Offc Action Outgoing

United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO)

NOTICE THAT REQUEST TO DIVIDE APPLICATION

IS INCOMPLETE

Response Required

The USPTO must receive applicant’s response to this notice within 30 days of the issue date below or the request to divide the application will be denied.  Respond using the Trademark Electronic Application System (TEAS).  A link to the appropriate TEAS response form appears at the end of this notice.

Issue date:  July 18, 2019

The request to divide the above-identified application filed on June 10, 2019 is incomplete and cannot be processed until $275 in fees are submitted.  Applicant has thirty (30) days from the issuance date of this letter to submit the required fees.  If the necessary fees are not submitted within the specified time period, the request to divide will not be processed.

In the present case, applicant is requesting to divide some, but not all, services within a single class.  The total fees due for the request to divide and for dividing within class 41 are $375, calculated as follows:

• $100 for processing the request to divide the original (parent) application into one new child application;

                        PLUS

• $275 for dividing within Class 41, resulting in the creation of one new child application containing one class, i.e., Class 41.

When the request to divide was filed, applicant paid $100 in divisional fee and $0 in new child application fee.  Applicant must submit the remaining balance of $275 ($375 minus $100) for dividing within Class 41.

A request to divide an application is generally not considered a proper response to a trademark examining attorney’s Office action and does not relieve an applicant of the duty to respond to any outstanding Office action or to take any other required action.  37 C.F.R. §2.87(e); TMEP §1110.05.

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.  

U.S. Counsel Rules Changes Advisory

On August 3, 2019, changes to the federal trademark regulations will become effective that require trademark applicants, registrants, and parties to Trademark Trial and Appeal Board proceedings who are foreign-domiciled (have a permanent legal residence or a principal place of business outside of the United States), including Canadian filers, to have an attorney who is licensed to practice law in the United States represent them at the USPTO. In addition, U.S.-licensed attorneys representing a trademark applicant, registrant, or party will generally be required to provide their bar membership information, a statement attesting to their good standing in that bar, and their postal/email addresses in trademark-related submissions.  All U.S.-licensed attorneys who practice before the USPTO are subject to the rules in 37 C.F.R. Part 11 governing representation of others, including the USPTO’s Rules of Professional Conduct. 

These changes are being made to increase customer compliance with federal trademark law, improve the accuracy of trademark submissions to the USPTO, and safeguard the integrity of the U.S. trademark register.  See the U.S. Counsel Rule change webpage for more information.

How to respond.  Click to file a Response to Intent-to-Use (ITU)/Divisional Unit Office action.

Direct questions about this notice to the assigned Intent-to-use staff member below.

/Tanya Baylor/

Paralegal Specialist

ITU/Divisional Unit

(571) 272-8366 (telephone)

(571) 273-8366 (fax)

tanya.baylor@uspto.gov

RESPONSE GUIDANCE

·       Missing the response deadline to this letter will cause the request to divide the application to be denied.  The response must be received by the USPTO before midnight Eastern Time of the last day of the response period.  TEAS maintenance or unforeseen circumstances could affect an applicant’s ability to timely respond.  

·       Responses signed by an unauthorized party are not accepted or processed and can cause the request to divide the application to be denied.  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.