Offc Action Outgoing

Applicant may respond directly to this provisional refusal Office action, or applicant’s attorney may respond on applicant’s behalf. However, the only attorneys who can practice before the USPTO in trademark matters are as follows:

(1) Attorneys in good standing with a bar of the highest court of any U.S. state, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and other federal territories and possessions of the United States; and

(2) Canadian agents/attorneys who represent applicants residing in Canada and who have received reciprocal recognition by the USPTO under 37 C.F.R. §11.14(c).

37 C.F.R. §§11.1, 11.14; TMEP §602.

Foreign attorneys are not permitted to practice before the USPTO, other than properly authorized Canadian attorneys. TMEP §602.06(b). Filing written communications, authorizing an amendment to an application, or submitting legal arguments in response to a requirement or refusal constitutes representation of a party in a trademark matter. A response signed by an unauthorized foreign attorney is considered an incomplete response. See TMEP §§602.03, 712.03.

THE APPLICATION HAS BEEN PROVISIONALLY REFUSED AS FOLLOWS:

The referenced application has been reviewed by the assigned trademark examining attorney. Applicant must respond timely and completely to the issue(s) below. 15 U.S.C. §1062(b); 37 C.F.R. §§2.62(a), 2.65(a); TMEP §§711, 718.03.

SEARCH RESULTS

The trademark examining attorney has searched the Office’s database of registered and pending marks and has found no conflicting marks that would bar registration under Trademark Act Section 2(d). TMEP §704.02; see 15 U.S.C. §1052(d).

INFORMALITIES

However, applicant must address the following informalities:

Identification of Goods Indefinite – Amendment Required

The wording “separating and manipulator apparatus for clay ropes” in the identification of goods is indefinite and must be clarified because it is indefinite and it does not allow for proper identification of applicant’s goods. See TMEP §1402.01. Applicant must amend the identification to specify the common commercial name of the goods. If there is no common commercial name, applicant must describe the product and its intended uses. See id.

Applicant may adopt the following identification of goods, if accurate:

Class 07 –

“Separating and manipulator apparatus for clay ropes, namely, [applicant to specify the nature of the apparatus, i.e., cutting machines, etc.].”

TMEP §1402.01.

The international classification of goods and/or services in applications filed under Trademark Act Section 66(a) cannot be changed from the classification given to the goods and/or services by the International Bureau in the corresponding international registration. 37 C.F.R. §2.85(d); TMEP §§1401.03(d), 1904.02(b).

Additions to Identification Not Permitted

Identifications of goods can be amended only 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.

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.

Significance of Mark Required

Applicant must explain whether “STARGATE” has any meaning or significance in the industry in which the goods are manufactured, or if such wording is a “term of art” within applicant’s industry. Applicant must also explain whether this wording identifies a geographic place. See 37 C.F.R. §2.61(b); TMEP §814.

Failure to respond to this request for information can be grounds for refusing registration. See In re DTI P’ship LLP, 67 USPQ2d 1699, 1701 (TTAB 2003); TMEP §814.

ALSO, APPLICANT SHOULD NOTE THE FOLLOWING ADVISORIES THAT APPLY TO APPLICATIONS FILED UNDER SECTION 66(A) OF THE TRADEMARK ACT:

§66(a) Applications – Applicant May not Amend or Add to Filing Bases

For applications originally filed under Trademark Act Section 66(a), the filing basis cannot be changed nor can more than one filing basis be asserted. 37 C.F.R. §§2.34(b)(3), 2.35(a); TMEP §§806.01(e), 1904.01(a).

§66(a) Applications – Classification of Goods/Services cannot be Changed

RESPONDING TO THIS OFFICE ACTION

There is no required format or form for responding to an Office action. The Office recommends applicants use the Trademark Electronic Application System (TEAS) to respond to Office actions online at http://www.gov.uspto.report/teas/index.html.

If applicant responds on paper via regular mail, the response should include the title “Response to Office Action” and the following information: (1) the name and law office number of the examining attorney, (2) the serial number and filing date of the application, (3) the date of issuance of this Office action, (4) applicant’s name, address, telephone number and e-mail address (if applicable), and (5) the mark. 37 C.F.R. §2.194(b)(1); TMEP §302.03(a).

Applicant must explicitly address each issue raised in this Office action. If a refusal has issued, applicant may wish to argue against the refusal, i.e., submit arguments and/or evidence as to why the refusal should be withdrawn. To respond to requirements, applicant should set forth in writing the required changes or statements.

The response must be signed by the individual applicant or by a person with legal authority to bind a juristic applicant (e.g., a corporate officer, the equivalent of an officer for unincorporated organizations or limited liability companies, a general partner). See TMEP §§611.03(b), 611.06 et seq., 712.01. In the case of joint applicants, all should sign. TMEP §611.06(a). The proper signatory must personally sign or manually enter his/her electronic signature. TMEP §§611.01(b), 611.02.

If the applicant has any questions or needs further assistance, please telephone the assigned examining attorney.

/Myriah A. Habeeb/

Myriah A. Habeeb

Trademark Examining Attorney

Law Office 105

Phone - (571) 272-8909

Fax - (571) 273-8909

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.