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.

 

ISSUE/MAILING DATE: 1/25/2011

 

 

 

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).

 

 

 INDUSTRY SIGNIFICANCE/MATERIAL COMPOSITION

 

Applicant must specify whether “MARSHMALLOW” has any significance in the applicant’s  trade or industry, any geographical significance, or any meaning in a foreign language.  37 C.F.R. §2.61(b).

 

To permit proper examination of the application, applicant must also provide a written statement explaining whether the goods are or will be comprised of marshmallow.

 

See 37 C.F.R. §2.61(b); In re Cheezwhse.com, Inc., 85 USPQ2d 1917, 1919 (TTAB 2008); In re DTI P’ship LLP, 67 USPQ2d 1699, 1701-02 (TTAB 2003); TMEP §§814, 1402.01(e). 

 

Failure to respond to a request for information can be grounds for refusing registration.  TMEP §814; see In re Cheezwhse.com, 85 USPQ2d at 1919; In re DTI P’ship, 67 USPQ2d at 1701-02.  Merely stating that information about the goods or services is available on applicant’s website is an inappropriate response to a request for additional information, and is insufficient to make the relevant information of record.  See In re Planalytics, Inc., 70 USPQ2d 1453, 1457-58 (TTAB 2004).

 

 

An applicant can be required to provide more information if it is necessary for proper examination of the application.  37 C.F.R. §2.61(b); TMEP §§814, 1402.01(e); see In re DTI P’ship LLP, 67 USPQ2d 1699, 1701-02 (TTAB 2003). 

 

 

IDENTIFICATION OF GOODS

 

Class 16 is acceptable. The following pertains to Class 28.

 

 

The wording “kits” in the identification of goods is indefinite and must be clarified because the applicant must state the kit components.  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.

 

The applicant may amend to the following, if accurate:

 

 

Class 16:          (acceptable)  modeling clay

 

 

Class 28:          hobby craft kit comprising modeling clay and (state other components, e.g., tools and molds for shaping the clay, decorative accent pieces and an instructional booklet, sold as a unit)

 

 

 

 

Applicant may amend the identification to list only those items that are within the scope of the goods set forth in the application or within the scope of a previously accepted amendment to the identification.  See 37 C.F.R. §2.71(a); TMEP §§1402.06 et seq., 1402.07.  

 

 

The applicant is advised that the above suggestions may not be a complete listing of acceptable specifications available to the applicant, but are instead provided only as suggestions.  It is the applicant's duty to properly identify and classify the goods and services.   TMEP Section 1402.01(e). 

 

 

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.

 

Please also note that the applicant may not use the indefinite wording “and/or,” “or,” or “etc.” in its identification of goods/services.  The applicant must use the more definite word “and” when listing more than one item.  The applicant may not use parentheticals in its description of goods/services.  The examining attorney may have used them above merely to indicate wording that requires further amendment.

 

 

NOTE: APPLICABLE LEGAL AUTHORITIES

The USPTO applies the following legal authorities when processing a trademark and service mark application: 

 

• The Trademark Act of 1946;
• The Trademark Rules of Practice;
• Precedential court and Trademark Trial and Appeal Board decisions;
• USPTO’s Trademark Manual of Examining Procedure (TMEP) (7th ed. 2010); and
• USPTO’s Trademark Trial and Appeal Board Manual of Procedure (TBMP). 

 

15 U.S.C. §§1051 et seq.; 37 C.F.R. pts. 2, 3, 6, 7, 10, and 11; see TMEP intro., §§101, 107, 110. 

 

Official USPTO letters and notices sent to applicants generally refer to one or more of these legal resources.  Both the Trademark Act and the Trademark Rules of Practice can be viewed online at the Trademarks’ Home Page at http://www.gov.uspto.report/trademarks/index.jsp by clicking on “Laws & Regulations” on the left side of the screen.  The TMEP is also available via the Home Page by clicking on “Manuals, Guides, Official Gazette” on the left side of the screen.  Trademark Trial and Appeal Board decisions and the TBMP can be found at their website located at http://www.gov.uspto.report/trademarks/process/appeal/index.jsp.

 

The acronym “TMEP” used in official USPTO letters and notices refers to the USPTO’s Trademark Manual of Examining Procedure (7th ed. 2010), 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 “Manuals, Guides, Official Gazette” on the left side of the screen. 

 

The Trademark Applications and Registrations Retrieval (TARR) database on the USPTO website at http://tarr.uspto.gov provides detailed, up to the minute information about the status and prosecution history of trademark/service mark applications and registrations.  To access the TARR database, applicant will need to provide an application serial number or registration number.  The TARR database is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

/Elissa Garber Kon/

Examining Attorney, Law Office 106

Phone:  (571) 272-9181

Fax:  (571) 273-9106

Email:  elissagarber.kon@uspto.gov

 

 

 

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.

 

 

 

 

 

IMPORTANT NOTICE REGARDING YOUR

U.S. TRADEMARK APPLICATION

 

USPTO OFFICE ACTION HAS ISSUED ON 1/25/2011 FOR

SERIAL NO. 85180980

 

Please follow the instructions below to continue the prosecution of your application:

 

 

TO READ OFFICE ACTION: Click on this link or go to http://portal.gov.uspto.report/external/portal/tow and enter the application serial number to access the Office action.

 

PLEASE NOTE: The Office action may not be immediately available but will be viewable within 24 hours of this e-mail notification.

 

RESPONSE IS REQUIRED: You should carefully review the Office action to determine (1) how to respond; and (2) the applicable response time period. Your response deadline will be calculated from 1/25/2011 (or sooner if specified in the office action).

 

Do NOT hit “Reply” to this e-mail notification, or otherwise attempt to e-mail your response, as the USPTO does NOT accept e-mailed responses.  Instead, the USPTO recommends that you respond online using the Trademark Electronic Application System Response Form.

 

HELP: For technical assistance in accessing the Office action, please e-mail

TDR@uspto.gov.  Please contact the assigned examining attorney with questions about the Office action. 

 

        WARNING

 

Failure to file the required response by the applicable deadline will result in the ABANDONMENT of your application.