303.05(d)    Misidentification of Applicant or Respondent

If a notice of opposition is filed against a mark where the applicant has been inadvertently misidentified in the application, the opposition will nevertheless be instituted and the real party in interest may be substituted for the named defendant during the opposition proceeding. [ Note 1.] Likewise, where a petition to cancel is filed against a registrant that has been inadvertently misidentified in the registration, the real party in interest may be substituted for the named defendant.

For information regarding applicant’s ability to correct a defect in the name or legal entity in the application, see TBMP § 512.04 and TMEP § 1201.02(c).

NOTES:

 1.   See Fed. R. Civ. P. 17(a); 37 C.F.R. § 2.116. See also Argo & Co. v. Springer, 189 USPQ 581, 582 (TTAB 1976) (three individuals who owned mark as tenants in common substituted for corporation initially named as owner of mark where, after opposition instituted, court in related civil proceeding determined that attempted incorporation of applicant was legally defective). Cf. Great Seats Ltd. v. Great Seats Inc., 84 USPQ2d 1235, 1244 (TTAB 2007) (application void ab initio where two separate commercial entities were in existence on application filing date and application was filed in name of wrong entity); In re Tong Yang Cement Corp., 19 USPQ2d 1689, 1690 (TTAB 1991) (application filed by corporation which was not the owner of the mark void ab initio); Societe Civile Des Domaines Dourthe Freres v. S.A. Consortium Vinicole De Bordeaux Et De La Gironde, 6 USPQ2d 1205, 1210 (TTAB 1988) (foreign manufacturer, not exclusive United States distributor, owns mark in absence of agreement between them providing otherwise).