To: | Paskenta Band of Nomlaki Indians (dnathanson@dwmlaw.com) |
Subject: | U.S. Trademark Application Serial No. 88633985 - THE EQUESTRIAN CENTER AT ROLLING - N/A |
Sent: | October 20, 2019 02:07:38 PM |
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. 88633985
Mark: THE EQUESTRIAN CENTER AT ROLLING
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Correspondence Address:
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Applicant: Paskenta Band of Nomlaki Indians
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Reference/Docket No. N/A
Correspondence Email Address: |
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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: October 20, 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 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).
CITIZENSHIP REQUIRED
DISCLAIMER REQUIRED
In this case, applicant must disclaim the wording “EQUESTRIAN CENTER” and “CASINO AND RESORT” in the mark because it is not inherently distinctive. These unregistrable terms at best are merely descriptive of an ingredient, quality, characteristic, function, feature, purpose, or use of applicant’s services. See 15 U.S.C. §1052(e)(1); DuoProSS Meditech Corp. v. Inviro Med. Devices, Ltd., 695 F.3d 1247, 1251, 103 USPQ2d 1753, 1755 (Fed. Cir. 2012); TMEP §§1213, 1213.03(a).
This wording is encompassed by applicant’s identification of services and is merely descriptive because, as indicated by the identification and specimen of use, the services involve providing equestrian activities and equestrian facilities at an equestrian center located at a casino resort.
Applicant may respond to this issue by submitting a disclaimer in the following format:
No claim is made to the exclusive right to use “EQUESTRIAN CENTER” and “CASINO RESORT” apart from the mark as shown.
For an overview of disclaimers and instructions on how to satisfy this issue using the Trademark Electronic Application System (TEAS), see the Disclaimer webpage.
How to respond. Click to file a response to this nonfinal Office action
/Kathy de Jonge/
Trademark Examining Attorney
Law Office 107
(571) 272-9152
kathleen.dejonge@USPTO.gov (informal use only)
RESPONSE GUIDANCE