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: 11/16/2016

 

 

 

The referenced application has been reviewed by the assigned trademark examining attorney.  Applicant must respond timely and completely to the issue below.  15 U.S.C. §1062(b); 37 C.F.R. §§2.62(a), 2.65(a); TMEP §§711, 718.03.

 

Search of the Trademark Office Database of Marks

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).

 

Summary of Issues to Which Applicant Must Respond:

·         Clarification of Owner Address and Correspondent Address Required

 

Clarification of Owner Address and Correspondent Address Required

 

The applicant must clarify both the “owner” and “correspondent” mailing addresses because neither address appears properly formatted.  Applications must include an applicant’s mailing address.  37 C.F.R. §2.32(a)(4); TMEP §803.05.  Additionally, applications must also include a valid correspondence address for official communication concerning the application.  See 37 C.F.R. §§2.17, 2.21(a)(2); TMEP §§609–609.04; 803.05.

 

Here, the space provided for the applicant’s street address reads “minzhibaishilongerqushanzhulou.”  The space provided for the applicant’s city reads “guo dong shen zheng.”  The entries do not have the structure of a properly formatted mailing address, and do not appear to specify a particular location such that mail sent to the address would reach the applicant.  Ordinarily, a street address will include a building number, street name, and often an apartment or suite number.  A city name will usually reference either a single city, or a district and/or area in addition to the city name.

 

The applicant must provide clarification regarding the nature of the addresses, as filed.  Specifically, the applicant must explain whether the originally filed addresses are correct and identify a mailing address where paper correspondence would reach the applicant.  See 37 C.F.R. §§2.17, 2.21(a)(2), 2.61(b); TMEP §§ 609–609.04, 803.05, 814.

 

Failure to comply with a request for information is grounds for refusing registration.  In re AOP LLC, 107 USPQ2d 1644, 1651 (TTAB 2013) (citing 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).

 

If the addresses are missing information, the applicant must provide alternative addresses where mail addressed to the applicant can be delivered.  If the applicant is unsure how to translate a Chinese formatted address into an American equivalent, the applicant may respond by providing its usual and customary address in the Chinese format as an attachment and request that the USPTO reformat the address on behalf of the applicant.

 

Response Guidelines

 

For this application to proceed toward registration, the applicant must explicitly address each requirement raised in this Office action.  To respond to requirements, the applicant should set forth in writing the required changes or statements.  If the 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.

 

Additional Online Assistance

 

The USPTO website provides information for those unfamiliar with the process of applying for federal trademark registration, such as an e-booklet about registering trademarks, FAQs, and more.  Two tools on the USPTO’s website that are particularly helpful during the examination process are (1) informational videos and (2) application processing timelines.  The videos provide information in a broadcast news format regarding a range of issues that arise during the examination of an application, including specimens and goods and services, and are located at http://www.gov.uspto.report/trademarks/process/TMIN.jsp.  The application processing timelines provide information regarding the USPTO’s processing time for certain documents, as well as legal deadlines, and are located at http://www.gov.uspto.report/trademark/trademark-timelines/trademark-application-and-post-registration-process-timelines.

 

The USPTO website provides a “Basic Facts” booklet and video series that include basic information about registering a trademark, including how trademarks, patents, copyrights, domain names, and business name registrations all differ, and how to select the right mark – one that is both federally registrable and legally protectable.  The “Basic Facts” booklet and video series also explain the benefits of federal registration and suggest resources to help an applicant with his or her application.  The booklet is located at http://www.gov.uspto.report/sites/default/files/BasicFacts_0.pdf in pdf format, and the videos are located at http://www.gov.uspto.report/trademarks-getting-started/trademark-basics.

 

Hiring an Attorney

 

Because of the legal technicalities and strict deadlines involved in the USPTO application process, applicant may wish to hire a private attorney specializing in trademark matters to represent applicant in this process and provide legal advice.  Although the undersigned trademark examining attorney is permitted to help an applicant understand the contents of an Office action as well as the application process in general, no USPTO attorney or staff is permitted to give an applicant legal advice or statements about an applicant’s legal rights.  TMEP §§705.02, 709.06. 

 

For attorney referral information, applicant may consult the American Bar Association’s Consumers’ Guide to Legal Help, an attorney referral service of a state or local bar association, or a local telephone directory.  The USPTO may not assist an applicant in the selection of a private attorney.  37 C.F.R. §2.11.

 

In addition, foreign attorneys, other than authorized Canadian 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. §§2.17(e), 11.14(c), (e); TMEP §602.03-.03(c). 

 

The only attorneys who may 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 U.S. commonwealths or U.S. territories; 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(a), (e), 11.1, 11.14(a), (c); TMEP §602.

 

Appointing a Domestic Representative

 

Applicant is encouraged to designate a domestic representative upon whom notices or process may be served.  TMEP §610.  If applicant does not designate a domestic representative, any notice or process in proceedings affecting the mark may be served on the Director of the USPTO.  15 U.S.C. §§1051(e), 1141h(d); 37 C.F.R. §2.24(a)(1)-(2); see TMEP §610.

 

Applicant may file a designation of domestic representative form online using the Trademark Electronic Application System (TEAS) at http://www.gov.uspto.report/trademarks/teas/correspondence.jsp.

 

A designation of domestic representative must be personally signed or include an electronic signature personally entered by the individual applicant, someone with legal authority to bind a juristic applicant (e.g., a corporate officer or general partner), or an authorized attorney.  37 C.F.R. §§2.24(a)(1)(ii), 2.193(a), (e)(8); TMEP §610.  In the case of joint applicants, all must sign.  37 C.F.R. §2.193(e)(8); TMEP §610.

 

Additional Questions

 

If applicant has questions regarding this Office action, please telephone or e-mail the assigned trademark examining attorney and reference the serial number of the application.  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. §§2.62(c), 2.191; TMEP §§304.01-.02, 709.04-.05.  However, although the trademark examining attorney may provide additional explanation pertaining to the refusal 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.

 

TEAS PLUS OR TEAS REDUCED FEE (TEAS RF) APPLICANTS – TO MAINTAIN LOWER FEE, ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS MUST BE MET, INCLUDING SUBMITTING DOCUMENTS ONLINE:  Applicants who filed their application online using the lower-fee TEAS Plus or TEAS RF application form must (1) file certain documents online using TEAS, including responses to Office actions (see TMEP §§819.02(b), 820.02(b) for a complete list of these documents); (2) maintain a valid e-mail correspondence address; and (3) agree to receive correspondence from the USPTO by e-mail throughout the prosecution of the application.  See 37 C.F.R. §§2.22(b), 2.23(b); TMEP §§819, 820.  TEAS Plus or TEAS RF applicants who do not meet these requirements must submit an additional processing fee of $50 per international class of goods and/or services.  37 C.F.R. §§2.6(a)(1)(v), 2.22(c), 2.23(c); TMEP §§819.04, 820.04.  However, in certain situations, TEAS Plus or TEAS RF applicants may respond to an Office action by authorizing an examiner’s amendment by telephone or e-mail without incurring this additional fee.   

 

 

 

/David C. Mayer/

Examining Attorney

Law Office 121

david.mayer@uspto.gov

(571) 270-3773

 

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 11/16/2016 FOR U.S. APPLICATION SERIAL NO. 87126734

 

Your trademark application has been reviewed.  The trademark examining attorney assigned by the USPTO to your application has written an official letter to which you must respond.  Please follow these steps:

 

(1)  Read the LETTER by clicking on this link or going to http://tsdr.gov.uspto.report/, entering your U.S. application serial number, and clicking 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)  Respond within 6 months (or sooner if specified in the Office action), calculated from 11/16/2016, using the Trademark Electronic Application System (TEAS) response form located at http://www.gov.uspto.report/trademarks/teas/response_forms.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. 

 

(3)  Questions about the contents of the Office action itself should be directed to the trademark examining attorney who reviewed your application, identified below. 

 

/David C. Mayer/

Examining Attorney

Law Office 121

david.mayer@uspto.gov

(571) 270-3773

 

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.