118    Payment of Fees

118.01    Lists of Fees and Charges

A list of the fees and charges established by the USPTO for trademark cases may be found in 37 C.F.R. § 2.6, and online at the USPTO’s website, www.uspto.gov. A list of fees and charges established by the USPTO for miscellaneous services may be found in 37 C.F.R. § 1.21, as well as on the USPTO website.

A list of fees and charges for processing correspondence relating to international applications and registrations under the Madrid Protocol may be found in 37 C.F.R. § 7.6  as well as on the USPTO website. International fees that may be paid to the International Bureau of the World Intellectual Property Organization through the Office in connection with international applications and registrations may be found in 37 C.F.R. § 7.7  as well as on the WIPO website, www.wipo.int.

118.02    Fees Payable in Advance

37 C.F.R. § 2.206  Trademark Fees payable in advance.

  • (a) Trademark fees and charges payable to the Office are required to be paid in advance; that is, at the time of requesting any action by the Office for which a fee or charge is payable.
  • (b) All fees paid to the Office must be itemized in each individual trademark application, or registration file, or trademark proceeding, so the purpose for which the fees are paid is clear. The Office may return fees that are not itemized as required by this paragraph.

118.02(a)    Fees for Extensions of Time for Filing an Opposition

37 C.F.R. § 2.102  Extension of time for filing an opposition.

  • (a) Any person who believes that he, she or it would be damaged by the registration of a mark on the Principal Register may file a request with the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board to extend the time for filing an opposition. The request need not be verified, but must be signed by the potential opposer or by the potential opposer’s attorney, as specified in § 11.1 of this chapter, or authorized representative, as specified in § 11.14(b) of this chapter. Electronic signatures pursuant to § 2.193(c) are required for electronically filed extension requests.
    • (1) A request to extend the time for filing an opposition to an application must be filed through ESTTA by the opposition due date set forth in § 2.101(c). In the event that ESTTA is unavailable due to technical problems, or when extraordinary circumstances are present, a request to extend the opposition period for an application based on Section 1 or 44 of the Act may be filed in paper form by the opposition due date set forth in § 2.101(c). A request to extend the opposition period for an application based on Section 66(a) of the Act must be filed through ESTTA and may not under any circumstances be filed in paper form.
    • (2) A paper request to extend the opposition period for an application based on Section 1 or 44 of the Act must be filed by the due date set forth in § 2.101(c) and be accompanied by a Petition to the Director under § 2.146, with the fees therefor and the showing required under paragraph (a)(1) of this section. Timeliness of the paper submission will be determined in accordance with §§ 2.195 through 2.198.
  • (b) A request to extend the time for filing an opposition must identify the potential opposer with reasonable certainty. Any opposition filed during an extension of time must be in the name of the person to whom the extension was granted, except that an opposition may be accepted if the person in whose name the extension was requested was misidentified through mistake or if the opposition is filed in the name of a person in privity with the person who requested and was granted the extension of time.
  • (c) * * *
    • (1) A person may file a first request for:
      • (i) Either a thirty-day extension of time, which will be granted upon request; or
      • (ii) A ninety-day extension of time, which will be granted only for good cause shown. A sixty-day extension is not available as a first extension of time to oppose.
    • (2) If a person was granted an initial thirty-day extension of time, that person may file a request for an additional sixty-day extension of time, which will be granted only for good cause shown.
    • (3) * * * No other time period will be allowed for a final extension of the opposition period.
      • * * *
  • (d) The filing date of a request to extend the time for filing an opposition is the date of electronic receipt in the Office of the request. In the rare instance that filing by paper is permitted under these rules, the filing date will be determined in accordance with §§ 2.195 through 2.198

Certain extensions of time to oppose an application for registration require payment of a fee. All required fees for extensions of time to oppose are per application fees, not per class fees, and must be tendered with the extension request.

There is no fee for an initial thirty-day extension request. There is a per application fee for filing a second request of sixty days or for an initial request of ninety-days for an extension of time to oppose. [ Note 1.] There also is a per application fee for filing a final sixty-day request for extension of time to oppose after one or two requests totaling 120 days from the date of publication. [ Note 2.]

The fees for an extension of time to oppose are higher for paper submissions. Petition fees are applicable to all requests for extensions of time to oppose filed on paper. [ Note 3.]

When a request for extension of time to oppose is filed using ESTTA, as required, the correct fee will be calculated and payment must be made before the filing will be transmitted to the USPTO. Note that in order for fees to be properly calculated, each potential opposer must be entered separately. [ Note 4.]

NOTES:

 1.   37 C.F.R. § 2.6(a)(22)(ii).

 2.   37 C.F.R. § 2.6(a)(23)(ii).

 3.   37 C.F.R. § 2.102(a)(2); 37 C.F.R. § 2.6(a)(22)(i); 37 C.F.R. § 2.6(a)(23)(i); 37 C.F.R. § 2.6(a)(15).

 4.   Cf. Syngenta Crop Protection Inc. v. Bio-Chek LLC, 90 USPQ2d 1112, 1115 n.2 (TTAB 2009) (multiple opposers not entered separately in ESTTA, resulting in improper fee being calculated and paid).

118.02(b)    Fees for Opposition and Cancellation Proceedings

37 C.F.R. § 2.101  Filing an opposition.

  • (a) An opposition proceeding is commenced by filing in the Office a timely notice of opposition with the required fee.
  • (b) Any person who believes that he, she or it would be damaged by the registration of a mark on the Principal Register may file an opposition addressed to the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board. The opposition need not be verified, but must be signed by the opposer or the opposer’s attorney, as specified in § 11.1 of this chapter, or other authorized representative, as specified in § 11.14(b) of this chapter. Electronic signatures pursuant to § 2.193(c) are required for oppositions filed through ESTTA under paragraph (b)(1) or (2) of this section.
    • (1) An opposition to an application must be filed by the due date set forth in paragraph (c) of this section through ESTTA.
    • (2) In the event that ESTTA is unavailable due to technical problems, or when extraordinary circumstances are present, an opposition against an application based on Section 1 or 44 of the Act may be filed in paper form. A paper opposition to an application based on Section 1 or 44 of the Act must be filed by the due date set forth in paragraph (c) of this section and be accompanied by a Petition to the Director under § 2.146, with the fees therefor and the showing required under this paragraph. Timeliness of the paper submission will be determined in accordance with §§ 2.195 through 2.198.
    • (3) An opposition to an application based on Section 66(a) of the Act must be filed through ESTTA and may not under any circumstances be filed in paper form.
  • (c) The opposition must be filed within thirty days after publication (§ 2.80) of the application being opposed or within an extension of time (§ 2.102) for filing an opposition. The opposition must be accompanied by the required fee for each party joined as opposer for each class in the application for which registration is opposed (see § 2.6).
  • (d) An otherwise timely opposition cannot be filed via ESTTA unless the opposition is accompanied by a fee that is sufficient to pay in full for each named party opposer to oppose the registration of a mark in each class specified in the opposition. A paper opposition that is not accompanied by the required fee sufficient to pay in full for each named party opposer for each class in the application for which registration is opposed may not be instituted. If time remains in the opposition period as originally set or as extended by the Board, the potential opposer may resubmit the opposition with the required fee.
  • (e) The filing date of an opposition is the date of electronic receipt in the Office of the notice of opposition and required fee. In the rare instances that filing by paper is permitted under these rules, the filing date will be determined in accordance with §§ 2.195 through 2.198.
  • * * * *

37 C.F.R. § 2.111  Filing petition for cancellation.

  • (a) A cancellation proceeding is commenced by filing in the Office a timely petition for cancellation with the required fee.
  • (b) Any person who believes that he, she or it is or will be damaged by a registration may file a petition, addressed to the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board, for cancellation of the registration in whole or in part. The petition for cancellation need not be verified, but must be signed by the petitioner or the petitioner’s attorney, as specified in § 11.1 of this chapter, or other authorized representative, as specified in § 11.14(b) of this chapter. Electronic signatures pursuant to § 2.193(c) are required for petitions submitted electronically via ESTTA. The petition for cancellation may be filed at any time in the case of registrations on the Supplemental Register or under the Act of 1920, or registrations under the Act of 1881 or the Act of 1905 which have not been published under section 12(c) of the Act, or on any ground specified in section 14(3) or section 14(5) of the Act, or at any time after the three-year period following the date of registration on the ground specified in section 14(6) of the Act. In all other cases, including nonuse claims not specified in section 14(6), the petition for cancellation and the required fee must be filed within five years from the date of registration of the mark under the Act or from the date of publication under section 12(c) of the Act.
  • (c)
    • (1) A petition to cancel a registration must be filed through ESTTA.
    • (2)
      • (i) In the event that ESTTA is unavailable due to technical problems, or when extraordinary circumstances are present, a petition to cancel may be filed in paper form. A paper petition to cancel a registration must be accompanied by a Petition to the Director under § 2.146, with the fees therefor and the showing required under this paragraph (c). Timeliness of the paper submission, if relevant to a ground asserted in the petition to cancel, will be determined in accordance with §§ 2.195 through 2.198.
      • (ii) For a petition to cancel a registration on the fifth year anniversary of the date of registration of the mark, a petitioner for cancellation who meets the requirements of § 2.147(b) may submit a petition to the Director to accept a timely filed paper petition to cancel.
  • (d) The petition for cancellation must be accompanied by the required fee for each party joined as petitioner for each class in the registration(s) for which cancellation is sought (see § 2.6). A petition cannot be filed via ESTTA unless the petition is accompanied by a fee that is sufficient to pay in full for each named petitioner to seek cancellation of the registration(s) in each class specified in the petition. A petition filed in paper form that is not accompanied by a fee sufficient to pay in full for each named petitioner for each class in the registration(s) for which cancellation is sought may not be instituted.
  • (e) The filing date of a petition for cancellation is the date of electronic receipt in the Office of the petition and required fee. In the rare instances that filing by paper is permitted under these rules, the filing date of a petition for cancellation will be determined in accordance with §§ 2.195 through 2.198.

The filing fee for an opposition or cancellation proceeding must be tendered with the notice of opposition or petition for cancellation. A notice of opposition or petition for cancellation filed without a filing fee will not be accorded a filing date. [ Note 1.]

When a notice of opposition or petition for cancellation is filed using ESTTA, the correct fee will be calculated and payment must be made before the filing will be uploaded to the USPTO for processing. Note that in order for fees to be properly calculated, each opposer or petitioner must be entered separately. [ Note 2.]

If an otherwise timely notice of opposition or petition for cancellation is submitted on paper with less than the full fee due for each party opposer or party petitioner and for each class opposed or sought to be cancelled, the proceeding may not be instituted. [ Note 3.] A paper filing of a notice of opposition or petition to cancel must be accompanied by a Petition to the Director, with required fee, and a showing that ESTTA is unavailable due to technical problems, or extraordinary circumstances are present. [ Note 4.] Petitions to file on paper generally are subject to 37 C.F.R. § 2.146, including the requirement for verified facts. [ Note 5.] However, a Petition to the Director to accept paper submission of a petition to cancel a registration on the fifth year anniversary of the date of registration is subject to the requirements of 37 C.F.R. § 2.147(b), including the requirement for a declaration under 37 C.F.R. § 2.20  or 28 U.S.C. § 1746. [ Note 6.]

Please Note: Effective January 2, 2021, the USPTO revised 37 C.F.R. § 2.114(a)  to provide that a partial refund of the fee for a petition to cancel may be made in cases based solely on abandonment or nonuse where default judgment is entered because there is no appearance by a defendant and no filings are made other than the petition to cancel. [ Note 7.]

For information regarding the fees for filing a notice of appeal, an appeal brief, or a request for an extension of time to file an appeal brief in an ex parte appeal, see TBMP § 1202.04, TBMP § 1203.02(a), TBMP §1302.04, and TBMP §1303.02(d).

NOTES:

 1.   37 C.F.R. § 2.101(d)  and 37 C.F.R. § 2.111(d).

 2.   See Syngenta Crop Protection Inc. v. Bio-Chek LLC, 90 USPQ2d 1112, 1115 n.2 (TTAB 2009) (multiple opposers not entered separately in ESTTA, resulting in improper fee being calculated and paid; opposition considered to be properly filed by first-named opposer only).

 3.   37 C.F.R. § 2.101(d)  and 37 C.F.R. § 2.111(d).

 4.   37 C.F.R. § 2.101(b)(2)  and 37 C.F.R. § 2.111(c)(2).

 5.   37 C.F.R. § 2.101(b)(2); 37 C.F.R. § 2.111(c)(2)(i).

 6.   37 C.F.R. § 2.111(c)(2)(ii).

 7.   37 C.F.R § 2.114(a)(2). See TRADEMARK FEE ADJUSTMENT, 85 Fed. Reg. 73197, 73210-11 (Nov. 17, 2020), effective January 2, 2021.

118.02(c)    Fee for Filing a Request for an Oral Hearing before the Board

A party that wishes to have an oral hearing in a Board inter partes proceeding or ex parte appeal must submit a request, by separate submission via ESTTA, along with the filing fee, not later than 10 days after the due date for filing the last reply brief. [ Note 1.] See TBMP § 802.02.

NOTES:

37 C.F.R. § 2.6(a)(24). See TRADEMARK FEE ADJUSTMENT, 85 Fed. Reg. 73197, 73210 (Nov. 17, 2020), effective January 2, 2021.

118.03    Method of Payment--In General

37 C.F.R. § 2.207  Method of payment.

  • (a) All payments of money required in trademark cases, including fees for the processing of international trademark applications and registrations that are paid through the Office, shall be made in U.S. dollars and in the form of a cashier’s or certified check, Treasury note, national bank note, or United States Postal Service money order. If sent in any other form, the Office may delay or cancel the credit until collection is made. Checks and money orders must be made payable to the Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office. (Checks made payable to the Commissioner of Patents and Trademarks will continue to be accepted.) Payments from foreign countries must be payable and immediately negotiable in the United States for the full amount of the fee required. Money sent to the Office by mail will be at the risk of the sender, and letters containing money should be registered with the United States Postal Service.
  • (b) Payments of money required for trademark fees may also be made by credit card except for replenishing a deposit account. Payment of a fee by credit card must specify the amount to be charged to the credit card and such other information as is necessary to process the charge, and is subject to collection of the fee. The Office will not accept a general authorization to charge fees to a credit card. If credit card information is provided on a form or document other than a form provided by the Office for the payment of fees by credit card, the Office will not be liable if the credit card number becomes public knowledge.

Filers using ESTTA to file submissions with the Board online will be prompted to pay any necessary fees as a part of the ESTTA filing process. When paying a fee through ESTTA, filers may utilize a credit card, electronic funds transfer, or a USPTO deposit account.

In the rare instances that the rules permit filing by paper, it is also the practice of the Office to accept, as "conditional" payment of a fee, a signed uncertified check. If such a check is returned for insufficient funds, the fee remains unpaid, and the filing date of the fee will be the filing date of any resubmitted adequate payment. [ Note 1.] An unsigned check will be returned to its sender, but the Director has the discretion to accept such a check, as "conditional" payment, upon petition showing sufficient cause therefor. [ Note 2.]

The Office cannot accept U.S. Treasury checks that have been issued to the applicant or to another party as payment of Office fees. This is true for all refund checks whether issued from the Office or any other government agency. Office rules require that money orders and checks be made payable to the Director of Patents and Trademarks and do not permit the acceptance of U.S. Treasury checks endorsed by the applicant in payment of fees.

NOTES:

 1.   See In re Cantatore, 231 USPQ 742, 744 (Comm’r 1986) (petition to revive was denied because filing fee check was returned for insufficient funds).

 2.   See Dubost v. U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, 777 F.2d 1561, 227 USPQ 977, 980 (Fed. Cir. 1985) (Office has discretion), on remand, In re Dubost, 231 USPQ 887, 889 (Comm’r 1986) (sufficient cause not shown).

118.04    Method of Payment--Deposit Accounts

For the convenience of attorneys and the general public in paying fees and charges to the Office, deposit accounts may be established in the Office. [ Note 1.] The Office has an automated financial system, USPTO Financial Manager, allowing transactions to occur over the Internet through the Office website at www.uspto.gov. Deposit accounts can be maintained through the Internet and funds replenished by check or electronic funds transfer. [ Note 2.] A deposit account may be used for payment of any necessary fee when filing online using ESTTA, or when necessary to file paper documents.

The fees for filing an ex parte appeal to the Board, certain extensions of time to file an appeal brief, certain extensions of time to oppose an application, a notice of opposition, a petition for cancellation, and a request for an oral hearing where sought, may all be charged to a deposit account, provided that the requirements of 37 C.F.R. § 2.208  are met. However, the charging of a fee against an account that does not contain sufficient funds to cover it cannot be regarded as payment of the fee. [ Note 3.] Thus, the overdrawing of a deposit account may result in the loss of a vital date.

The Office will not accept ex parte appeals if the notice of appeal is not accompanied by at least the minimum fee for one class or specific authorization to charge the deposit account for that fee, as opposed to a general authorization which may have been provided when the application was filed. A general authorization to charge a deposit account will only be effective upon petition to the Director. [ Note 4.] Because the general authorization can only be invoked on petition, the Board itself cannot accept the general authorization as a basis for treating the appeal fee as timely submitted.

NOTES:

 1.   See 37 C.F.R. § 2.208  (Deposit accounts).

 2.   37 C.F.R. § 2.208(c).

 3.   See 37 C.F.R. § 2.208(b).

 4.   In re Sky is the Ltd., 42 USPQ2d 1799, 1800 (Comm’r 1996) ("Requiring the Office mailroom and the ITU/Divisional Unit of the Office to check each application file for a general authorization to charge a deposit account would place an undue and unmanageable burden on those sections of the Office.").