Offc Action Outgoing

United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO)

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

 

 

 

NONFINAL OFFICE ACTION

 

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 19, 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.

 

Search Results

 

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).

 

However, the applicant must address the identification requirement detailed below.

 

Requirement – Identification

All identifications must be precise and identify the services with particularity using common or commercial names for the services.  TMEP §1402.01. 

            Current Identification

 

Applicant’s current identification reads (applicant should note that the wording requiring amendment, as discussed further below, has been highlighted in bold font):

 

International Class 042:  Consulting in the field of information technology and computer security; technological consultation in the technology field of enterprise information technology; consulting in the fields of cyber security and information assurance, enterprise information technology, and development of secure infrastructure; computer systems engineering, simulation, analysis, and administration for others; computer security consultancy in the field of scanning and penetration testing of computers and networks to assess information security vulnerability.

 

The identification is unacceptable as presently worded because certain services are worded indefinitely, need clarification and/or have been misclassified. In the identification, applicant must use the common commercial or generic names for the services, be all-inclusive, as complete and specific as possible, and avoid the use of indefinite words and phrases.  If applicant chooses to use indefinite terms, then such terms must be followed by the word "namely" and a list of the specific services identified by their common commercial or generic names.  TMEP §§1402.01 and 1402.03(a).

 

Specifically, applicant must clarify what “information assurance” entails and detail what type of infrastructure is being developed. 

 

            Suggested Amendment

 

Applicant may adopt the following identification, if accurate (applicant should note that the suggested amended language appears in bold font, and that the applicant must supply the requisite information detailed within the brackets {} and then delete the brackets and the informational matter within):  

 

International Class 042:  Consulting in the field of information technology and computer security; technological consultation in the technology field of enterprise information technology; consulting in the fields of cyber security and information assurance in the nature of data security; consulting in the fields of enterprise information technology, and development of secure _______ {specify type of infrastructure, e.g., computer network} infrastructure; computer systems engineering, simulation, analysis, and administration for others; computer security consultancy in the field of scanning and penetration testing of computers and networks to assess information security vulnerability.

 

            Limitation on Amendments

 

While an application may be amended to clarify or limit the identification, additions to the identification are not permitted.  37 C.F.R. Section 2.71(a); TMEP §1402.06.   Trademark Rule 2.71(a), 37 C.F.R. §2.71(a), restricts amendments to the identification of goods or services as follows, “The applicant may amend the application to clarify or limit, but not to broaden, the identification of goods and/or services.”  This rule applies to all applications.

 

Therefore, the applicant may not amend to include any goods or services that are not within the scope of goods or service set forth in the present identification.

 

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

 

If applicant does not respond to this Office action within the six-month period for response, the following services will be deleted from the application:  “consulting in the fields of cyber security and information assurance, enterprise information technology, and development of secure infrastructure.”  The application will then proceed with the following services only: 

 

International Class 042:  Consulting in the field of information technology and computer security; technological consultation in the technology field of enterprise information technology; computer systems engineering, simulation, analysis, and administration for others; computer security consultancy in the field of scanning and penetration testing of computers and networks to assess information security vulnerability.

 

See 37 C.F.R. §2.65(a)-(a)(1); TMEP §718.02(a).

 

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  

 

 

/Andrea Hack/

Trademark Examining Attorney

U.S. Patent & Trademark Office

Law Office 108

571-272-5413 (ph.)

andrea.hack@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 19, 2019 for

U.S. Trademark Application Serial No. 88443478

 

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. 

 

 

/Andrea Hack/

Trademark Examining Attorney

U.S. Patent & Trademark Office

Law Office 108

571-272-5413 (ph.)

andrea.hack@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 19, 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.”