Offc Action Outgoing

United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO)

Office Action (Official Letter) About Applicant’s Trademark Application

 

 

 

NONFINAL OFFICE ACTION

 

The USPTO must receive applicant’s response to this letter within six months of the issue date below or the application will be abandoned.  Respond using the Trademark Electronic Application System (TEAS).  A link to the appropriate TEAS response form appears at the end of this Office action. 

 

 

Issue date:  August 23, 2019

 

The referenced application has been reviewed by the assigned trademark examining attorney.  Applicant must respond timely and completely to the issue(s) below.  15 U.S.C. §1062(b); 37 C.F.R. §§2.62(a), 2.65(a); TMEP §§711, 718.03.

 

SUMMARY OF ISSUES:

 

• Failure to Function Refusal
• Supplemental Register – Advisory
• New Drawing Required

 

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).

 

TRADEMARK ACT SECTIONS 1, 2 AND 45 REFUSAL – COLOR IS NOT DISTINCTIVE

 

Registration is refused because the applied-for color mark, consisting of one or more colors used on some or all of the surfaces of a product or product packaging, is not inherently distinctive.  Trademark Act Sections 1, 2, and 45, 15 U.S.C. §§1051-1052, 1127; see Qualitex Co. v. Jacobson Prods. Co., 514 U.S. 159, 166, 34 USPQ2d 1161, 1164 (1995); In re Owens-Corning Fiberglas Corp., 774 F.2d 1116, 1121-23, 227 USPQ 417, 420-21 (Fed. Cir. 1985); TMEP §1202.05(a).  Such marks are registrable only on the Supplemental Register or on the Principal Register with sufficient proof of acquired distinctiveness.  See In re Gen. Mills IP Holdings II, LLC, 124 USPQ2d 1016, 1018 n.4 (TTAB 2017) (citing TMEP §1202.05(a)).

 

Here, applicant seeks registration of the color purple used as the color of remote controls.  The applied-for mark fails to function as a trademark because it consists solely of a color used on the goods.  Purchasers do not perceive color, including applicant’s color purple, as identifying a source or origin for goods, but rather as a feature of the goods.  The attached evidence shows remote controls often come in the color purple.  As such, purchasers are not likely to view applicant’s purple remotes as distinctive or as a source-identifier for the applicant’s goods.

 

Color marks are never inherently distinctive and can only be registered on the Supplemental Register or on the Principal Register with sufficient proof of acquired distinctiveness.  See Qualitex Co. v. Jacobson Prods. Co., 514 U.S. 159, 162-63, 34 USPQ2d 1161, 1162-63 (1995); In re Gen. Mills IP Holdings II, LLC, 124 USPQ2d 1016, 1018 & n.4 (TTAB 2017) (citing Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. v. Samara Bros., Inc., 529 U.S. 205, 211-12, 54 USPQ2d 1065, 1068 (2000)); TMEP §1202.05(a).

 

The burden of proving that a color mark has acquired distinctiveness is substantial.  In re Owens-Corning Fiberglas Corp., 774 F.2d 1116, 227 USPQ 417 (Fed. Cir. 1985) (holding the color pink used on fibrous glass residential insulation to have acquired distinctiveness based on evidence of twenty-nine years’ use, extensive affidavit and documentary evidence, surveys, and extensive media advertising expenditures); In re Am. Home Prods. Corp., 226 USPQ 327 (TTAB 1985) (holding combination of colors pink, white and yellow used on an analgesic/muscle relaxant tablet to have acquired distinctiveness based on evidence of more than twenty years’ use, extensive advertising, and sales of over two billion tablets from 1960-1980); cf. In re Benetton Group S.p.A., 48 USPQ2d 1214 (TTAB 1998).  A mere statement of long use is not sufficient; an applicant must provide evidence demonstrating that the color mark has acquired source-indicating significance in the minds of consumers.  TMEP §1202.05(a); see TMEP §1212.06.

 

SUPPLEMENTAL REGISTER

 

The applied-for mark has been refused registration on the Principal Register.  Applicant may respond to the refusal by submitting evidence and arguments in support of registration and/or by amending the application to seek registration on the Supplemental Register.  See 15 U.S.C. §1091; 37 C.F.R. §§2.47, 2.75(a); TMEP §§801.02(b), 816.  Amending to the Supplemental Register does not preclude applicant from submitting evidence and arguments against the refusal(s).  TMEP §816.04.

 

Although registration on the Supplemental Register does not afford all the benefits of registration on the Principal Register, it does provide the following advantages to the registrant:

 

(1)        Use of the registration symbol ® with the registered mark in connection with the designated goods and/or services, which provides public notice of the registration and potentially deters third parties from using confusingly similar marks.

 

(2)        Inclusion of the registered mark in the USPTO’s database of registered and pending marks, which will (a) make it easier for third parties to find it in trademark search reports, (b) provide public notice of the registration, and thus (c) potentially deter third parties from using confusingly similar marks.

 

(3)        Use of the registration by a USPTO trademark examining attorney as a bar to registering confusingly similar marks in applications filed by third parties.

 

(4)        Use of the registration as a basis to bring suit for trademark infringement in federal court, which, although more costly than state court, means judges with more trademark experience, often faster adjudications, and the opportunity to seek an injunction, actual damages, and attorneys’ fees and costs.

 

(5)        Use of the registration as a filing basis for a trademark application for registration in certain foreign countries, in accordance with international treaties.

 

See 15 U.S.C. §§1052(d), 1091, 1094; J. Thomas McCarthy, McCarthy on Trademarks & Unfair Competition §§19:33, 19:37 (rev. 4th ed. Supp. 2017).

 

DRAWING OF THE MARK

 

The drawing is not acceptable because it shows elements that are not claimed as a feature of the mark.  See TMEP §§807.02 and 807.04.  Specifically, only the color purple is claimed as the mark, not the wording “OK” or the design of the remote and buttons.  Therefore, applicant must submit a new drawing showing only the color purple as used on the goods with the outline of the remote and buttons displayed in dashed or dotted out lines and the wording “OK” deleted.  All elements not claimed as part of the mark must be presented as dotted or dashed lines in the drawing of the mark. 

 

Therefore, applicant must submit a new drawing showing a clear depiction of the mark.  All lines must be clean, sharp and solid, and not fine or crowded.  37 C.F.R. §§2.53(c), 2.54(e); TMEP §§807.05(c), 807.06(a).  Additionally, the USPTO will not accept a new drawing in which there are amendments or changes that would materially alter the applied-for mark.  37 C.F.R. §2.72; see TMEP §§807.13 et seq., 807.14.

 

For more information about drawings and instructions on how to submit a drawing, please visit the Drawing webpage.

 

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. 

 

 

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.  

 

 

How to respond.  Click to file a response to this nonfinal Office action  

 

 

/Jonathan Falk/

Jonathan R. Falk

Trademark Examining Attorney

Law Office 111

(571)272-5301

Jonathan.falk@uspto.gov

 

 

RESPONSE GUIDANCE

• Missing the response deadline to this letter will cause the application to abandon.  A response or notice of appeal must be received by the USPTO before midnight Eastern Time of the last day of the response period.  TEAS and ESTTA maintenance or unforeseen circumstances could affect an applicant’s ability to timely respond.  

 

• Responses signed by an unauthorized party are not accepted and can cause the application to abandon.  If applicant does not have an attorney, the response must be signed by the individual applicant, all joint applicants, or someone with legal authority to bind a juristic applicant.  If applicant has an attorney, the response must be signed by the attorney.

 

• If needed, find contact information for the supervisor of the office or unit listed in the signature block.

 

United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO)

 

USPTO OFFICIAL NOTICE

 

Office Action (Official Letter) has issued

on August 23, 2019 for

U.S. Trademark Application Serial No. 88434630

 

Your trademark application has been reviewed by a trademark examining attorney.  As part of that review, the assigned attorney has issued an official letter that you must respond to by the specified deadline or your application will be abandoned.  Please follow the steps below.

 

(1)  Read the official letter.

 

(2)  Direct questions about the contents of the Office action to the assigned attorney below. 

 

 

/Jonathan Falk/

Jonathan R. Falk

Trademark Examining Attorney

Law Office 111

(571)272-5301

Jonathan.falk@uspto.gov

 

Direct questions about navigating USPTO electronic forms, the USPTO website, the application process, the status of your application, and/or whether there are outstanding deadlines or documents related to your file to the Trademark Assistance Center (TAC).

 

(3)  Respond within 6 months (or earlier, if required in the Office action) from August 23, 2019, using the Trademark Electronic Application System (TEAS).  The response must be received by the USPTO before midnight Eastern Time of the last day of the response period.  See the Office action for more information about how to respond.

 

 

 

GENERAL GUIDANCE

·         Check the status of your application periodically in the Trademark Status & Document Retrieval (TSDR) database to avoid missing critical deadlines.

 

·         Update your correspondence email address, if needed, to ensure you receive important USPTO notices about your application.

 

·         Beware of misleading notices sent by private companies about your application.  Private companies not associated with the USPTO use public information available in trademark registrations to mail and email trademark-related offers and notices – most of which require fees.  All official USPTO correspondence will only be emailed from the domain “@uspto.gov.”