To: | Rock River Arms, Inc. (bwptotm@bannerwitcoff.com) |
Subject: | U.S. TRADEMARK APPLICATION NO. 88303245 - LAR-22 - 006163.00321 |
Sent: | 5/6/2019 5:43:53 PM |
Sent As: | ECOM108@USPTO.GOV |
Attachments: | Attachment - 1 Attachment - 2 Attachment - 3 Attachment - 4 Attachment - 5 Attachment - 6 Attachment - 7 |
UNITED STATES PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE (USPTO)
OFFICE ACTION (OFFICIAL LETTER) ABOUT APPLICANT’S TRADEMARK APPLICATION
U.S. APPLICATION SERIAL NO. 88303245
MARK: LAR-22
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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: Rock River Arms, 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: 5/6/2019
The referenced application has been reviewed by the assigned trademark examining attorney. Applicant must respond timely and completely to the issues below. 15 U.S.C. §1062(b); 37 C.F.R. §§2.62(a), 2.65(a); TMEP §§711, 718.03.
The trademark examining attorney has searched the Office’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).
SUMMARY OF ISSUES
- Section 2(e)(1) Refusal – Merely Descriptive
- 2(f) In Part Suggested (Advisory)
- Amendment to Identification of Goods Required
SECTION 2(e)(1) REFUSAL – MERELY DESCRIPTIVE
Applicant’s applied-for mark is “LAR-22” for “Firearms, namely, rifles and spare and replacements parts for rifles” in International Class 13.
Generally, if the individual components of a mark retain their descriptive meaning in relation to the goods, the combination results in a composite mark that is itself descriptive and not registrable. In re Fat Boys Water Sports LLC, 118 USPQ2d 1511, 1516 (TTAB 2016) (citing In re Tower Tech, Inc., 64 USPQ2d 1314, 1317-18 (TTAB (2002)); TMEP §1209.03(d); see, e.g., In re Petroglyph Games, Inc., 91 USPQ2d 1332, 1341 (TTAB 2009) (holding BATTLECAM merely descriptive of computer game software with a feature that involve battles and provides the player with the option to utilize various views of the battlefield); In re Cox Enters., 82 USPQ2d 1040, 1043 (TTAB 2007) (holding THEATL merely descriptive of publications featuring news and information about Atlanta where THEATL was the equivalent of the nickname THE ATL for the city of Atlanta); In re Tower Tech, Inc., 64 USPQ2d 1314, 1317-18 (TTAB 2002) (holding SMARTTOWER merely descriptive of highly automated cooling towers); In re Sun Microsystems, Inc., 59 USPQ2d 1084, 1085 (TTAB 2001) (holding AGENTBEANS merely descriptive of computer software for use in developing and deploying application programs on a global computer network).
Only where the combination of descriptive terms creates a unitary mark with a unique, incongruous, or otherwise nondescriptive meaning in relation to the goods is the combined mark registrable. See In re Colonial Stores, Inc., 394 F.2d 549, 551, 157 USPQ 382, 384 (C.C.P.A. 1968); In re Positec Grp. Ltd., 108 USPQ2d 1161, 1162-63 (TTAB 2013).
The attached evidence from Acronym Finder (www.acronymfinder.com) shows that “LAR”, in the context of guns, is a common acronym for a “light automatic rifle” or a “light assault rifle,” while the attached evidence from the applicant’s website (www.rockriverarms.com) shows that the applicant’s LAR-22 rifle is a 22 caliber rifle. Further, the attached evidence from the websites of Gun Carrier (http://guncarrier.com), Long Range Rimfire (www.precision22lr.com), Outdoor Life (www.outdoorlife.com), and Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org), shows that a “22” rifle is a common type of rifle, which refers to a rifle having a bore diameter of 0.22 inches.
In this case, the individual components of applicant’s mark, “LAR” and “22”, and the composite result of the individual components are descriptive of applicant’s goods and do not create a unique, incongruous, or nondescriptive meaning in relation to the goods. Specifically, “LAR-22” immediately informs consumers that applicant’s goods are light automatic rifles or light assault rifles which have a bore diameter of 0.22 inches.
Accordingly, registration is refused on the Principal Register under Section 2(e)(1) of the Trademark Act.
2(f) IN PART SUGGESTED (ADVISORY)
An intent-to-use applicant who has used a portion of the same mark on related goods may assert a claim of acquired distinctiveness of that portion of the mark under Trademark Act Section 2(f) before filing an allegation of use, if applicant can establish that, as a result of applicant’s use of that portion of the mark on other goods, that portion of the mark has become distinctive of the goods in the intent-to-use application, and that this previously created distinctiveness will transfer to the goods in the intent-to-use application when use in commerce begins. In re Dial-A-Mattress Operating Corp., 240 F.3d 1341, 1347, 57 USPQ2d 1807, 1812 (Fed. Cir. 2001); In re Binion, 93 USPQ2d 1531, 1538 (TTAB 2009); TMEP §1212.09(a).
The Trademark Trial and Appeal Board has set forth the following two requirements for showing that a mark in an intent-to-use application has acquired distinctiveness in part:
(1) Applicant must establish that the portion of the mark has acquired distinctiveness as to the other goods, by submitting evidence such as ownership of an active prior registration for that portion of the mark for sufficiently similar or related goods, a prima facie showing of acquired distinctiveness based on five years’ use of that portion of the mark with related goods, or actual evidence of acquired distinctiveness for that portion of the mark with respect to the other goods; and
(2) Applicant must show sufficient relatedness of the goods in the intent-to-use application and those for which the mark has acquired distinctiveness for that portion of the mark to warrant the conclusion that the previously created distinctiveness will transfer to the goods in the application upon use. The showing necessary to establish relatedness will be decided on a case-by-case basis and will depend upon the nature of the goods involved and the language used to identify them in the application.
TMEP §1212.09(a); see Kellogg Co. v. Gen. Mills Inc., 82 USPQ2d 1766, 1770-71 (TTAB 2007); In re Rogers, 53 USPQ2d 1741, 1744-45 (TTAB 1999).
AMENDMENT TO IDENTIFICATION OF GOODS REQUIRED
The identification of goods contains indefinite wording that must be clarified. TMEP §1402.01.
Applicant must clarify the wording “Firearms, namely, rifles and spare and replacement parts for rifles” because it is indefinite. See 37 C.F.R. §2.32(a)(6); TMEP §§1402.01, 1402.03. This wording is indefinite because it does not make clear the nature of the goods being provided by the applicant. Specifically, “spare and replacement parts for rifles” could include either component parts for rifles (parts of the rifles themselves, rather than parts for rifles) or parts for rifles (which would need to be specifically identified), e.g. rifle scope rings, sling straps for rifles, etc.
Suggested Amendments
Applicant may adopt the following suggested amendments, if accurate:
Class 13: Firearms, namely, rifles and spare and replacement component parts for rifles
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.
RESPONSE GUIDELINES
For this application to proceed, applicant must explicitly address each refusal and/or 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. Please see “Responding to Office Actions” and the informational video “Response to Office Action” for more information and tips on responding.
If applicant does not respond to this Office action within six months of the issue/mailing date, or responds by expressly abandoning the application, the application process will end and the trademark will fail to register. See 15 U.S.C. §1062(b); 37 C.F.R. §§2.65(a), 2.68(a); TMEP §§718.01, 718.02. Additionally, the USPTO will not refund the application filing fee, which is a required processing fee. See 37 C.F.R. §§2.6(a)(1)(i)-(iv), 2.209(a); TMEP §405.04.
When an application has abandoned for failure to respond to an Office action, an applicant may timely file a petition to revive the application, which, if granted, would allow the application to return to active status. See 37 C.F.R. §2.66; TMEP §1714. The petition must be filed within two months of the date of issuance of the notice of abandonment and may be filed online via the Trademark Electronic Application System (TEAS) with a $100 fee. See 37 C.F.R. §§2.6(a)(15)(ii), 2.66(a)(1), (b)(1).
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.
/Anna C. Burdecki/
Anna C. Burdecki
Trademark Examining Attorney
Law Office 108
Phone: (571)270-1941
anna.burdecki@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.