605.03(c)    With Amendment of Plaintiff’s Pending Application

The plaintiff in an inter partes proceeding before the Board may own a pending application for registration that has been rejected by the examining attorney in view of the defendant’s subject registration, or which may be rejected by the examining attorney when and if defendant’s subject application matures to registration. In such a case, a settlement agreement may be contingent upon the approval of an amendment to be filed in the plaintiff’s application, or acceptance of a consent agreement to be filed therein, and the consequent approval of the application for publication.

The Board has no jurisdiction over a plaintiff’s application which is still pending before the examining attorney. [ Note 1.] Thus, when the plaintiff in an inter partes proceeding before the Board owns an application which is still pending before the trademark examining attorney, and an amendment or consent agreement is filed in the application pursuant to a settlement agreement between the parties, the amendment should be filed with the examining attorney, not with the Board. The examining attorney should consider the amendment or agreement and take appropriate action (including, if the amendment or consent agreement puts the application in condition for publication, approving the application for publication), notwithstanding the fact that action on the application may previously have been suspended pending the final determination of the inter partes proceeding before the Board. Indeed, if settlement of the inter partes proceeding is contingent upon approval of the amendment, or acceptance of the consent agreement by the examining attorney, proceedings before the Board may be suspended pending action by the examining attorney on the amendment or consent agreement. See TBMP § 510.03(a).

NOTES:

 1.   See Home Juice Co. v. Runglin Cos., 231 USPQ 897, 898 n.7 (TTAB 1986) (Board cannot instruct examining attorney to pass application to registration).