Offc Action Outgoing

United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO)

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

OFFICE ACTION

The USPTO must receive applicant’s response to this notice within the time period specified below or the application will be abandoned.  Respond using the Trademark Electronic Application System (TEAS).  A link to the appropriate TEAS response form appears below.

Issue date:  May 15, 2021 

The statement of use filed on May 4, 2021, does not meet the minimum filing requirements and is not accepted for the reason(s) set forth below.  Applicant may respond to this Office action by correcting the deficiencies noted below.  To avoid abandonment of the application, applicant’s response to this Office action must be received in the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) within (1) thirty (30) days of the issuance date of this letter, or (2) before September 23, 2021, the deadline for filing a statement of use or the previously granted extension period, whichever is longer.  37 C.F.R. §2.88.

• OWNERSHIP ISSUE

STATEMENT OF USE IS DEFICIENT AS FOLLOWS:

FILER’S NAME DIFFERS FROM CURRENT OWNER NAME – CLARIFICATION REQUIRED:  The owner of the mark shown in Office records is “LANASA, JUSTIN;” however, the party who filed the statement of use is identified as “TSR LLC.”  The party who files a statement of use must be the owner of the mark at the time the statement of use is filed.  See 15 U.S.C. §1051(d)(1); 37 C.F.R. §2.88; In re Colombo Inc.,33 USPQ2d 1530 (Comm’r Pats. 1994).  Therefore, the statement of use cannot be accepted because it was filed by someone other than the owner of record. 

The filer must clarify whether it was the owner of the mark at the time the statement of use was filed.  Evidence to establish ownership can be provided after the expiration of the deadline for filing the statement of use, if the statement of use was filed by the true owner.  See 37 C.F.R. §§3.71, 3.73; TMEP §1109.10. 

FILER WAS OWNER:  If the filer of the statement of use was the owner at the time of filing, this party must submit evidence to establish that it has clear chain of title, as follows:

(1)  Record an assignment or other document of title with the Assignment Services Branch showing clear chain of title to the party filing the statement of use, and promptly notifying the undersigned that such documentation has been recorded (requests for recordation can be filed online at http://etas.uspto.gov.); or

(2)  Submit evidence of ownership, in the form of a document transferring ownership from one party to another, or an explanation, supported by an affidavit or signed declaration under 37 C.F.R. §2.20, that a valid transfer of legal title occurred prior to filing the statement of use.

37 C.F.R. §3.73(b)(1); TMEP §§502, 502.01; see 15 U.S.C. §1060; 37 C.F.R. §2.193(e)(1).  Please note that a new owner must record the assignment, change of name, or other document affecting title with the Assignment Services Branch of the USPTO to obtain a certificate of registration in the name of the new owner (or in applicant’s new name).  37 C.F.R. §3.85.

A response to this Office action must still be submitted, even if an assignment or other document of title is recorded.

FILER WAS NOT OWNER:  If the filer of the statement of use was not the owner of the mark at the time of filing and:

(1) there is time remaining in the statutory period, the true owner must file a new statement of use and specimens within the statutory period to avoid abandonment of the application.  See 15 U.S.C. §1051(d); 37 C.F.R. §2.88.  The time for filing a statement of use expires on September 23, 2021; or

(2) there is no time remaining in the statutory period, the application will be abandoned for failure to file a statement of use and the true owner may file a petition to revive the application under 37 C.F.R. §2.66.

Applicant is strongly encouraged to review Section 1201.02(c) of the Trademark Manual of Examining Procedure (TMEP) for correctable and non-correctable errors in how the applicant is identified.  The TMEP is available online at the USPTO website at http://tess2.gov.uspto.report/tmdb/tmep/.

Applicant must respond to the outstanding issues raised in this Office action within the specified time period to avoid abandonment of the application. 

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

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

/Lynette Patterson/

Lynette Patterson

Paralegal Specialist

ITU/Divisional Unit

(571) 272-9507

lynette.patterson@uspto.gov

RESPONSE GUIDANCE

• If a response is required, 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 may 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.