Offc Action Outgoing

UNITED STATES PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE

 

 

 

FINAL OFFICE 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. 

 

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  78/533138

 

THIS IS A FINAL ACTION

 

The assigned examining attorney has reviewed the applicant’s correspondence received on December 8, 2006, in the referenced application and determined the following.

 

FINAL REQUIREMENT FOR AN ACCEPTABLE SUBSTITUTE SPECIMEN

 

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 prior to the expiration of the time allowed applicant for filing a statement of use,” verified with a notarized affidavit or a signed declaration under 37 C.F.R. §2.20.  37 C.F.R. §§2.56, 2.59(b)(2) and 2.88(b)(2); TMEP §§904.09 and 1109.09(b).

 

The mark depicted on the drawing disagrees with the mark on the specimen.  The mark on the drawing page must be a substantially exact representation of the mark that appears on the specimen.  37 C.F.R. §2.51.  In this case, the drawing displays the mark as SUNMARK, while the specimen shows the mark as SUN MARK.

 

Additionally, the current specimen of record comprises a “sell sheet,” which appears to be another advertising brochure.  As such, it is unacceptable as evidence of actual trademark use because it does not show use of the mark on the relevant goods.  Invoices, announcements, order forms, bills of lading, leaflets, brochures, publicity releases and other printed advertising material, while normally acceptable for showing use in connection with services, generally are not acceptable specimens for showing trademark use in connection with goods.  In re Bright of America, Inc., 205 USPQ 63 (TTAB 1979); See In re Ultraflight Inc., 221 USPQ 903 (TTAB 1984); TMEP §§904.05 and 904.07.

 

Please note:  A printed or web catalog, web page, or similar specimen is acceptable to show trademark use as a display associated with the goods only if it includes (1) a picture of the relevant goods, (2) the mark appearing sufficiently near the picture of the goods so as to associate the mark with the goods, and (3) information necessary to order the goods (e.g., sales form, price list, instructions for ordering, etc.) or a visible weblink to order the goods.  Lands’ End, Inc. v. Manbeck, 797 F. Supp. 511, 514, 24 USPQ2d 1314, 1316 (E.D. Va. 1992); In re Dell Inc., 71 USPQ2d 1725, 1727-1729 (TTAB 2004); In re MediaShare Corp., 43 USPQ2d 1304 (TTAB 1997); TMEP §§904.06(a) and (b).  The naming of a retailer for the goods does not meet the requirement designated as (3) above.

 

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 statement supporting use of the substitute specimen must read as follows: 

 

The substitute specimen was in use in commerce prior to the expiration of the time allowed to the applicant for filing a statement of use. 

 

The applicant must sign this statement either in affidavit form or with a declaration under 37 C.F.R. §2.20; TMEP §§904.09 and 1109.09(b). 

 

The following is a properly worded declaration under 37 C.F.R. Section 2.20.  A person who is properly authorized to sign on behalf of the applicant is:  (1) a person with legal authority to bind the applicant; or (2) a person with firsthand knowledge of the facts and actual or implied authority to act on behalf of the applicant; or (3) an attorney as defined in 37 C.F.R. Section 10.1(c) who has an actual or implied written or verbal power of attorney from the applicant.  37 C.F.R. Section 2.33.

 

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 the facts set forth in this application are true; 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)

 

 

Note:  The applicant may not withdraw the statement of use.  37 C.F.R. §2.88(g); TMEP §1109.17.

 

This requirement is hereby maintained and made FINAL.

 

RESPONSE

 

If applicant fails to respond to this final action within six months of the mailing date, the application will be abandoned.  15 U.S.C. §1062(b); 37 C.F.R. §2.65(a).  Applicant may respond to this final action by: 

 

(1)   submitting a response that fully satisfies all outstanding requirements, if feasible (37 C.F.R. §2.64(a)); and/or

 

(2)   filing an appeal to the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board, with an appeal fee of $100 per class (37 C.F.R. §§2.6(a)(18) and 2.64(a); TMEP §§715.01 and 1501 et seq.; TBMP Chapter 1200).

 

In certain circumstances, a petition to the Director may be filed to review a final action that is limited to procedural issues, pursuant to 37 C.F.R. §2.63(b)(2).  37 C.F.R. §2.64(a).  See 37 C.F.R. §2.146(b), TMEP §1704, and TBMP Chapter 1201.05 for an explanation of petitionable matters.  The petition fee is $100.  37 C.F.R. §2.6(a)(15).

 

Applicant may respond to this Office action using the Office’s Trademark Electronic Application System (TEAS) at <http://www.gov.uspto.report/teas/index.html>.  When using TEAS the data the applicant submits is directly uploaded into the Office’s database, which reduces processing time and eliminates the possibility of data entry errors by the Office.  Applicants are strongly encouraged to use TEAS to respond to Office actions.  Applicants using TEAS should not submit a duplicate paper copy of the response.

 

STATUS OF APPLICATION

 

The Trademark Applications and Registrations Retrieval (TARR) database on the USPTO website at http://tarr.uspto.gov provides detailed, up to the minute information about the status and prosecution history of trademark applications and registrations.  The TARR database is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.  Status and status date information is also available via push-button telephone at (703) 305‑8747 from 6:30 a.m. until midnight, Eastern Time, Monday through Friday. 

 

Tina L. Snapp

 

/Tina L. Snapp/

Examining Attorney

Law Office 116

(571) 272-9224

Rightfax (571) 273-9116

 

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

 

FOR INQUIRIES OR QUESTIONS ABOUT THIS OFFICE ACTION, PLEASE CONTACT THE ASSIGNED EXAMINING ATTORNEY SPECIFIED ABOVE.