To: | Avant Technology, Inc. (ehartman@hh-iplaw.com) |
Subject: | U.S. TRADEMARK APPLICATION NO. 88125684 - FREETAIL GLOBAL - AVAN1090TMUS |
Sent: | 4/8/2019 10:47:59 AM |
Sent As: | ECOM111@USPTO.GOV |
Attachments: |
UNITED STATES PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE (USPTO)
OFFICE ACTION (OFFICIAL LETTER) ABOUT APPLICANT’S TRADEMARK APPLICATION
U.S. APPLICATION SERIAL NO. 88125684
MARK: FREETAIL GLOBAL
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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: Avant Technology, Inc.
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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: 4/8/2019
THIS IS A FINAL ACTION.
Telephone Or Email Response Encouraged
Applicant is encouraged to call or email the assigned trademark examining attorney below to resolve the issues in this Office action. Although the USPTO will not accept an email as a response to an Office action, an applicant can communicate by phone or email to agree to a proposed amendment to the application that will immediately place the application in condition for publication, registration, or suspension. See 37 C.F.R. §2.62(c); TMEP §707.
This Office action is in response to applicant’s communication filed on March 14, 2019. Applicant disclaimed GLOBAL, submitted substitute specimens and proposed amendment to the identification of goods. The disclaimer and substitute specimens are acceptable. The proposed identification is unacceptable, as discussed below. The requirement for an acceptable identification is maintained and made FINAL.
Identification
The identification of goods and/or services is indefinite and must be clarified because it refers to goods and/or services in different classes and the precise nature of the goods and services is not clear. See 37 C.F.R. §2.32(a)(6); TMEP §1402.01. The identifications for the USB flash drives and data carriers must indicate whether the goods are blank or pre-corded with data. If the goods are pre-recorded with data, the subject matter must be indicated. The bold italicized wording below indicates the nature of the detail required. The underlined italicized wording in brackets indicates the need for information that applicant must provide. Applicant may adopt the following identification, if accurate:
In an identification, an applicant must use the common commercial or generic name for the goods, be specific and all-inclusive, and avoid using indefinite words or phrases. TMEP§§1402.01, 1402.03(a). Further, applicant may amend the identification to list only those items that are within the scope of the goods set forth in the initial application or as acceptably amended. See 37 C.F.R. §2.71(a); TMEP §§1402.06 et seq., 1402.07. Scope is generally determined by the ordinary meaning of the wording in the identification. TMEP §1402.07(a).
For assistance in crafting acceptable identification wording, please see the USPTO’s online searchable U.S. Acceptable Identification of Goods and Services Manual. See TMEP §1402.04. For guidance regarding wording that is not listed in the manual, applicant should consider wording from registrations and approved applications that have been accepted/approved within the last year.
For the foregoing reasons, the requirement for an acceptable identification is maintained and made FINAL.
Response Guidelines
Applicant must respond within six months of the date of issuance of this final Office action or the following goods to which the requirement(s) apply will be deleted from the application by Examiner’s Amendment: memory storage USB flash drives, memory storage data carriers. 37 C.F.R. §2.65(a); see 15 U.S.C. §1062(b).
The application will then proceed for the following goods: Computer memory devices; semiconductor devices; memory devices, namely, memory storage integrated circuits; memory modules and solid state memory drives.
Applicant may respond by providing one or both of the following:
(1) a response filed using the Trademark Electronic Application System (TEAS) that fully satisfies all outstanding requirements and/or resolves all outstanding refusals; and/or
(2) an appeal to the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board filed using the Electronic System for Trademark Trials and Appeals (ESTTA) with the required filing fee of $200 per class.
37 C.F.R. §2.63(b)(1)-(2); TMEP §714.04; see 37 C.F.R. §2.6(a)(18); TBMP ch. 1200.
In certain rare circumstances, an applicant may respond by filing a petition to the Director pursuant to 37 C.F.R. §2.63(b)(2) to review procedural issues. TMEP §714.04; see 37 C.F.R. §2.146(b); TBMP §1201.05; TMEP §1704 (explaining petitionable matters). There is a fee required for filing a petition. 37 C.F.R. §2.6(a)(15).
Please call or email the assigned trademark examining attorney with questions about this Office action. Although the trademark examining attorney cannot provide legal advice or statements about applicant’s rights, the trademark examining attorney can provide applicant with additional explanation about the refusal(s) and/or requirement(s) in this Office action. See TMEP §§705.02, 709.06. Although the USPTO does not accept emails as responses to Office actions, emails can be used for informal communications and will be included in the application record. See 37 C.F.R. §§2.62(c), 2.191; TMEP §§304.01-.02, 709.04-.05. Any arguments regarding the contents of this Office action should be made in a written response, as those discussions should be made of record.
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.
/Tracy Whittaker-Brown, Esq./
Examining Attorney, Law Office 111
U.S. Patent & Trademark Office
Tracy.Whittaker-Brown@uspto.gov
571-272-9397
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.