Suspension Letter

UNITED STATES PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE (USPTO)

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

 

 

 

SUSPENSION NOTICE: NO RESPONSE NEEDED

 

ISSUE/MAILING DATE: 2/26/2019

 

 

The trademark examining attorney is suspending action on the application for the reason(s) stated below.  See 37 C.F.R. §2.67; TMEP §§716 et seq. 

 

FOREIGN REGISTRATION:  Applicant is required to provide a true copy, a photocopy, a certification, or a certified copy of a foreign registration from applicant’s country of origin that will be in force at the time the United States registration issues.  15 U.S.C. §1126(e); 37 C.F.R. §2.34(a)(3)(ii)-(iii); In re Societe D’Exploitation de la Marque Le Fouquet’s, 67 USPQ2d 1784, 1788-89 (TTAB 2003); TMEP §§1003.04(a)-(b), 1004.01, 1004.01(a).  Action on this application is suspended until the USPTO receives a copy of such foreign registration or proof of its renewal.  TMEP §§716.02(b), 1003.04(a)-(b), 1004.01(a).  If the foreign registration or renewal document is not in English, applicant must provide an English translation.  37 C.F.R. §2.34(a)(3)(ii)-(iii); TMEP §1004.01(b).  Further, applicant should notify the trademark examining attorney in the event that the foreign application abandons or the foreign registration is not renewed.  See TMEP §§1003.08, 1004.01(a).  In such case, applicant may amend the application to rely on another basis, if appropriate, and will retain the priority filing date, if applicable.  TMEP §§1003.08, 1004.01(a).

 

Country of Origin Advisory

 

The application specifies both a basis under Trademark Act Section 1 and a claim of priority under Section 44(d) and indicates that applicant intends to rely on the foreign registration that will issue from its foreign application as a basis for registration under Section 44(e).  See 15 U.S.C. §§1051(a), (b), 1126(d), (e); 37 C.F.R. §2.34(a)(1)-(2), (a)(4); TMEP §1003.04(a).  To obtain registration under Section 44(e) based on a foreign registration that will issue from the foreign application relied on for priority, the country in which the foreign application was filed must be the applicant’s country of origin.  See 15 U.S.C. §1126(c); TMEP §§1002.01, 1002.02, 1002.04.  Under Section 44(c), “country of origin” is defined as the country in which an applicant (1) is domiciled, (2) has a bona fide and effective industrial or commercial establishment, or (3) is a national.  15 U.S.C. §1126(c); TMEP §1002.04. 

 

In the present case, the U.S. application shows that applicant has a domicile in the United States, but the foreign application was filed in the United Kingdom. 

 

Because applicant’s domicile is in a country different from the country in which the foreign application was filed, and from which the foreign registration will issue, applicant will need to establish that this country is applicant’s country of origin as of the date of issuance of the foreign registration.  See 15 U.S.C. §1126(c); TMEP §§1002.02, 1002.04.  This requirement may be satisfied by providing the following written statement for the record, once the foreign registration issues:  “Applicant has had a bona fide and effective industrial or commercial establishment in the United Kingdom as of the date of issuance of the foreign registration.”  TMEP §1002.04.

 

If applicant will not be able to assert that the country in which the foreign registration has issued is applicant’s country of origin, registration under Section 44(e) will be refused.  See 15 U.S.C. §1126(c); TMEP §1002.01-.02.  In that case, applicant may delete the Section 44(e) basis and rely solely on Section 1(b) as a basis.  See 15 U.S.C. §§1051(b), 1126(e); 37 C.F.R. §2.35(b); TMEP §806.04.  However, applicant may still retain the priority filing date under Section 44(d) without perfecting the Section 44(e) basis, if applicant’s U.S. application satisfied the requirements of Section 44(d) as of the U.S. application filing date and applicant has a continuing valid basis for registration.  See 37 C.F.R. §2.35(b)(3)-(4); TMEP §§806.02(f), 806.03(h).  

 

The USPTO will periodically conduct a status check of the application to determine whether suspension remains appropriate, and the trademark examining attorney will issue as needed an inquiry letter to applicant regarding the status of the matter on which suspension is based.  TMEP §§716.04, 716.05.  Applicant will be notified when suspension is no longer appropriate.  See TMEP §716.04.

 

No response to this notice is necessary; however, if applicant wants to respond, applicant should use the “Response to Suspension Inquiry or Letter of Suspension” form online at http://teasroa.gov.uspto.report/rsi/rsi.

 

 

 

/Alexandra El-Bayeh/

Trademark Examining Attorney

Law Office 124

(571) 270-5911

alexandra.el-bayeh@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.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 Trademark Electronic Application System (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 2/26/2019 FOR U.S. APPLICATION SERIAL NO.88202247

 

Please follow the instructions below:

 

(1)  TO READ THE LETTER:  Click on this link or go to http://tsdr.gov.uspto.report/, 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)  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

 

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.