Offc Action Outgoing

TO AVOID ABANDONMENT OF APPLICANT’S TRADEMARK APPLICATION, THE USPTO MUST RECEIVE APPLICANT’S COMPLETE RESPONSE TO THIS LETTER WITHIN 6 MONTHS OF THE ISSUE/MAILING DATE BELOW.

ISSUE/MAILING DATE:

INTERNATIONAL REGISTRATION NO. 1044246

This is a PROVISIONAL FULL REFUSAL of the trademark and/or service mark in the above-referenced U.S. application. See 15 U.S.C. §1141h(c).

WHO IS PERMITTED TO RESPOND TO THIS PROVISIONAL FULL REFUSAL:

Applicant may respond directly to this provisional refusal Office action if applicant is not represented by an authorized attorney. See 37 C.F.R. §2.193(e)(2)(ii). Otherwise, applicant’s authorized attorney must respond on applicant’s behalf. See 37 C.F.R. §2.193(e)(2)(i). However, the only attorneys who are authorized to sign responses and 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 located in Canada and (a) are registered with the USPTO and in good standing as patent agents or (b) have been granted reciprocal recognition by the USPTO.

See 37 C.F.R. §§2.17(e), 2.62(b), 11.1, 11.5(b)(2), 11.14(a), (c); TMEP §§602, 712.03.

Foreign attorneys, other than authorized Canadian attorneys, are not permitted to represent applicants before the USPTO. See 37 C.F.R. §§2.17(e), 11.14(c), (e); TMEP §602.03-.03(b). That is, foreign attorneys may not file written communications, authorize an amendment to an application, or submit legal arguments in response to a requirement or refusal, among other things. See 37 C.F.R. §11.5(b)(2); TMEP §§602.03(c), 608.01. If applicant is represented by such a foreign attorney, applicant must respond directly to this provisional refusal Office action. See 37 C.F.R. §2.193(e)(2)(ii).

THE APPLICATION HAS BEEN PROVISIONALLY REFUSED AS FOLLOWS:

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

No Similar Registered or Pending Marks

The Office records have been searched and there are no similar registered or pending marks that would bar registration under Trademark Act Section 2(d), 15 U.S.C. §1052(d). TMEP §704.02.

Corrected Color Claim and Color Location Statement

The drawing shows the applied-for mark in various colors, including white. Although the application includes a claim of color and a mark description referencing color, the color white is not included in either the color claim or description. The color claim and mark description must be complete and reference all the colors in the mark. See 37 C.F.R. §§2.37, 2.52(b)(1); TMEP §§807.07(a) et seq. Therefore, applicant must clarify whether white is being claimed as color and/or are intended to indicate background, outlining, shading and/or transparent areas. TMEP §807.07(d).

To clarify whether the color in the drawing, applicant must satisfy one of the following:

(1) If white is being claimed as a color in the mark, applicant must (1) amend the color claim to include these colors, and (2) amend the mark description to identify the literal and design elements that include these colors and specify where the white appears in these elements; or

(2) If white is not being claimed as a color in the mark, applicant must provide a statement that the color white represents background, outlining, shading and/or transparent areas and is not part of the mark.

Id.

Response Guidelines

For this application to proceed toward registration, applicant must explicitly address each refusal and/or requirement raised in this Office action in writing. If the action includes a refusal, applicant may provide arguments and/or evidence as to why the refusal should be withdrawn and the mark should register.

Applicant’s response must be properly signed by (1) the individual applicant (for joint individual applicants, both must sign) or (2) someone with legal authority to bind a juristic applicant (e.g., a corporate officer or general partner). See 37 C.F.R. §§2.62(b), 2.193(a), (e)(2)(ii); TMEP §§611.03(b), 611.06 et seq., 712.01. If applicant retains an attorney, the attorney must sign the response. 37 C.F.R. §2.193(e)(2)(i); TMEP §§611.03(b), 712.01.

If applicant does not respond to this Office action within six months of the issue/mailing date, or responds by expressly abandoning the application, the application process will end, the trademark will fail to register, and the application fee will not be refunded. See 15 U.S.C. §1062(b); 37 C.F.R. §§2.65(a), 2.68(a), 2.209(a); TMEP §§405.04, 718.01, 718.02.

The acronym “TMEP” used in official USPTO letters and notices refers to the USPTO’s Trademark Manual of Examining Procedure, a manual written by USPTO staff that explains the laws and procedures governing the trademark application, registration, and post registration processes. The TMEP can be viewed online at the Trademarks’ Home Page at http://www.gov.uspto.report/trademarks/index.jsp by clicking on “Trademark Manual of Examining Procedure” on the left side of the screen.

If the applicant has questions about its application or this Office action, please telephone the assigned trademark examining attorney at the number below.

/Dayna J. Browne/

Senior Attorney

Law Office 104

Phone: 571.272.8361

Fax: 571.273.8361

TO RESPOND TO THIS LETTER: Use the Trademark Electronic Application System (TEAS) response form at http://teasroa.gov.uspto.report/roa/. Please wait 48-72 hours from the issue/mailing date before using TEAS, to allow for necessary system updates of the application. For technical assistance with online forms, e-mail TEAS@uspto.gov.

WHO MUST SIGN THE RESPONSE: It must be personally signed by an individual applicant or someone with legal authority to bind an applicant (i.e., a corporate officer, a general partner, all joint applicants). If an applicant is represented by an attorney, the attorney must sign the response.

PERIODICALLY CHECK THE STATUS OF THE APPLICATION: To ensure that applicant does not miss crucial deadlines or official notices, check the status of the application every three to four months using Trademark Applications and Registrations Retrieval (TARR) at http://tarr.gov.uspto.report/. Please keep a copy of the complete TARR screen. If TARR shows no change for more than six months, call 1-800-786-9199. For more information on checking status, see http://www.gov.uspto.report/trademarks/process/status/.

TO UPDATE CORRESPONDENCE/E-MAIL ADDRESS: Use the TEAS form at http://www.gov.uspto.report/teas/eTEASpageE.htm.