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: 2/19/2013

 

 

This Office action is in response to applicant’s communication filed on January 10, 2013.

 

The following requirements have been satisfied:  (1) Drawing of the Mark; (2) Identification of Goods; (3) Substitute Specimen; and (4) Requirement for Additional Information.  TMEP §§713.02, 714.04.

 

The Section 2(d) refusal is maintained and continued.  All previous arguments and evidence are incorporated herein by reference.

 

Upon further review, the following issues arose.  The examining attorney apologizes for any inconvenience this may cause.

 

 

SUPPLEMENTAL REGISTER

 

Applicant has sought registration of the applied-for mark on the Supplemental Register.  See 15 U.S.C. §1091.  However, applicant’s mark appears to be eligible for registration on the Principal Register because it comprises or includes inherently distinctive matter.  See TMEP §815.01.

 

Thus, as applicant’s mark is eligible for registration on the Principal Register, it may not be registered on the Supplemental Register.  See In re U.S. Catheter & Instrument Corp., 158 USPQ 53, 54 (TTAB 1968); Daggett & Ramsdell, Inc. v. I. Posner, Inc., 115 USPQ 96, 96 (Comm’r Pats. 1957); TMEP §815.01.  Accordingly, applicant must amend the application to seek registration on the Principal Register. 

 

Pending a proper response, registration on the Supplemental Register is refused because the mark is eligible for registration on the Principal Register.  TMEP §815.01; see 15 U.S.C. §1091(a).

 

 

Although applicant’s mark has been refused registration, applicant may respond to the refusal by submitting evidence and arguments in support of registration.

 

Applicant must respond to the requirement set forth below.

 

 

CLASSIFICATION OF GOODS

 

The amended goods are classified incorrectly.  Applicant must amend the application to classify the goods in International Class 6.  See 37 C.F.R. §§2.32(a)(7), 2.85; TMEP §§1401.02(a), 1401.03(b); See U.S. Acceptable Identification of Goods and Services Manual, search of “metal valves not being parts of machines”, http://tess2.gov.uspto.report/netahtml/tidm.html (January 30, 2013). 

 

Applicant must adopt the appropriate international classification number for the goods and/or services identified in the application.  The United States follows the International Classification of Goods and Services for the Purposes of the Registration of Marks, established by the World Intellectual Property Organization, to classify goods and services.  37 C.F.R. §2.85(a); TMEP §§1401.02, 1401.02(a).

 

Proper classification of goods and services is a purely administrative matter within the sole discretion of the United States Patent and Trademark Office.  In re Tee-Pak, Inc., 164 USPQ 88, 89 (TTAB 1969).

 

 

RESPONSE TO OFFICE ACTION

 

To expedite prosecution of the application, applicant is encouraged to file its response to this Office action online via the Trademark Electronic Application System (TEAS), which is available at http://www.gov.uspto.report/teas/index.html.  If applicant has technical questions about the TEAS response to Office action form, applicant can review the electronic filing tips available online at http://www.gov.uspto.report/teas/eFilingTips.htm and email technical questions to TEAS@uspto.gov.

 

If applicant has questions regarding this Office action, please telephone or e-mail the assigned trademark examining attorney.  All relevant e-mail communications will be placed in the official application record; however, an e-mail communication will not be accepted as a response to this Office action and will not extend the deadline for filing a proper response.  See 37 C.F.R. §2.191; TMEP §§709.04-.05.  Further, although the trademark examining attorney may provide additional explanation pertaining to the refusal(s) and/or requirement(s) in this Office action, the trademark examining attorney may not provide legal advice or statements about applicant’s rights.  See TMEP §§705.02, 709.06.

 

/Alyssa Steel/

Alyssa Paladino Steel

Trademark Examining Attorney

Law Office 107

(571) 272-8808

alyssa.steel@uspto.gov

 

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.

 

 

UNITED STATES PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE (USPTO)

 

 

IMPORTANT NOTICE REGARDING YOUR

U.S. TRADEMARK APPLICATION

 

USPTO OFFICE ACTION (OFFICIAL LETTER) HAS ISSUED

ON 2/19/2013 FOR U.S. APPLICATION SERIAL NO. 85584618

 

Please follow the instructions below:

 

(1)  TO READ THE LETTER:  Click on this link or go to http://tsdr.uspto.gov,enter the U.S. application serial number, and click on “Documents.”

 

The Office action may not be immediately viewable, to allow for necessary system updates of the application, but will be available within 24 hours of this e-mail notification.

 

(2)  TIMELY RESPONSE IS REQUIRED:  Please 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 2/19/2013 (or sooner if specified in the Office action).  For information regarding response time periods, see http://www.gov.uspto.report/trademarks/process/status/responsetime.jsp.

 

Do NOT hit “Reply” to this e-mail notification, or otherwise e-mail your response because the USPTO does NOT accept e-mails as responses to Office actions.  Instead, the USPTO recommends that you respond online using the Trademark Electronic Application System (TEAS) response form located at http://www.gov.uspto.report/trademarks/teas/response_forms.jsp.

 

(3)  QUESTIONS:  For questions about the contents of the Office action itself, please contact the assigned trademark examining attorney.  For technical assistance in accessing or viewing the Office action in the Trademark Status and Document Retrieval (TSDR) system, please e-mail TSDR@uspto.gov.

 

WARNING

 

Failure to file the required response by the applicable response deadline will result in the ABANDONMENT of your application.  For more information regarding abandonment, see http://www.gov.uspto.report/trademarks/basics/abandon.jsp.

 

PRIVATE COMPANY SOLICITATIONS REGARDING YOUR APPLICATION:  Private companies not associated with the USPTO are using information provided in trademark applications to mail or e-mail trademark-related solicitations.  These companies often use names that closely resemble the USPTO and their solicitations may look like an official government document.  Many solicitations require that you pay “fees.” 

 

Please carefully review all correspondence you receive regarding this application to make sure that you are responding to an official document from the USPTO rather than a private company solicitation.  All official USPTO correspondence will be mailed only from the “United States Patent and Trademark Office” in Alexandria, VA; or sent by e-mail from the domain “@uspto.gov.”  For more information on how to handle private company solicitations, see http://www.gov.uspto.report/trademarks/solicitation_warnings.jsp.