UNITED STATES PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE (USPTO)

OFFICE ACTION (OFFICIAL LETTER) ABOUT APPLICANT’S TRADEMARK APPLICATION

 

 

 

EXAMINER’S AMENDMENT

 

ISSUE/MAILING DATE: 12/19/2018

 

DATABASE SEARCH:  The trademark examining attorney has searched the USPTO’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).

 

APPLICATION HAS BEEN AMENDED:  In accordance with the authorization granted by Dean Sauer on 14 December 2018, the trademark examining attorney has amended the application as indicated below.  Please advise the undersigned immediately of any objections.  Otherwise, no response is necessary.  TMEP §707.  Any amendments to the identification of goods and/or services may clarify or limit the goods and/or services, but may not add to or broaden the scope of the goods and/or services.  37 C.F.R. §2.71(a); see TMEP §§1402.06 et seq.

 

The identification of goods is amended to read as follows:  “aquariums for bioluminescent marine plankton; kits comprised primarily of aquariums for bioluminescent marine plankton and also including bioluminescent marine plankton and seawater.”  See TMEP §§1402.01, 1402.01(e).

 

The application is amended to classify the goods in International Class 21.  TMEP §1401.03(b); see 37 C.F.R. §2.85.

 

The substitute specimen in support of Class 21 is acceptable.

 

Procedure after Examiner’s Amendment Issues

After the trademark examining attorney issues the examiner’s amendment, applicant will not receive a registration on the Principal Register for the applied-for mark until the mark makes it through the publication process and opposition period.  The publication process starts once the trademark examining attorney issues the examiner’s amendment and the mark is approved for publication in the USPTO’s Trademark Official Gazette, a weekly online publication.  The USPTO will then send a “Notice of Publication” to the applicant specifying the date its mark will publish in this publication.

 

The USPTO publishes applicant’s mark in the Trademark Official Gazette to provide third parties who believe they may be damaged by registration of applicant’s mark an opportunity to oppose registration of that mark within thirty (30) days from the publication date.  An “opposition” is similar to a federal court proceeding, but this proceeding is held before the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board, a USPTO administrative tribunal of administrative judges who issue decisions on these matters.  If a third party opposes registration of applicant’s mark by instituting an opposition proceeding, the USPTO will send applicant notice of this opposition.  When this occurs, an applicant may wish to hire an attorney due to the complexity of these proceedings.

 

If no one opposes registration of the mark, and the mark was published based upon an applicant’s actual use of the mark in commerce, the USPTO generally registers the mark and issues a registration certificate within approximately twelve (12) weeks after the publication date.

 

 

 

 

/Angela M Micheli/

Trademark Examining Attorney, Law Office 101

571.272.9196

571.273.9196 (fax)

angela.micheli@uspto.gov

 

 

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.uspto.gov/.  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.uspto.gov/trademarks/process/status/.

 

TO UPDATE CORRESPONDENCE/E-MAIL ADDRESS:  Use the Trademark Electronic Application System (TEAS) form at http://www.uspto.gov/trademarks/teas/correspondence.jsp.