203.02(a)    In General

ESTTA contains the necessary forms for filing extensions of time to oppose. Selecting the correct form will appropriately identify the filing, and once the required fields for identifying the application and potential opposer are completed, the filing can be electronically transmitted to the Office. Any attachments to ESTTA forms should be separately captioned and identified for clarity. An email notification of the Office’s receipt of the transmission will be sent and most extension requests will be automatically processed. Multiple claimants seeking to proceed as co-opposers should use a separate form for each potential opposer. See TBMP § 203.02(b).

In the rare instances where the rules permit an extension request against a Trademark Act §§ 1 or 44 application to be filed on paper, it should bear at its top the heading "IN THE UNITED STATES PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE BEFORE THE TRADEMARK TRIAL AND APPEAL BOARD," followed by information identifying the application to which the request pertains, namely, the name of the applicant, and the application serial number, filing date, mark, and date of publication in the Official Gazette. [ Note 1.] The request should also bear an appropriate title describing its nature, such as "Request for Extension of Time to Oppose" or "Request for Further Extension of Time to Oppose." For ESTTA users, once the correct form is selected, the filing will be appropriately identified.

NOTES:

 1.   See In re Merck & Co., 24 USPQ2d 1317, 1318 (Comm’r 1992) (Board’s refusal to institute opposition as untimely was proper where potential opposer had misidentified applicant and serial number in its extension request). Cf. 37 C.F.R. § 2.194(b)(1)  ("A letter about a trademark application should identify the serial number, the name of the applicant, and the mark."); Yahoo! Inc. v. Loufrani, 70 USPQ2d 1735, 1736 n.4 (TTAB 2004) (opposition dismissed as nullity where notice of opposition misidentified the application sought to be opposed).