Suspension Letter

BUELL

LIQUID PERFORMANCE LLC

U.S. TRADEMARK APPLICATION NO. 88262859 - BUELL - N/A

To: LIQUID ASSET PARTNERS LLC (rboghosian@ctswlaw.com)
Subject: U.S. TRADEMARK APPLICATION NO. 88262859 - BUELL - N/A
Sent: 6/13/2019 11:55:47 AM
Sent As: ECOM107@USPTO.GOV
Attachments:

UNITED STATES PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE (USPTO)

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

 

U.S. APPLICATION SERIAL NO.  88262859

 

MARK: BUELL

 

 

        

*88262859*

CORRESPONDENT ADDRESS:

      ROBERT BOGHOSIAN

      COHEN TAUBER SPIEVACK & WAGNER P.C.

      420 LEXINGTON AVENUE, SUITE 2400

      NEW YORK, NY 10170

      

 

GENERAL TRADEMARK INFORMATION:

http://www.gov.uspto.report/trademarks/index.jsp

 

VIEW YOUR APPLICATION FILE

 

APPLICANT: LIQUID ASSET PARTNERS LLC

 

 

 

CORRESPONDENT’S REFERENCE/DOCKET NO:  

      N/A

CORRESPONDENT E-MAIL ADDRESS: 

      rboghosian@ctswlaw.com

 

 

 

SUSPENSION NOTICE: NO RESPONSE NEEDED

 

ISSUE/MAILING DATE: 6/13/2019

 

 

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. 

 

The effective filing date of the pending application(s) identified below precedes the filing date of applicant’s application.  If the mark in the referenced application(s) registers, applicant’s mark may be refused registration under Section 2(d) because of a likelihood of confusion with that registered mark(s).  See 15 U.S.C. §1052(d); 37 C.F.R. §2.83; TMEP §§1208 et seq.  Therefore, action on this application is suspended until the earlier-filed referenced application(s) is either registered or abandoned.  37 C.F.R. §2.83(c).  A copy of information relevant to this referenced application(s) was sent previously.

 

            - Application Serial No(s). 88129940

 

REFUSAL(S)/REQUIREMENT(S) CONTINUED AND MAINTAINED:  The following refusal(s)/requirement(s) is/are continued and maintained:

 

SECTION 2(d) REFUSAL – LIKELIHOOD OF CONFUSION – CONTINUED AND MAINTAINED

 

 The Examining Attorney defers its complete response to applicant's Section 2(d) refusal arguments pending the resolution of Serial No. 88129940.

 

Applicant's arguments regarding the Section 2(d) refusals have again been read and considered and will be addressed upon the resolution of the above-cited pending applications.  This is an effort to avoid multi-staged prosecution of this file and consider the marks at issue and the field(s) of the goods as a whole.  

 

 

SECTION 2(e)(4) REFUSAL – PRIMARILY MERELY A SURNAME – CONTINUED AND MAINTAINED

 

The Examining Attorney defers its complete response to applicant's Section 2(e)(4) refusal arguments pending the resolution of Serial No. 88129940.

 

With regard to the issue of acquired distinctiveness and the applicant’s reliance upon its ownership of active prior US Registration Nos. 5154755, 4306411, 4306413, and others, those are not the same marks as in the present case.  The examining attorney respectfully directs the applicant’s attention to the following TEMP section:

 

See: TMEP Section 1212.04(b)    “Same Mark”

 

A proposed mark is the "same mark" as a previously registered mark for the purpose of 37 C.F.R. §2.41(a)(1)  if it is the "legal equivalent" of such a mark. "A mark is the legal equivalent of another if it creates the same, continuing commercial impression such that the consumer would consider them both the same mark." In re Dial-A-Mattress Operating Corp., 240 F.3d 1341, 1347, 57 USPQ2d 1807, 1812 (Fed. Cir. 2001); see also In re Brouwerij Bosteels, 96 USPQ2d 1414, 1423 (TTAB 2010) (finding three-dimensional product packaging trade dress mark is not the legal equivalent of a two-dimensional design logo); In re Nielsen Bus. Media, Inc., 93 USPQ2d 1545, 1547-48 (TTAB 2010) (finding THE BOLLYWOOD REPORTER is not the legal equivalent of the registered marks THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER, THEHOLLYWOODREPORTER.COM, and THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER STUDIO BLU-BOOK); In re Binion, 93 USPQ2d 1531, 1539 (TTAB 2009) (finding BINION and BINION’S are not the legal equivalents of the registered marks JACK BINION and JACK BINION’S); Bausch & Lomb Inc. v. Leupold & Stevens Inc., 6 USPQ2d 1475, 1477 (TTAB 1988) ("The words GOLDEN RING, while they are used to describe the device, are by no means identical to or substantially identical to the gold ring device trademark."); In re Best Prods. Co., 231 USPQ 988, 989 n.6 (TTAB 1986) ("[W]e infer in the instant case that the differences between the marks BEST & Des. and BEST JEWELRY & Des., and between the identifications of services in their respective registrations, were deemed to be immaterial differences."); In re Loew’s Theatres, Inc., 223 USPQ 513, 514 n.5 (TTAB 1984) , aff’d, 769 F.2d 764, 226 USPQ 865 (Fed. Cir. 1985) ("We do not, however, agree with the Examining Attorney that a minor difference in the marks (i.e., here, merely that the mark of the existing registration is in plural form) is a proper basis for excluding any consideration of this evidence under the rule."); In re Flex-O-Glass, Inc., 194 USPQ 203, 205-06 (TTAB 1977) ("[P]ersons exposed to applicant’s registered mark . . . would, upon encountering [applicant’s yellow rectangle and red circle design] . . ., be likely to accept it as the same mark or as an inconsequential modification or modernization thereof . . . . [A]pplicant may ‘tack on’ to its use of the mark in question, the use of the registered mark . . . and therefore may properly rely upon its registration in support of its claim of distinctiveness herein.").

 

See, e.g., Van Dyne-Crotty, Inc. v. Wear-Guard Corp., 926 F.2d 1156, 1159, 17 USPQ2d 1866, 1868 (Fed. Cir. 1991) regarding the concept of "tacking" with reference to prior use of a legally equivalent mark.

 

When an applicant is claiming §2(f) as to only a portion of its mark, then the previously registered mark must be the legal equivalent of the relevant portion for which the applicant is claiming acquired distinctiveness. See TMEP §1212.02(f) regarding claims of acquired distinctiveness as to a portion of a mark.

 

 

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.

 

 

RESPONSE GUIDELINES

 

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. 

 

 

To expedite prosecution of the application, applicant is encouraged to file its response to this Office action online via the Trademark Electronic Application System (TEAS), which is available at http://www.gov.uspto.report/trademarks/teas/index.jsp.  If applicant has technical questions about the TEAS response to Office action form, applicant can review the electronic filing tips available online at http://www.gov.uspto.report/trademarks/teas/e_filing_tips.jsp and email technical questions to TEAS@uspto.gov.

 

 

 

/Ronald E. DelGizzi/

Trademark Examining Attorney

Law Office 107

Phone - (571) 272-2754

ronald.delgizzi@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.

 

 

U.S. TRADEMARK APPLICATION NO. 88262859 - BUELL - N/A

To: LIQUID ASSET PARTNERS LLC (rboghosian@ctswlaw.com)
Subject: U.S. TRADEMARK APPLICATION NO. 88262859 - BUELL - N/A
Sent: 6/13/2019 11:55:48 AM
Sent As: ECOM107@USPTO.GOV
Attachments:

UNITED STATES PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE (USPTO)

 

 

IMPORTANT NOTICE REGARDING YOUR

U.S. TRADEMARK APPLICATION

 

USPTO OFFICE ACTION (OFFICIAL LETTER) HAS ISSUED

ON 6/13/2019 FOR U.S. APPLICATION SERIAL NO.88262859

 

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.

 

 


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