UNITED STATES PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE (USPTO)

OFFICE ACTION (OFFICIAL LETTER) ABOUT APPLICANT’S TRADEMARK APPLICATION

 

 

 

OFFICE ACTION

 

STRICT DEADLINE TO RESPOND TO THIS LETTER

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.  A RESPONSE TRANSMITTED THROUGH THE TRADEMARK ELECTRONIC APPLICATION SYSTEM (TEAS) MUST BE RECEIVED BEFORE MIDNIGHT EASTERN TIME OF THE LAST DAY OF THE RESPONSE PERIOD.

 

 

ISSUE/MAILING DATE: 10/15/2018

 

 

THIS IS A FINAL ACTION.

 

INTERNATIONAL REGISTRATION NO. 1358454

 

On February 20, 2018, action on this application was suspended pending the disposition of U.S. Application Serial No. 86817195.  The referenced pending application has abandoned and is no longer a potential bar to the registration of applicant’s mark.

 

 

The requirement for and acceptable identification of goods is now made FINAL for the reasons set forth below.  37 C.F.R. §2.32(a)(6); TMEP §1402.01; 37 C.F.R. §2.63(b).

 

IDENTIFICATION OF GOODS

 

The wording “liquids for electronic cigarettes” remains indefinite and could identify goods in more than one class and applicant must specify the nature of type of liquid.  See 37 C.F.R. §2.32(a)(6); TMEP §1402.01.  Specifically, if the liquid is “essential oils” the goods would be classified in class 3.  In an application filed under Trademark Act Section 66(a), an applicant may not change the classification of goods and/or services from that assigned by the International Bureau of the World Intellectual Property Organization in the corresponding international registration.  37 C.F.R. §2.85(d); TMEP §§1401.03(d), 1904.02(b).  Therefore, although the goods may be classified in several international classes, any modification to this wording must identify goods in International Class 34 only, the class specified in the application for these goods.  See TMEP §1904.02(c), (c)(ii).

 

Applicant may adopt the following wording in International Class 34, if accurate: 

 

Class 34:         Electronic cigarettes; cartridges for electronic cigarettes sold filled with chemical flavorings in liquid form; electronic cigarette refill cartridges sold empty; liquids for electronic cigarettes comprised of propylene glycol, vegetable glycerin, and nicotine; cigarettes containing tobacco substitutes not for medical purposes; tobacco substitutes; cigarettes; tobacco; tobacco products, namely, smoking tobacco, cut tobacco, leaf tobacco, chewing tobacco, snuff tobacco, snus tobacco, pipe tobacco, and hand rolling tobacco; cigarette cases; cigarette boxes

 

Applicant may amend the identification to clarify or limit the goods, but not to broaden or expand the goods beyond those in the original application or as acceptably amended.  See 37 C.F.R. §2.71(a); TMEP §1402.06.  Generally, any deleted goods and/or services may not later be reinserted.  See TMEP §1402.07(e).

 

For assistance with identifying and classifying goods and services in trademark applications, please see the USPTO’s online searchable U.S. Acceptable Identification of Goods and Services Manual.  See TMEP §1402.04.

 

RESPONSE TO FINAL

 

Applicant must respond within six months of the date of issuance of this final Office action or the following goods to which the final refusal(s) and/or requirement(s) apply will be deleted from the application by Examiner’s Amendment:  liquids for electronic cigarettes.  37 C.F.R. §2.65(a); see 15 U.S.C. §1062(b).

 

The application will then proceed for the following goods: 

 

Class 34:           Electronic cigarettes; cartridges for electronic cigarettes sold filled with chemical flavorings in liquid form; electronic cigarette refill cartridges sold empty; cigarettes containing tobacco substitutes not for medical purposes; tobacco substitutes; cigarettes; tobacco; tobacco products, namely, smoking tobacco, cut tobacco, leaf tobacco, chewing tobacco, snuff tobacco, snus tobacco, pipe tobacco, and hand rolling tobacco; cigarette cases; cigarette boxes

 

Applicant may respond by providing one or both of the following:

 

(1)       a response filed using the Trademark Electronic Application System (TEAS) that fully satisfies all outstanding requirements and/or resolves all outstanding refusals; and/or

 

(2)       an appeal to the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board filed using the Electronic System for Trademark Trials and Appeals (ESTTA) with the required filing fee of $200 per class.

 

37 C.F.R. §2.63(b)(1)-(2); TMEP §714.04; see 37 C.F.R. §2.6(a)(18); TBMP ch. 1200.

 

In certain rare circumstances, an applicant may respond by filing a petition to the Director pursuant to 37 C.F.R. §2.63(b)(2) to review procedural issues.  TMEP §714.04; see 37 C.F.R. §2.146(b); TBMP §1201.05; TMEP §1704 (explaining petitionable matters).  There is a fee required for filing a petition.  37 C.F.R. §2.6(a)(15).

 

 

 

/Jennifer M. Martin/

Examining Attorney

Law Office 116

(571) 272-9193

Jennifer.Martin@uspto.gov

 

TO RESPOND TO THIS LETTER:  Go to http://www.uspto.gov/trademarks/teas/response_forms.jsp.  Please wait 48-72 hours from the issue/mailing date before using the Trademark Electronic Application System (TEAS), to allow for necessary system updates of the application.  For technical assistance with online forms, e-mail TEAS@uspto.gov.  For questions about the Office action itself, please contact the assigned trademark examining attorney.  E-mail communications will not be accepted as responses to Office actions; therefore, do not respond to this Office action by e-mail.

 

All informal e-mail communications relevant to this application will be placed in the official application record.

 

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 the Trademark Status and Document Retrieval (TSDR) system at http://tsdr.uspto.gov/.  Please keep a copy of the TSDR status screen.  If the status shows no change for more than six months, contact the Trademark Assistance Center by e-mail at TrademarkAssistanceCenter@uspto.gov or call 1-800-786-9199.  For more information on checking status, see http://www.uspto.gov/trademarks/process/status/.

 

TO UPDATE CORRESPONDENCE/E-MAIL ADDRESS:  Use the TEAS form at http://www.uspto.gov/trademarks/teas/correspondence.jsp.