UNITED STATES PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE (USPTO)

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

 

 

 

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: 2/21/2019

 

 

 

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).

 

ISSUES APPLICANT MUST ADDRESS:  On February 21, 2019, the trademark examining attorney and Fred Hathaway 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.

 

IDENTIFICATION OF GOODS

 

Some identification of goods is indefinite and must be clarified as indicated in bold below.  See 37 C.F.R. §2.32(a)(6); TMEP §1402.01.  Applicant must amend the identification to specify the common commercial or generic name of the goods.  See TMEP §1402.01.  If the goods have no common commercial or generic name, applicant must describe the product, its main purpose, and its intended uses.  See id.

 

Applicant may adopt the following wording, if accurate: 

 

Non-medicated beauty creams; Non-medicated body care preparations, namely, __________ [specify common commercial name (e.g. body scrubs, shower gel)]; Non-medicated body care products, namely, __________ [specify common commercial name (e.g. body polish)]; Non-medicated body sprays; Non-medicated cleansing creams; Cosmetics in the form of non-medicated lotions; Non-medicated day skin creams; Non-medicated hair protection creams; Non-medicated hair protection lotions; Non-medicated tissues impregnated with __________ [specify type of product (e.g. skin cleanser)] for toilet purposes; Non-medicated cosmetics namely, nail treatment lotions; Non-medicated baby care products, namely, __________ [specify common commercial name (e.g. baby powder)]; Non-medicated __________ [specify type (e.g. lip, skin)] balms; Non-medicated bath preparations; Non- medicated beauty preparations, namely, __________ [specify common commercial name (e.g. beauty serums)]; Non-medicated skin cleansing lotions; Non- medicated cleansing preparations; Non-medicated cosmetics; Non- medicated skin creams; Non-medicated dentifrices; Non-medicated hair care preparations; Non-medicated skin lotions; Non-medicated skin moisturizers; Non- medicated body oils; Non-medicated products for skin care, namely, __________ [specify common commercial name (e.g. skin care preparations)]; Non-medicated skin products, namely, __________ [specify common commercial name (e.g. skin lotion, skin cream)]; Non-medicated toilet soaps; Non-medicated toiletry preparations; Non-medicated preparations for skin care; Non-medicated hair shampoos; Non-medicated throat sprays; Washing preparations for personal use; Non-medicated cosmetic acne cleansers; Non-medicated cosmetic acne creams; Cosmetic skin care preparations; Cosmetic skin care products, namely, __________ [specify common commercial name (e.g. beauty serums)]; Topical herbal extracts for cosmetic purposes; Cosmetics for use on the skin, in International Class 3.

 

Pharmaceutical preparations namely, medicated acne cleansers; pharmaceutical preparations namely, medicated acne creams; Acne treatment preparations; Non-medicated skin gels for the treatment of acne; Pharmaceutical preparations for the treatment of pimples; Pharmaceutical preparations for use in the treatment of pimples; Nutritionally fortified herbal beverages for medicinal use; Herbal compounds in the nature of supplements for medicinal use; Herbal dietary supplements; Herbal extracts for medicinal purposes; Herbal dietetic infusions for medicinal use; Herbal medicine in the nature of medicinal herbal preparations; Herbal preparations for medicinal purposes; Medicinal herbal preparations; Herbal remedies, namely, __________ [specify common commercial name (e.g. herbal supplements)]; Medicated body care products, namely, __________ [specify common commercial name (e.g. body powder)]; Medicated body creams; Medicated dermatological creams; Medicated cleansing preparations for the skin; Medicated creams for the body; Medicated creams for the skin; Medicated lotions for the body; Medicated ointments for application to the skin; Medicated skin creams; Medicated natural body care products for the skin, namely, __________ [specify common commercial name (e.g. skin balm)]; Medicated skin care lotions; Medicated skin care products, namely, __________ [specify common commercial name (e.g. lotion)]; Medicated skin creams; Medicines for __________ [specify use (e.g. dental purposes, the treatment of gastrointestinal diseases)]; Medicines in tablet form for __________ [specify use (e.g. the treatment of headaches)]; Tablets for medicines for use in the treatment of __________ [specify use (e.g. heart disease)], in International Class 5.

 

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.  Applicant may clarify or limit the identification by inserting qualifying language or deleting items to result in a more specific identification; however, applicant may not substitute different goods and/or services or add goods and/or services not found or encompassed by those in the original application or as acceptably amended.  See TMEP §1402.06(a)-(b).  The scope of the goods and/or services sets the outer limit for any changes to the identification and is generally determined by the ordinary meaning of the wording in the identification.  TMEP §§1402.06(b), 1402.07(a)-(b).  Any acceptable changes to the goods and/or services will further limit scope, and once goods and/or services are deleted, they are not permitted to be reinserted.  TMEP §1402.07(e).

 

For assistance with identifying and classifying goods and services in trademark applications, please see the USPTO’s online searchable U.S. Acceptable Identification of Goods and Services Manual.  See TMEP §1402.04.

 

ASSISTANCE

 

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. 

 

 

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.  

 

 

 

/Tarah Hardy Ludlow/

Examining Attorney

Law Office 110

571-272-9361

tarah.hardy@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.

 

 

UNITED STATES PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE (USPTO)

 

 

IMPORTANT NOTICE REGARDING YOUR

U.S. TRADEMARK APPLICATION

 

USPTO OFFICE ACTION (OFFICIAL LETTER) HAS ISSUED

ON 2/21/2019 FOR U.S. APPLICATION SERIAL NO. 88196441

 

Please follow the instructions below:

 

(1)  TO READ THE LETTER:  Click on this link or go to http://tsdr.uspto.gov,enter the U.S. application serial number, and click 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)  TIMELY RESPONSE IS REQUIRED:  Please carefully review the Office action to determine (1) how to respond, and (2) the applicable response time period.  Your response deadline will be calculated from 2/21/2019 (or sooner if specified in the Office action).  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.  For information regarding response time periods, see http://www.gov.uspto.report/trademarks/process/status/responsetime.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.  Instead, the USPTO recommends that you respond online using the TEAS response form located at http://www.gov.uspto.report/trademarks/teas/response_forms.jsp.

 

(3)  QUESTIONS:  For questions about the contents of the Office action itself, please contact the assigned trademark examining attorney.  For technical assistance in accessing or viewing the Office action in the Trademark Status and Document Retrieval (TSDR) system, please e-mail TSDR@uspto.gov.

 

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.