may amend the Section 1(a) filing basis (use in commerce) 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 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 §806.03(c).

Pending a proper response, registration is refused because applicant has not provided evidence of use in commerce of the applied-for mark. 15 U.S.C. §§1051(a), 1127; 37 C.F.R. §§2.34(a)(1)(iv) and 2.56.

Guidelines for Response to Office Action

Please note that there is no required format or form for responding to this Office action. However, applicant should include the following information on all correspondence with the Office: (1) the name and law office number of the examining attorney; (2) the serial number of this application; (3) the mailing date of this Office action; and, (4) applicant's telephone number.

When responding to this Office action, applicant must make sure to respond in writing to each refusal and requirement raised. If there is a refusal to register the proposed mark, then applicant may wish to argue against the refusal, i.e., explain why it should be withdrawn and why the mark should register. If there are other requirements, then applicant should simply set forth in writing the required changes or statements and request that the Office enter them into the application record. Applicant must also sign and date its response.

Rather than submitting a paper response, the applicant is encouraged to file its response to this Office action through the Trademark Electronic Application System (TEAS), available at http://www.gov.uspto.report/teas/index.html.

“TMEP” refers to the Trademark Manual of Examining Procedure (4th ed., 2005), available on the United States Patent and Trademark Office website at www.gov.uspto.report/main/trademarks.htm. This is a detailed guidebook written by the Office to explain the laws and procedures that govern the trademark application, registration and post registration processes.

Persons Who May Sign Responses

Responses to Office actions must be properly signed. TMEP §712. If applicant has retained an attorney, the attorney must sign the response; applicant cannot sign the response. 37 C.F.R. §10.18(a); TMEP §602. However, if applicant was previously represented by an attorney, and applicant later retains a different attorney, the newly retained attorney cannot sign responses until a new power of attorney signed by applicant is filed. Id. Paralegals and secretaries cannot sign responses for attorneys.

The only attorneys who can practice before the USPTO in trademark matters are (1) attorneys in good standing with a bar of the highest court of any U.S. state or (2) Canadian agents/attorneys who have received reciprocal recognition by the USPTO under 37 C.F.R. §10.14(c). And Canadian attorneys can only represent Canadian applicants. Foreign attorneys (other than duly authorized Canadian attorneys) cannot sign responses or otherwise represent applicants before the USPTO. 37 C.F.R. §§10.1(c) and 10.14. Paralegals and secretaries cannot sign responses for attorneys.

If applicant is not represented by an attorney, the response must be signed by applicant or by someone with legal authority to bind applicant (i.e., a corporate officer of a corporate applicant, the equivalent of an officer for unincorporated organizations or limited liability company applicants, a general partner of a partnership applicant, each applicant for applications with multiple individual applicants, etc.). TMEP §§712 et seq.

A non-attorney who is authorized to verify facts on behalf of an applicant under 37 C.F.R. §2.33(a)(2) (such as trademark administrators, accountants, business managers, administrative assistants, and personal assistants) is not entitled to sign responses to Office actions or to authorize examiner’s amendments and priority actions, unless he or she also has legal authority to bind the applicant, as specified in the paragraph immediately above. See TMEP §§712.03 and 804.04.

Sara N. Thomas

/Sara Thomas/

Examining Attorney

Law Office 110

571.272.8847

fax (formal response only) 571.273.9110

RESPOND TO THIS ACTION: If there are any questions about the Office action, please contact the assigned examining attorney. A response to this Office Action should be filed using the Office’s Response to Office action form available at http://www.gov.uspto.report/teas/eTEASpageD.htm. If notification of this Office action was received via e-mail, no response using this form may be filed for 72 hours after receipt of the notification. Do not attempt to respond by e-mail as the USPTO does not accept e-mailed responses.

If responding by paper mail, please include the following information: the application serial number, the mark, the filing date and the name, title/position, telephone number and e-mail address of the person signing the response. Please use the following address: Commissioner for Trademarks, P.O. Box 1451, Alexandria, VA 22313-1451.

STATUS CHECK: Check the status of the application at least once every six months from the initial filing date using the USPTO Trademark Applications and Registrations Retrieval (TARR) online system at http://tarr.uspto.gov. When conducting an online status check, print and maintain a copy of the complete TARR screen. If the status of your application has not changed for more than six months, please contact the assigned examining attorney.