| To: | SpeedKore, LLC (tmadmin@reinhartlaw.com) |
| Subject: | U.S. TRADEMARK APPLICATION NO. 87360391 - TANTRUM - 13761 |
| Sent: | 1/29/2018 3:37:17 PM |
| Sent As: | ECOM101@USPTO.GOV |
| Attachments: |
UNITED STATES PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE (USPTO)
OFFICE ACTION (OFFICIAL LETTER) ABOUT APPLICANT’S TRADEMARK APPLICATION
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U.S. APPLICATION SERIAL NO. 87360391
MARK: TANTRUM
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CORRESPONDENT ADDRESS: |
CLICK HERE TO RESPOND TO THIS LETTER: http://www.gov.uspto.report/trademarks/teas/response_forms.jsp
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APPLICANT: SpeedKore, LLC
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CORRESPONDENT’S REFERENCE/DOCKET NO: CORRESPONDENT E-MAIL ADDRESS: |
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OFFICE ACTION
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: 1/29/2018
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 $125 per 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.
This responds to applicant's communications dated December 5, 2017, wherein applicant 1) responded to the refusal under Trademark Act Sec. 2(d); and 2) amended its identification and classification of goods/services. No. 1 is acceptable. The Sec. 2(d) refusal is withdrawn in light of applicant’s limitation to the identification of services. However, the response raises the following new or continued requirements:
The amended identification of goods in Class 12 is acceptable.
Applicant also has amended the identification to include the following services: “Rental and licensing of custom cars to others for appearance in motion pictures, television programming, and other media,” in Class 41.
Please note that applicant’s supplemental response further amending the Class 41 identification to add entertainment services deleted in the initial response has not been entered. The proposed supplemental amendment to the identification is not acceptable because it exceeds the scope of the identification in the application, as first amended on December 5, 2017. See 37 C.F.R. §§2.32(a)(6), 2.71(a); TMEP §§1012, 1402.06 et seq., 1402.07. Applicant’s goods and/or services may be clarified or limited, but may not be expanded beyond those originally itemized in the application or as acceptably amended. See 37 C.F.R. §2.71(a); TMEP §1402.06. The amendment deleting “entertainment services in the nature of high performance cars” is acceptable. As such, these services, which also served as the basis for refusal under Sec. 2(d), may not be reinserted into the identification. Therefore, the original identification in the application, and any previously accepted amendments, remain operative for purposes of future amendment. See 37 C.F.R. §2.71(a); TMEP §1402.07(d).
As to the amended services in Class 41, the services of “rental of cars” is misclassified. The proper classification for such services is International Class 39. Therefore, applicant may respond by (1) adding International Class 39 to the application and reclassifying these services in the proper international class, (2) deleting “rental of cars” from the application, or (3) deleting the remainder of the items in the identification and reclassifying the specified goods and/or services in the proper international class. See 37 C.F.R. §§2.86(a), 6.1; TMEP §§1403.02 et seq. If applicant adds one or more international classes to the application, applicant must comply with the multiple-class requirements specified in this Office action.
With respect to the amended identification of “licensing”, the nature of the services must be clarified and classified accordingly. As previously discussed, the actual service provided to others must be clearly stated. For instance, the commercial administration of licenses for other is a Class 35 service. However, the drawing up of licensing agreements is a legal service in Class 45. Applicant also should bear in mind that activities performed solely for its own benefit may not represent services provided to others for purposes of trademark registration. Applicant must ensure that any “licensing” activity represents a services specifically performed for others. If the “licensing” services actually concern the rental of cars, the services may be clarified as such, e.g., “rental of high performance cars for use in motion pictures, television programming and other media,” in Class 39. In such case, the original reference to “licensing” may be deleted as encompassed by the acceptable amended language.
Applicant may adopt the following wording, if accurate:
“Custom high performance cars and custom car kits, namely, body kits comprising external structural parts of automobiles, land vehicle engine rebuild kits sold as a unit,” in Class 12.
“Rental of high performance cars for use in motion pictures, television programming and other media," in Class 39.
Please note that, while the identification of goods/services may be amended to clarify or limit the goods/services, adding to the goods/services or broadening their scope is not permitted. 37 C.F.R. §2.71(a); TMEP §1402.06. Therefore, applicant may not amend the identification to include goods/services that are not within the scope of the goods/services set forth in the present identification.
For assistance with identifying 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.
ADDITIONAL FILING FEE REQUIRED
(1) List the goods and/or services by their international class number in consecutive numerical order, starting with the lowest numbered class (for example, International Class 3: perfume; International Class 18: cosmetic bags sold empty).
(2) Submit a filing fee for each international class not covered by the fee(s) already paid (view the USPTO’s current fee schedule). Specifically, the application identifies goods and/or services based on use in commerce that are classified in two classes; however, applicant submitted a fee(s) sufficient for only one class(es). Applicant must either (a) submit the filing fees for the classes not covered by the submitted fees or (b) restrict the application to the number of classes covered by the fees already paid.
(3) Submit verified dates of first use of the mark anywhere and in commerce for each international class. See more information about verified dates of use.
(4) Submit a specimen for each international class. The current specimen is acceptable for class(es) 12. Applicant needs a specimen for any amended service class (see below). See more information about specimens.
Examples of specimens for goods include tags, labels, instruction manuals, containers, and photographs that show the mark on the actual goods or packaging, or displays associated with the actual goods at their point of sale. Webpages may also be specimens for goods when they include a picture or textual description of the goods associated with the mark and the means to order the goods.
Examples of specimens for services include advertising and marketing materials, brochures, photographs of business signage and billboards, and website printouts that show the mark used in the actual sale, rendering, or advertising of the services.
(5) Submit a verified statement that “The specimen was in use in commerce on or in connection with the goods and/or services listed in the application at least as early as the filing date of the application.” See more information about verification.
See 15 U.S.C. §§1051(a), 1112; 37 C.F.R. §§2.32(a)(6)-(7), 2.34(a)(1), 2.86(a); TMEP §§904, 1403.01, 1403.02(c).
See an overview of the requirements for a Section 1(a) multiple-class application and how to satisfy the requirements online using the Trademark Electronic Application System (TEAS) form.
Specimens consisting of advertising or promotional materials must show a direct association between the mark and the services for which registration is sought. In re WAY Media, Inc., 118 USPQ2d 1697, 1698 (TTAB 2016) (quoting In re Universal Oil Prods. Co., 476 F.2d 653, 655, 177 USPQ 456, 457 (C.C.P.A. 1973)); TMEP §1301.04(f)(ii). To show this direct association, the specimen must contain an explicit reference to the services, in addition to the mark being used on the specimen to identify the service and its source. In re WAY Media, Inc., 118 USPQ2d at 1698 (quoting In re Osmotica Holdings, Corp., 95 USPQ2d 1666, 1668 (TTAB 2010)); TMEP §1301.04(f)(ii). While the exact nature of the services does not need to be specified in the specimen, there must be something which creates in the mind of the purchaser an association between the mark and the service. In re Adair, 45 USPQ2d 1211, 1215 (TTAB 1997) (quoting In re Johnson Controls Inc., 33 USPQ2d 1318, 1320 (TTAB 1994)).
In the present case, the specimen shows the mark used as the nickname of a particular car. The provided materials also indicate the appearance of the car in a movie. However, the specimens do not clearly demonstrate use of the proposed mark TANTRUM specifically as a source identifier for any identified services.
An application based on Trademark Act Section 1(a) must include a specimen showing the applied-for mark in use in commerce for each international class of services identified in the application or amendment to allege use. 15 U.S.C. §1051(a)(1); 37 C.F.R. §§2.34(a)(1)(iv), 2.56(a); TMEP §§904, 904.07(a).
Examples of specimens for services include advertising and marketing materials, brochures, photographs of business signage and billboards, and webpages that show the mark used in the actual sale, rendering, or advertising of the services. See TMEP §1301.04(a), (h)(iv)(C). And, as stated above, specimens comprising advertising or promotional materials must show a direct association between the mark and the services. In re WAY Media, Inc., 118 USPQ2d at 1698 (quoting In re Universal Oil Prods. Co., 476 F.2d at 655, 177 USPQ at 457); TMEP §1301.04(f)(ii).
Applicant may respond to this refusal by satisfying one of the following for each applicable international class:
(1) Submit a different specimen (a verified “substitute” specimen) that (a) was in actual use in commerce at least as early as the filing date of the application or prior to the filing of an amendment to allege use and (b) shows the mark in actual use in commerce for the services identified in the application or amendment to allege use. A “verified substitute specimen” is a specimen that is accompanied by the following statement made in a signed affidavit or supported by a declaration under 37 C.F.R. §2.20: “The substitute (or new, or originally submitted, if appropriate) specimen(s) was/were in use in commerce at least as early as the filing date of the application or prior to the filing of the amendment to allege use.” The substitute specimen cannot be accepted without this statement.
(2) Amend the filing basis to intent to use under Section 1(b), for which no specimen is required. This option will later necessitate additional fee(s) and filing requirements such as providing a specimen.
For an overview of both response options referenced above and instructions on how to satisfy either option online using the Trademark Electronic Application System (TEAS) form, please go to http://www.gov.uspto.report/trademarks/law/specimen.jsp.
If the applicant has any questions or needs assistance in responding to this Office action, please e-mail or telephone the assigned examining attorney.
/SMP/
Steven M. Perez
Trademark Attorney
Law Office 101
(571) 272-5888
steven.perez@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.