Offc Action Outgoing

[Important Email Information]

UNITED STATES PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE

 

 

 

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  78/811852

 

The assigned examining attorney has reviewed the referenced application and determined the following.

Substantive Refusal:

The examining attorney refuses registration under Trademark Act Section 2(d), 15 U.S.C. §1052(d), because the applicant’s mark, when used on or in connection with the identified goods/services, so resembles the mark in U.S. Registration Nos. 0217759; 0889444; 2044847; 2319843; 2294806; 2383129    as to be likely to cause confusion, to cause mistake, or to deceive.  TMEP §§1207.01 et seq.  See the enclosed registration(s).

The examining attorney must analyze each case in two steps to determine whether there is a likelihood of confusion.  First, the examining attorney must look at the marks themselves for similarities in appearance, sound, connotation and commercial impression.  In re E. I. DuPont de Nemours & Co., 476 F.2d 1357, 177 USPQ 563 (C.C.P.A. 1973).  Second, the examining attorney must compare the goods or services to determine if they are related or if the activities surrounding their marketing are such that confusion as to origin is likely.  In re August Storck KG, 218 USPQ 823 (TTAB 1983); In re International Telephone and Telegraph Corp., 197 USPQ 910 (TTAB 1978); Guardian Products Co., v. Scott Paper Co., 200 USPQ 738 (TTAB 1978).  TMEP §§1207.01 et seq. 

Similarities in Appearance, Sound, Connotation and Commercial Impression:

The applicant applied to register the mark PETER PAN for   FLOUR, CORN MEAL, PREPARED BAKING MIXES AND COOKING MIXES, NAMELY, CORN BREAD, PANCAKE, BAKING MIXES, CHICKEN FRY MIX, FISH FRY MIX, COBBLER MIX, MUFFIN MIX, AND CORN MEAL MIX in class 30.

 

The registered mark(s) is/are:

 

U.S. Registration Nos. 0217759; 0889444; 2044847; 2319843; 2294806; 2383129   for

PETER PAN and design for NUTS IN THEIR NATURAL STATE AND NUT MEATS in class 29;

PETER PAN, and PETER PAN PLUS, for PEANUT BUTTER, Peanut butter and cracker combinations, candy, cookies in class 30 (same owner).

The registrants and the applicant in these cases have identical marks (except for one having the additional word plus which is a minor difference).  These marks will be pronounced the same way, are spelled the same way, will sound the same way and will have the same commercial impression.  The applicant does not add anything to its mark, nor does it take away anything from the mark to make its mark different. Therefore, a consumer seeing the marks together will see that they are identical and believe that these marks emanate from the same source.

A consumer could easily confuse these marks since the focus is on the recollection of the average purchaser who normally retains a general rather than specific impression of trademarks.  Chemetron Corp. v. Morris Coupling & Clamp Co., 203 USPQ 537 (TTAB 1979); Sealed Air Corp. v. Scott Paper Co., 190 USPQ 106 (TTAB 1975); TMEP section 1207.01(b).

Goods and Services Relationship:

The applicant and the registrant are within the foods field and will be found within the same channels of trade, namely, stores therefore consumers are likely to believe that the goods/services emanate from the same party.  Attached are copies of printouts from the USPTO X-Search database, which show third-party registrations of marks used in connection with the same or similar goods and/or services as those of applicant and registrant in this case.  These printouts have probative value to the extent that they serve to suggest that the goods and/or services listed therein are of a kind that may emanate from a single source.  In re Infinity Broadcasting Corp. of Dallas, 60 USPQ2d 1214, 1218 (TTAB 2001), citing In re Albert Trostel & Sons Co., 29 USPQ2d 1783, 1785-86 (TTAB 1993); and In re Mucky Duck Mustard Co., Inc., 6 USPQ2d 1467, 1470 at n.6 (TTAB 1988).

 

Pending Application:

 

The examining attorney has searched the Office records and has found a similar pending mark which would bar registration under Trademark Act Section 2(d), 15 U.S.C. Section 1052(d), the examining attorney encloses information regarding pending Application Serial No. 76-597256.  37 C.F.R. Section 2.83.

 

There may be a likelihood of confusion between the applicant's mark and the mark in the above noted application under Section 2(d) of the Act.  The filing date of the referenced application precedes the applicant's filing date.  If the earlier‑filed application matures into a registration, the examining attorney may refuse registration under Section 2(d).

 

Other Informalities:

 

If the applicant chooses to respond to the refusal to register, the applicant must also respond to the following informalities.

 

Prior Registrations:

 

The applicant will submit the following claim of ownership: 

 

The applicant is the owner of U.S. Registration No(s). 0981680 and 0691365 .

Questions:

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.

/Lourdes D. Ayala/

Examining Attorney

Law Office 106

(571) 272- 9316

Fax: (571) 273-9106

 

 

 

 

 

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.

 

 

Note:

 

In order to avoid size limitation constraints on large e-mail messages, this Office Action has been split into 2 smaller e-mail messages.  The Office Action in its entirety consists of this message as well as the following attachments that you will receive in separate messages:

 

Email 1 includes the following 46 attachments  

1. 71230825P001OF002  

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Email 2 includes the following 49 attachments  

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Please ensure that you receive all of the aforementioned attachments, and if you do not, please contact the assigned-examining attorney.