To: | CLINIQUE LABORATORIES, LLC. (uspto@estee.com) |
Subject: | U.S. TRADEMARK APPLICATION NO. 88322281 - DERM AVATAR - N/A |
Sent: | 4/10/2019 6:09:54 PM |
Sent As: | ECOM118@USPTO.GOV |
Attachments: | Attachment - 1 Attachment - 2 Attachment - 3 Attachment - 4 Attachment - 5 Attachment - 6 Attachment - 7 Attachment - 8 Attachment - 9 Attachment - 10 |
UNITED STATES PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE (USPTO)
OFFICE ACTION (OFFICIAL LETTER) ABOUT APPLICANT’S TRADEMARK APPLICATION
U.S. APPLICATION SERIAL NO. 88322281
MARK: DERM AVATAR
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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: CLINIQUE LABORATORIES, LLC.
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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: 4/10/2019
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.
SEARCH OF OFFICE’S DATABASE OF MARKS
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).
SECTION 2(e)(1) REFUSAL - MERELY DESCRIPTIVE
Only where the combination of descriptive terms creates a unitary mark with a unique, incongruous, or otherwise nondescriptive meaning in relation to the goods and/or services 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).
In this case, both the individual components and the composite result are descriptive of applicant’s services and do not create a unique, incongruous, or nondescriptive meaning in relation to the services. Specifically, applicant’s mark is DERM AVATAR for “BEAUTY CONSULTATION SERVICES PROVIDING ADVICE, CONSULTATION AND INFORMATION IN-STORE AND VIA AN INTERACTIVE WEBSITE OR OTHER WEB BASED APPLICATION, OR MOBILE PHONE APPLICATION, AND THROUGH AN INTERACTIVE, IN-STORE, COMPUTER APPLICATION IN THE FIELD OF BEAUTY, MAKEUP, PERSONAL CARE PRODUCTS, COSMETICS, COSMECEUTICALS, TOILETRIES, PERFUMERY, BATH AND BODY PRODUCTS, MEDICATED AND NON-MEDICATED SKIN CARE PREPARATIONS, HAIR CARE PRODUCTS AND BEAUTY TREATMENTS, COLOR ANALYSIS AND PERSONAL APPEARANCE.”
The attached definition of AVATAR shows that it means “an electronic image that represents and may be manipulated by a computer user (as in a game).” See the attached definition. Additionally, the attached definition of DERM shows that it means “skin.” The combination of these terms immediately informs consumers that applicant’s services feature an AVATAR and are services for skin care. Thus, the combination of these terms does not create a unique, incongruous, or non-descriptive meaning in relation to the services.
Based upon the foregoing, registration is refused as the mark is merely descriptive of applicant’s services.
Applicant must clarify the type of consultation, advice, and information services being provided since these services are classified by subject matter.
Consulting services are classified according to the subject matter of the consulting service; for example, “business management consultancy” is classified in International Class 35 and “computer technology consultancy” is classified in International Class 42. TMEP §1402.11(e).
Likewise, the wording “information” in the identification of services is indefinite and too broad and must be clarified because the wording does not specify the subject matter of the services and could identify services in more than one international class. See 37 C.F.R. §2.32(a)(6); TMEP §§1402.01, 1402.03, 1402.11(b). Classification of information services is based on the subject matter of the information provided. TMEP §1402.11(b).
The following are examples of acceptable identifications for information services: “providing comparison shopping information about automobiles by means of the Internet” is classified in International Class 35, “providing online information regarding financing and insuring an automobile” is classified in International Class 36, “providing an Internet website that features information about automotive maintenance and repair service” is classified in International Class 37, and “providing information in the field of nursing” is classified in International Class 44.
Applicant may adopt the following identification in International Class 44, if accurate: BEAUTY CONSULTATION SERVICES, NAMELY, PROVIDING ADVICE, CONSULTATION AND INFORMATION IN-STORE AND VIA AN INTERACTIVE WEBSITE OR OTHER WEB BASED APPLICATION, OR MOBILE PHONE APPLICATION, AND THROUGH AN INTERACTIVE, IN-STORE, COMPUTER APPLICATION IN THE FIELD OF BEAUTY, COLOR ANALYSIS, AND PERSONAL APPEARANCE, AND IN THE SELECTION AND USE OF COSMETICS, FRAGRANCES, BEAUTY AIDS, PERSONAL CARE PRODUCTS, BATH, BODY AND BEAUTY PRODUCTS, MAKEUP, COSMECEUTICALS, TOILETRIES, PERFUMERY, MEDICATED AND NON-MEDICATED SKIN CARE PREPARATIONS, HAIR CARE PRODUCTS AND BEAUTY TREATMENTS.
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
/Anne M. Farrell/
Examining Attorney
Law Office 118
571-272-9709
anne.farrell@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.