To: | Christopher Todd (ctodd@airt.ngo) |
Subject: | U.S. TRADEMARK APPLICATION NO. 88101944 - AIRBORNE INTERNATIONAL RESPONSE - N/A |
Sent: | 12/14/2018 9:44:50 PM |
Sent As: | ECOM116@USPTO.GOV |
Attachments: |
UNITED STATES PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE (USPTO)
OFFICE ACTION (OFFICIAL LETTER) ABOUT APPLICANT’S TRADEMARK APPLICATION
U.S. APPLICATION SERIAL NO. 88101944
MARK: AIRBORNE INTERNATIONAL RESPONSE
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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: Christopher Todd
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CORRESPONDENT’S REFERENCE/DOCKET NO: CORRESPONDENT E-MAIL ADDRESS: |
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EXAMINER’S AMENDMENT/PRIORITY 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. 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: 12/14/2018
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). Applicant has agreed to provide a substitute specimen and amended drawing.
ISSUES APPLICANT MUST ADDRESS: On December 14, 2018, the trademark examining attorney and Christopher Todd discussed the issues below. Applicant must timely respond to these issues. See 15 U.S.C. §1062(b); 37 C.F.R. §2.62(a); TMEP §§708, 711.
SPECIMEN REFUSAL – NO ASSOCIATION
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). Specimens comprising advertising and promotional materials must show a direct association between the mark and the services. 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.
AMENDED DRAWING REQUIRED
Applicant must submit a new drawing with the ® symbol deleted from the drawing of the mark; this symbol is not part of the mark and is not registrable. See 37 C.F.R. §2.72; TMEP §807.14(a). Although applicant must delete this matter, applicant may not make any other changes or amendments that would materially alter the drawing of the mark. See 37 C.F.R. §2.72; TMEP §§807.14 et seq. For more information about deleting matter from the drawing, see the Drawing webpage.
APPLICATION HAS BEEN AMENDED: In accordance with the authorization granted by the individual identified in the Priority Action section above, the trademark examining attorney has amended the application as indicated below. Please advise the undersigned immediately of any objections. TMEP §707.
DISCLAIMER
The following disclaimer statement is added to the record:
No claim is made to the exclusive right to use “AIRBORNE INTERNATIONAL RESPONSE TEAM” apart from the mark as shown.
See 15 U.S.C. §1056(a); TMEP §§1213, 1213.08(a)(i).
MARK DESCRIPTION
The following description of the mark replaces the current description of record:
The mark consists of concentric circles with the wording “AIRBORNE INTERNATIONAL” on the top rim of the outer circle and the wording “RESPONSE TEAM” on the bottom rim of the outer circle. A stylized sun appears before the word “AIRBORNE” and a stylized moon appears after the term “INTERNATIONAL”. Encompassed within the middle of the inner circle is the acronym “AIRT”. Above the acronym is a stylized depiction of an unmanned vehicle and below the acronym is the wording “EX VENTO SPES” above a stylized depiction of the world. In front of the world design is a stylized heart encompassing a cross above a stylized hand.
See 37 C.F.R. §§2.37, 2.72; TMEP §§808 et seq.
RESPONSE GUIDELINES
For this application to proceed further, applicant must explicitly address the refusal and requirement in this Office action. For a refusal, applicant may provide written arguments and evidence against the refusal, and may have other response options if specified above. For a requirement, applicant should set forth the changes or statements. In addition, because applicant filed a TEAS Plus application, applicant must respond online using the Trademark Electronic Application System (TEAS) to avoid incurring an additional fee. See 37 C.F.R. §2.22(b)(1), (c). Please see “Responding to Office Actions” and the informational video “Response to Office Action” for more information and tips on responding.
When an application has abandoned for failure to respond to an Office action, an applicant may timely file a petition to revive at http://www.gov.uspto.report/trademarks/teas/index.jsp. See 37 C.F.R. §2.66; TMEP §1714. If such petition is granted, it would allow the application to return to active status. Id. The petition must be filed within two months of the date of issuance of the notice of abandonment and may be filed via TEAS, http://www.gov.uspto.report/trademarks-application-process/filing-online/petition-forms, with a $100 fee. 37 C.F.R. §2.6(a)(15)(ii), 2.66(a)(1), b(1).
Trademark Counsel Advisory
For attorney referral information, applicant may consult the American Bar Association’s Consumers’ Guide to Legal Help; an online directory of legal professionals, such as FindLaw®; or a local telephone directory. The USPTO, however, may not assist an applicant in the selection of a private attorney. 37 C.F.R. §2.11.
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 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.
/Brittany Lee-Richardson/
Trademark Examining Attorney
Law Office 116
(571) 272-9750
Brittany.Lee-Richardson@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.