601.01(d) Hiding the Domicile Address
Most TEAS forms allow an applicant or registrant to specify the owner’s mailing address, which is publicly viewable, and a separate domicile address, which is masked or hidden from public view. If the applicant or registrant provides the same address as its mailing address and domicile address in those forms, the address will be viewable by the public. To hide the applicant’s or registrant’s domicile address from public view, the applicant or registrant must provide a mailing address that differs from its domicile address and enter the domicile address into the dedicated "Domicile Address" fields on the Owner Information page within most TEAS forms.
In an extraordinary situation, an individual applicant or registrant who does not have a mailing address that is different from its domicile address may also request a waiver of the requirement to make their address public by filing a Petition to the Director. See 37 C.F.R §2.146(a)(5); TMEP §1708. In such cases, when filing the application, the applicant may enter "Petition" in the street address field of the TEAS form and separately file a petition to waive the requirement to make public their street address. If the petition is granted, the applicant must also provide an address where mail can be received. Filing a petition does not extend the time for responding to an outstanding Office action or other statutory deadline.
If an Office action is being issued that questions the validity of a domicile address that was hidden from public view, an examining attorney should not list the exact address in the Office action. However, if evidence is being attached to the Office action to support the inquiry, an examining attorney may attach evidence that identifies the address if necessary. Applicant may then later petition the USPTO to have that information redacted.