UNITED STATES PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE
SERIAL NO: 77/677082
MARK: ZIPPER INTERACTIVE
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CORRESPONDENT ADDRESS: |
RESPOND TO THIS ACTION: http://www.gov.uspto.report/teas/eTEASpageD.htm
GENERAL TRADEMARK INFORMATION: http://www.gov.uspto.report/main/trademarks.htm
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APPLICANT: Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc.
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CORRESPONDENT’S REFERENCE/DOCKET NO: CORRESPONDENT E-MAIL ADDRESS: |
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TO AVOID ABANDONMENT, THE OFFICE MUST RECEIVE A PROPER RESPONSE TO THIS OFFICE ACTION WITHIN 6 MONTHS OF THE ISSUE/MAILING DATE.
The following legal authorities govern the processing of trademark and service mark applications by the Office: The Trademark Act of 1946, 15 U.S.C. §§1051 et seq.; The Trademark Rules of Practice, 37 C.F.R. Part 2; and the Office’s Trademark Manual of Examining Procedure (TMEP) (5th ed. 2007). These legal resources are available online at http://www.gov.uspto.report/main/trademarks.htm.
SEARCH OF OFFICE’S DATABASE OF MARKS
DUPLICATE REGISTRATIONS
This application duplicates Reg. no. 2178856 which, while not yet renewed, is still active [copy attached]. The Office will not issue duplicate registrations. If not renewed, the registration should expire on 8/9/2009.
Applicant has disclaimed the term in its prior registration no. 2178856 which is an indication of descriptiveness.
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 “INTERACTIVE” apart from the mark as shown.
TMEP §1213.08(a)(i); see In re Owatonna Tool Co., 231 USPQ 493 (Comm’r Pats. 1983).
CLAIM OF OWNERSHIP OF REGISTRATIONS
If applicant is the owner of U.S. Registration No. 2178856, then applicant must submit a claim of ownership. 37 C.F.R. §2.36; TMEP §812. The following standard format is suggested:
Applicant is the owner of U.S. Registration No. 2178856.
IDENTIFICATION OF GOODS AND CLASSIFICATION
Class 9 is acceptable as stated.
Class 28 is unacceptable because VIDEO GAME SOFTWARE is now properly in Class 9 regardless of where used. See TMEP §1402.01.
“ARCADES AND FOR ON-LINE APPLICATIONS” is indefinite; Class 28 is proper for ARCADE-TYPE ELECTRONIC VIDEO GAMES but the specimens of actual use do not support such use being just packaging for software rather than the brand name of an arcade game.
Class 41 is proper for ENTERTAINMENT SERVICES, NAMELY, PROVIDING ON-LINE COMPUTER GAMES but the specimens of actual use do not support such use being only packaging for software.
In the identification of goods, applicant must use the common commercial or generic names for the goods, be as complete and specific as possible, and avoid the use of indefinite words and phrases. If applicant uses indefinite words such as “accessories,” “components,” “devices,” “equipment,” “materials,” “parts,” “systems” or “products,” such words must be followed by “namely,” followed by a list of the specific goods identified by their common commercial or generic names. See TMEP §§1402.01, 1402.03(a).
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. See TMEP §1402.04.
Although identifications of goods may be amended to clarify or limit the goods, adding to or broadening the scope of the goods is not permitted. 37 C.F.R. §2.71(a); see TMEP §§1402.06 et seq., 1402.07. Therefore, applicant may not amend the identification to include goods that are not within the scope of the goods set forth in the present identification.
MULTIPLE-CLASS APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS
Therefore, applicant must either (1) restrict the application to the number of classes covered by the fee(s) already paid, or (2) submit the fees for the additional class(es).
(1) Applicant must list the goods/services by international class;
(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 international 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; and 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; and the specimen must have been in use in commerce at least as early as the filing date of the application. If a single specimen supports multiple classes, applicant should indicate which classes the specimen supports rather than providing multiple copies of the same specimen;
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) (above) in an affidavit or a signed declaration under 37 C.F.R. §§2.20, 2.33. 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, and (2) the original specimens are acceptable for the added class(es).
See 37 C.F.R. §§2.34(a)(1), 2.71(c), 2.86(a); TMEP §§1403.01, 1403.02(c).
The specimen(s) of record is acceptable for International Class(es) 9 only.
/G. Mayerschoff/
Trademark Attorney, LO-106
Hrs. 8:30 am- 6pm
571-272-9325
Fax- 571-273-9106
RESPOND TO THIS ACTION: Applicant should file a response to this Office action online using the form at http://www.gov.uspto.report/teas/eTEASpageD.htm, waiting 48-72 hours if applicant received notification of the Office action via e-mail. For technical assistance with the form, please e-mail TEAS@uspto.gov. For questions about the Office action itself, please contact the assigned examining attorney. Do not respond to this Office action by e-mail; 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.