Offc Action Outgoing

STRICT DEADLINE TO RESPOND TO THIS NOTIFICATION: TO AVOID PARTIAL ABANDONMENT OF THE REQUEST FOR EXTENSION OF PROTECTION OF THE INTERNATIONAL REGISTRATION, THE USPTO MUST RECEIVE A COMPLETE RESPONSE TO THIS PROVISIONAL PARTIAL REFUSAL NOTIFICATION WITHIN 6 MONTHS OF THE “DATE ON WHICH THE NOTIFICATION WAS SENT TO WIPO (MAILING DATE)” LOCATED ON THE WIPO COVER LETTER ACCOMPANYING THIS NOTIFICATION.

In addition to the Mailing Date appearing on the WIPO cover letter, a holder (hereafter “applicant”) may confirm this Mailing Date using the USPTO’s Trademark Status and Document Retrieval (TSDR) system at http://tsdr.gov.uspto.report/. To do so, enter the U.S. application serial number for this application and then select “Documents.” The Mailing Date used to calculate the response deadline for this provisional partial refusal is the “Create/Mail Date” of the “IB-1rst Refusal Note.”

This is a PROVISIONAL PARTIAL REFUSAL of the request for extension of protection of the mark in the above-referenced U.S. application that applies to only the following goods in the application: prostheses; orthoses; orthopaedic apparatus and appliances; rehabilitation apparatus; skin covering. See 15 U.S.C. §1141h(c). See below in this notification (hereafter “Office action”) for details regarding the provisional partial refusal.

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.

SUMMARY OF ISSUES:

Partial identification of goods indefinite

PARTIAL IDENTIFICATION OF GOODS INDEFINITE

The identification of goods is indefinite and must be clarified because the terms “prostheses; orthoses; orthopaedic apparatus and appliances; rehabilitation apparatus; skin covering” are overly broad. See 37 C.F.R. §2.32(a)(6); TMEP §1402.01. Applicant must indicate the specific type of goods, for example, prostheses, namely, bone prostheses, hip prosthesis, joint prostheses.

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 may not later be reinserted. See TMEP §1402.07(e). Additionally, for applications filed under Trademark Act Section 66(a), the scope of the identification for purposes of permissible amendments is limited by the international class assigned by the International Bureau of the World Intellectual Property Organization (International Bureau); and the classification of goods may not be changed from that assigned by the International Bureau. 37 C.F.R. §2.85(d); TMEP §§1401.03(d), 1904.02(b). Further, in a multiple-class Section 66(a) application, classes may not be added or goods transferred from one existing class to another. 37 C.F.R. §2.85(d); TMEP §1401.03(d).

Applicant may adopt the following identification, if accurate:

Prostheses, namely, [indicate specific goods, e.g., bone prostheses, hip prosthesis, joint prostheses]; orthoses for [indicate specific goods, e.g., feet, ankles, legs]; artificial limbs; artificial knees, feet, ankles and skin covering for surgical purposes; prosthetic liners and socks; prosthetic sockets; orthopaedic footwear; prosthetic and orthotic footwear; orthopaedic apparatus and appliances namely, [indicate specific goods, e.g., Vertebral orthopedic apparatus; Orthopedic apparatus for talipes; devices used in orthopedic surgery to position surgical instruments, implants and/or patients' limbs]; rehabilitation apparatus namely, [indicate specific goods, e.g., Force and motion testing apparatus for physical rehabilitation; Body rehabilitation apparatus for medical purposes]; parts and fittings for the aforesaid goods. (Class 10)

An applicant may amend an identification of goods and services only to clarify or limit the goods and services; adding to or broadening the scope of the goods and/or services is not permitted. 37 C.F.R. §2.71(a); see TMEP §§1402.06 et seq., 1402.07 et seq.

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.

SEARCH OF THE RECORDS

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).

Please note: The USPTO proposes to change federal trademark rules to require applicants and registrants to (1) file submissions concerning applications and registrations online using the USPTO’s Trademark Electronic Application System (TEAS) and (2) provide and maintain an accurate email address for receiving correspondence from the USPTO. See the Mandatory Electronic Filing Rules webpage for more information.

FAILING TO RESPOND WILL RESULT IN PARTIAL ABANDONMENT OF APPLICATION: If applicant does not respond to this Office action within the six-month period for response, the goods in International Class(es) 10 identified above, in the beginning of this Office action, will be deleted from the application.

In such case, the application will then proceed only with the following goods in International Class(es) 10: artificial limbs; artificial knees, feet, ankles; prosthetic liners and socks; prosthetic sockets; orthopaedic footwear; prosthetic and orthotic footwear; parts and fittings for the aforesaid goods. See 37 C.F.R. §2.65(a)-(a)(1); TMEP §718.02(a).

WHO IS PERMITTED TO RESPOND TO THIS PROVISIONAL PARTIAL REFUSAL: Any response to this provisional refusal must be personally signed by an individual applicant, all joint applicants, or someone with legal authority to bind a juristic applicant (e.g., a corporate officer or general partner). 37 C.F.R. §§2.62(b), 2.193(e)(2)(ii); TMEP §712.01. If applicant hires a qualified U.S. attorney to respond on his or her behalf, then the attorney must sign the response. 37 C.F.R. §§2.193(e)(2)(i), 11.18(a); TMEP §§611.03(b), 712.01. Qualified U.S. attorneys include those in good standing with a bar of the highest court of any U.S. state, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and other U.S. commonwealths or U.S. territories. See 37 C.F.R. §§2.17(a), 2.62(b), 11.1, 11.14(a); TMEP §§602, 712.01. Additionally, for all responses, the proper signatory must personally sign the document or personally enter his or her electronic signature on the electronic filing. See 37 C.F.R. §2.193(a); TMEP §§611.01(b), 611.02. The name of the signatory must also be printed or typed immediately below or adjacent to the signature, or identified elsewhere in the filing. 37 C.F.R. §2.193(d); TMEP §611.01(b).

In general, foreign attorneys are not permitted to represent applicants before the USPTO (e.g., file written communications, authorize an amendment to an application, or submit legal arguments in response to a requirement or refusal). See 37 C.F.R. §11.14(c), (e); TMEP §§602.03-.03(b), 608.01.

DESIGNATION OF DOMESTIC REPRESENTATIVE: The USPTO encourages applicants who do not reside in the United States to designate a domestic representative upon whom any notice or process may be served. TMEP §610; see 15 U.S.C. §§1051(e), 1141h(d); 37 C.F.R. §2.24(a)(1)-(2). Such designations may be filed online at http://www.gov.uspto.report/trademarks/teas/correspondence.jsp.

/Caroline E. Wood/

Examining Attorney

Law Office 110

571-272-9243

caroline.wood@uspto.gov

(responses are not accepted via e-mail)

TO RESPOND TO THIS LETTER: Go to http://www.gov.uspto.report/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.gov.uspto.report/. 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.gov.uspto.report/trademarks/process/status/.

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