| To: | BrandLab Inc. (andy@quan.legal) |
| Subject: | U.S. Trademark Application Serial No. 88729248 - LIZIQI - N/A |
| Sent: | March 13, 2020 10:09:43 AM |
| Sent As: | ecom127@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
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U.S. Application Serial No. 88729248
Mark: LIZIQI
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Correspondence Address: |
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Applicant: BrandLab Inc.
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Reference/Docket No. N/A
Correspondence Email Address: |
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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: March 13, 2020
The referenced application and amendment to allege use have 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 that applicant must address:
SECTION 2(d) REFUSAL – LIKELIHOOD OF CONFUSION
THIS PARTIAL REFUSAL APPLIES TO CLASSES 14 AND 25 ONLY
Applicant has applied to register LIZIQI for, in relevant part, “jewelry” in International Class 14 and “clothing; footwear; and headgear” in International Class 25.
One registrant has registered two conflicting marks. First, registrant has registered L1S1Q1 in stylized form for “Backpacks; Costumes for animals; Handbags; Haversacks; Leather binders for travel purposes; Leather trimmings for furniture; Parasols; Purses; Saddlebags; Schoolbags; Shoulder bags; Sport bags; Travelling bags; Travelling trunks; Umbrellas; Wallets” in International Class 18.
Registrant has also registered L1S1Q1 in stylized form for “Coats; Girdles; Gloves as clothing; Hats; Headbands; Knitted underwear; Men's and women's jackets, coats, trousers, vests; Overcoats; Scarfs; Shoes; Socks; Sport shirts; Sports pants; Suits; Trousers; Vests; Waterproof jackets and pants; Women's clothing, namely, shirts, dresses, skirts, blouses; Cyclists' jerseys” in International Class 25.
Although not all du Pont factors may be relevant, there are generally two key considerations in any likelihood of confusion analysis: (1) the similarities between the compared marks and (2) the relatedness of the compared goods and/or services. See In re i.am.symbolic, llc, 866 F.3d at 1322, 123 USPQ2d at 1747 (quoting Herbko Int’l, Inc. v. Kappa Books, Inc., 308 F.3d 1156, 1164-65, 64 USPQ2d 1375, 1380 (Fed. Cir. 2002)); Federated Foods, Inc. v. Fort Howard Paper Co.,544 F.2d 1098, 1103, 192 USPQ 24, 29 (C.C.P.A. 1976) (“The fundamental inquiry mandated by [Section] 2(d) goes to the cumulative effect of differences in the essential characteristics of the goods [or services] and differences in the marks.”); TMEP §1207.01.
Comparison of the Marks
Marks are compared in their entireties for similarities in appearance, sound, connotation, and commercial impression. Stone Lion Capital Partners, LP v. Lion Capital LLP, 746 F.3d 1317, 1321, 110 USPQ2d 1157, 1160 (Fed. Cir. 2014) (quoting Palm Bay Imps., Inc. v. Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin Maison Fondee En 1772, 396 F.3d 1369, 1371, 73 USPQ2d 1689, 1691 (Fed. Cir. 2005)); TMEP §1207.01(b)-(b)(v). “Similarity in any one of these elements may be sufficient to find the marks confusingly similar.” In re Inn at St. John’s, LLC, 126 USPQ2d 1742, 1746 (TTAB 2018) (citing In re Davia, 110 USPQ2d 1810, 1812 (TTAB 2014)), aff’d per curiam, 777 F. App’x 516, 2019 BL 343921 (Fed. Cir. 2019); TMEP §1207.01(b).
The applied-for mark LIZIQI and the registered mark L1S1Q1 are similar in sound, appearance, connotation, and overall commercial impression because the marks are phonetic equivalents.
Slight differences in the sound of similar marks will not avoid a likelihood of confusion. In re Energy Telecomm. & Elec. Ass’n, 222 USPQ 350, 351 (TTAB 1983); see In re Viterra Inc., 671 F.3d 1358, 1367, 101 USPQ2d 1905, 1912 (Fed. Cir. 2012). Here, the marks are phonetically equivalent because the numbers 1s in the registered mark is used in place of an “I” and “S” and “Z” sounds produce the same sound when used in the marks. In addition, the marks share a highly similar appearance because they are essentially the same word while the registered mark has minimal stylization. Accordingly, the highly similar sound and appearance between the marks combines to create a highly similar overall impression between the marks.
Accordingly, the marks when compared in their entireties are sufficiently similar, despite some differences, to cause consumer confusion or mistake as to the source of the goods.
Similarity of the Goods
Applicant has applied to register LIZIQI for, in relevant part, “jewelry” in International Class 14 and “clothing; footwear; and headgear” in International Class 25.
One registrant has registered two conflicting marks. First, registrant has registered L1S1Q1 in stylized form for “Backpacks; Costumes for animals; Handbags; Haversacks; Leather binders for travel purposes; Leather trimmings for furniture; Parasols; Purses; Saddlebags; Schoolbags; Shoulder bags; Sport bags; Travelling bags; Travelling trunks; Umbrellas; Wallets” in International Class 18.
Registrant has also registered L1S1Q1 in stylized form for “Coats; Girdles; Gloves as clothing; Hats; Headbands; Knitted underwear; Men's and women's jackets, coats, trousers, vests; Overcoats; Scarfs; Shoes; Socks; Sport shirts; Sports pants; Suits; Trousers; Vests; Waterproof jackets and pants; Women's clothing, namely, shirts, dresses, skirts, blouses; Cyclists' jerseys” in International Class 25.
Here the marks are used on encompassing and related goods. First, the application uses broad wording to describe “clothing; footwear; and headgear,” which presumably encompasses all goods and/or services of the type described, including registrant’s narrower “Coats; Girdles; Gloves as clothing; Hats; Headbands; Knitted underwear; Men's and women's jackets, coats, trousers, vests; Overcoats; Scarfs; Shoes; Socks; Sport shirts; Sports pants; Suits; Trousers; Vests; Waterproof jackets and pants; Women's clothing, namely, shirts, dresses, skirts, blouses; Cyclists' jerseys.” See, e.g., In re Solid State Design Inc., 125 USPQ2d 1409, 1412-15 (TTAB 2018); Sw. Mgmt., Inc. v. Ocinomled, Ltd., 115 USPQ2d 1007, 1025 (TTAB 2015). Thus, applicant’s and registrant’s referenced goods are legally identical. See, e.g., In re i.am.symbolic, llc, 127 USPQ2d 1627, 1629 (TTAB 2018) (citing Tuxedo Monopoly, Inc. v. Gen. Mills Fun Grp., Inc., 648 F.2d 1335, 1336, 209 USPQ 986, 988 (C.C.P.A. 1981); Inter IKEA Sys. B.V. v. Akea, LLC, 110 USPQ2d 1734, 1745 (TTAB 2014); Baseball Am. Inc. v. Powerplay Sports Ltd., 71 USPQ2d 1844, 1847 n.9 (TTAB 2004)).
Additionally, the goods and/or services of the parties have no restrictions as to nature, type, channels of trade, or classes of purchasers and are “presumed to travel in the same channels of trade to the same class of purchasers.” In re Viterra Inc., 671 F.3d 1358, 1362, 101 USPQ2d 1905, 1908 (Fed. Cir. 2012) (quoting Hewlett-Packard Co. v. Packard Press, Inc., 281 F.3d 1261, 1268, 62 USPQ2d 1001, 1005 (Fed. Cir. 2002)). Thus, applicant’s and registrant’s goods and/or services are related.
Second, the attached Internet evidence establishes that the same entity commonly manufactures, produces, or provides jewelry and handbags and markets the goods and/or services under the same mark. Thus, applicant’s and registrant’s goods and/or services are considered related for likelihood of confusion purposes. See, e.g., In re Davey Prods. Pty Ltd., 92 USPQ2d 1198, 1202-04 (TTAB 2009); In re Toshiba Med. Sys. Corp., 91 USPQ2d 1266, 1268-69, 1271-72 (TTAB 2009).
Accordingly, use of similar LIZIQI and L1S1Q1 marks by different parties on the identified goods is likely to lead to consumer confusion or mistake as to the source of the goods. Thus, registration is refused under Section 2(d) of the Trademark Act.
Applicant should note the following additional ground for refusal.
SECTIONS 1 AND 45 REFUSAL – MOCKUP SPECIMEN
An application based on Trademark Act Section 1(a) must include a specimen showing the applied-for mark as actually used in commerce for each international class of goods identified in the application or amendment to allege use. 15 U.S.C. §1051(a)(1); 37 C.F.R. §§2.34(a)(1)(iv), 2.56(a); TMEP §§904, 904.07(a). “Use in commerce” means (1) a bona fide use of the applied-for mark in the ordinary course of trade (and not merely to reserve a right in the mark), (2) the mark is placed in any manner on the goods, packaging, tags or labels affixed to the goods, or displays that directly associate the mark with the goods and have a point-of-sale nature, and (3) the goods are actually sold or transported in commerce. See 15 U.S.C. §1127.
An image of a product or packaging that has been digitally created or altered to include the mark or a mockup of how the mark may be displayed on the product or packaging is not a proper specimen for goods because it does not show actual use of the mark in commerce. See 15 U.S.C. §1127; 37 C.F.R. §2.56(c); TMEP §904.04(a).
In this case, the mark appears on a white label with a background design and no other identifying product information, such as price. As such, the images in the specimen show a mockup of how applicant will sell its goods, not how they are currently used in commerce. Therefore, the specimen does not show actual use of the mark in commerce.
Additional information/documentation about specimen required. To permit proper examination of the application record for compliance with use in commerce requirements, applicant must respond to the following requests for information and documentation about the specimen(s). See 37 C.F.R. §2.61(b); TMEP §814. Answer for each specimen/photograph/image previously provided. For any website source submitted as supporting evidence, provide a digital copy of the entire webpage from top to bottom, as rendered in an Internet browser, that includes the URL and access or print date. TMEP §710.01(b) (citing In re I-Coat Co., 126 USPQ2d 1730, 1733 (TTAB 2018)).
(1) Identify the particular good(s) listed in the application for which the specimen(s) was submitted to show use of the mark.
(2) Explain whether the specimen was created for submission with this application. If so, specify the date each specimen was created. If applicant used the image(s) of the goods shown in the specimen(s) from a third-party website, provide the URL of the website and a digital copy of relevant webpage(s) for each image.
(3) Provide information about and examples of how applicant’s goods appear in the actual sales environment.
(a) If sold in stores, provide a representative sample of the name(s) of the stores and of photographs showing the goods for sale in the named stores, such as photographs of the sales displays or goods on shelves with the mark.
(b) If sold online, provide a representative sample of the name(s) of the online retailers, the website URL(s) for each named retailer, and a digital copy of the webpages showing the goods for sale on the named website.
(c) If sold in another type of sales environment (e.g., catalogs, trade shows), identify the environment and provide photographs and/or documentation showing the goods for sale in that environment.
(4) If the information in question (3) about how the goods appear in the actual sales environment is not available to applicant, please describe how applicant’s goods are sold or transported and provide photographs and other documentation showing how applicant’s mark appears on the goods and/or its packaging when the goods are sold or transported to or within the United States.
(5) For each category of sales environment specified in response to questions (3) and (4), specify when the goods bearing the mark were first available for purchase within the United States, the date of the first sale of the goods to or within the United States, and whether the goods are still for sale to or within the United States in that environment.
(6) For the goods identified in response to question (1), specify the dollar amount of sales with or within the United States and provide at least three invoices or other supporting documentation that show payments or other consideration made, redacting personal or private information of buyers as necessary.
Response options. Applicant may respond to the specimen refusal by satisfying one of the following for each applicable international class:
(1) Submit the additional information/documentation referenced above establishing that the original specimen was actually used in commerce as of the filing date of the application or prior to the filing of the amendment to allege use.
(2) Submit a different specimen (a verified “substitute” specimen) that (a) was in actual use in commerce at least as early as the filing date of the application or prior to the filing of an amendment to allege use and (b) shows the mark in actual use in commerce for the goods identified in the application or amendment to allege use. A “verified substitute specimen” is a specimen that is accompanied by the following statement made in a signed affidavit or supported by a declaration under 37 C.F.R. §2.20: “The substitute (or new, or originally submitted, if appropriate) specimen(s) was/were in use in commerce at least as early as the filing date of the application or prior to the filing of the amendment to allege use.” The substitute specimen cannot be accepted without this statement. For instructions on how to submit a different specimen using the online Trademark Electronic Application System (TEAS) form, see the Specimen webpage.
Applicant must also fully respond to the requirement for additional information and documentation referenced above for any different specimen provided. Failure to comply with a requirement to furnish information is grounds for refusing registration. In re Harley, 119 USPQ2d 1755, 1757-58 (TTAB 2016); TMEP §814. Merely stating that information is available on applicant’s or a third party website or providing a hyperlink of such a website is an insufficient response and will not make the additional information or materials of record. See In re Planalytics, Inc., 70 USPQ2d 1453, 1457-58 (TTAB 2004).
(3) Amend the filing basis to intent to use under Section 1(b) (which includes withdrawing an amendment to allege use, if one was filed), as no specimen is required before publication. This option will later necessitate additional fee(s) and filing requirements, including a specimen.
If applicant amends the basis, the requirement for additional information and documentation referenced above will be withdrawn.
IDENTIFICATION OF GOODS
Applicant may (1) amend “headgear” to “headwear,” if accurate, and/or (2) retain “headgear,” add “namely,” and then list the specific types of headgear items and classify the goods accordingly (e.g., headgear, namely, sports helmets in International Class 9; headgear, namely, orthodontic headgear in International Class 10; and headgear, namely, sports caps in International Class 25). Given the overbroad nature of “headgear,” the wording after “namely” must identify the goods with sufficient specificity that it would be considered definite and properly classified absent the term “headgear.” In addition, if applicant’s “clothing” is in International Class 25, applicant may amend the identification to insert the word “namely,” after “clothing” and then list the specific types of clothing items in that class.
Therefore, applicant must remove the parentheses from the identification and incorporate any parenthetical information into the description of the goods and/or services.
Applicant may adopt the following identification, if accurate, with changes highlighted in bold:
Class 10: Surgical gowns
Class 14: Jewelry
Class 21: Household or kitchen utensils and containers, namely, ______ {indicate specific utensils and containers, e.g., containers for household use and splatter screens}; combs; cleaning sponges; kitchen pastry brushes; articles for cleaning purposes, namely, ______ {indicate specific articles, e.g., cleaning sponges, cleaning rags, etc.}; beverage glassware; porcelain mugs; and earthenware mugs and jars
Class 25: Clothing, namely, ______ {list specific clothing items, e.g., shirts, pants, hats}; footwear; and headwear
Class 30: Staple food, namely, ______ {indicate specific food items, e.g., rice and pasta}; coffee; tea; cocoa; sugar; rice; tapioca; sago; artificial coffee; flour and preparations made from cereals, namely, ______ {indicate specific items, e.g., cereal bars}; bread; pastry; frozen confectionery; honey; treacle; yeast; baking-powder; salt; mustard; vinegar; condiments, namely, sauces; spices; and ice
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.
MULTIPLE-CLASS APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS
(1) List the goods and/or services by their international class number in consecutive numerical order, starting with the lowest numbered class (for example, International Class 3: perfume; International Class 18: cosmetic bags sold empty).
(2) Submit a filing fee for each international class not covered by the fee(s) already paid (view the USPTO’s current fee schedule). Specifically, the application identifies goods and/or services based on use in commerce that are classified in at least 5 classes; however, applicant submitted a fee(s) sufficient for only 4 class(es). Applicant must either (a) submit the filing fees for the classes not covered by the submitted fees or (b) restrict the application to the number of classes covered by the fees already paid.
(3) Submit verified dates of first use of the mark anywhere and in commerce for each international class. See more information about verified dates of use.
(4) Submit a specimen for each international class. The current specimen is not acceptable for any international class. See more information about specimens.
Examples of specimens. Specimens for goods include a photograph of (1) the actual goods bearing the mark; (2) an actual container, packaging, tag or label for the goods bearing the mark; or (3) a point-of-sale display showing the mark directly associated with the goods. See 37 C.F.R. §2.56(b)(1), (c); TMEP §904.03(a)-(m). A webpage specimen submitted as a display associated with the goods must show the mark in association with a picture or textual description of the goods and include information necessary for ordering the goods. TMEP §904.03(i); see 37 C.F.R. §2.56(b)(1), (c).
Specimens for services must show a direct association between the mark and the services and include: (1) copies of advertising and marketing material, (2) a photograph of business signage or billboards, or (3) materials showing the mark in the sale, rendering, or advertising of the services. See 37 C.F.R. §2.56(b)(2), (c); TMEP §1301.04(a), (h)(iv)(C).
Any webpage printout or screenshot submitted as a specimen, whether for goods or services, must include the webpage’s URL and the date it was accessed or printed. 37 C.F.R. §2.56(c).
(5) Submit a verified statement that “The specimen was in use in commerce on or in connection with the goods and/or services listed in the application at least as early as the filing date of the application.” See more information about verification.
See 37 C.F.R. §2.86(a); TMEP §§1403.01, 1403.02(c).
For an overview of the requirements for a Section 1(a) multiple-class application and how to satisfy the requirements online using the Trademark Electronic Application System (TEAS) form, see the Multiple-class Application webpage.
RESPONSE GUIDELINES
The USPTO does not accept emails as responses to Office actions; however, emails can be used for informal communications and are included in the application record. See 37 C.F.R. §§2.62(c), 2.191; TMEP §§304.01-.02, 709.04-.05.
How to respond. Click to file a response to this nonfinal Office action.
/Brandon Marsh/
Brandon N. Marsh
Senior Attorney
Law Office 127
(571) 270-3553
brandon.marsh@uspto.gov
RESPONSE GUIDANCE
