301.01(a)    Trademark Electronic Application System (TEAS)

The Trademark Electronic Application System (TEAS) is the United States Patent and Trademark Office’s (USPTO) electronic filing system, which is available at https://teas.uspto.gov. Applicants and registrants must use TEAS to file all forms related to a domestic application or registration, or for filings under the Protocol Relating to the Madrid Agreement Concerning the International Registration of Marks (Madrid Protocol), except for initial applications filed under Trademark Act Section 66(a) (see TMEP §301.02(b)). TEAS provides situation-specific forms that require direct data entry in designated fields, and/or the attachment of a .jpg or .pdf image file.

To file documents using TEAS, the user must be logged into their USPTO.gov account with two-step authentication and have completed the one-time mandatory identity verification process. Because the user must complete identity verification in advance of a filing deadline, users should plan ahead to allow adequate time to complete the process. Failure to complete the identity verification process prior to a deadline will prevent use of TEAS and could result in the user having to file a petition to revive an abandoned application or a petition to the Director to accept a late filing, if appropriate. See 37 C.F.R §§2.66, 2.146. Failure to timely file documents with a statutory deadline (e.g., a statement of use after five granted extensions or a Section 8 declaration of use or excusable nonuse) will result in abandonment of the application or cancellation of the registration. The Director has no authority to waive a statutory deadline, even on petition in an extraordinary situation. See 37 C.F.R §2.148; TMEP §1708.

If the user is unable to complete the identify verification process prior to the filing deadline, they may file a petition to accept a paper submission following the procedures outlined in TMEP §1709.

For more information regarding the technical requirements for using TEAS, including the requirements for filing attachments to TEAS forms, see https://www.uspto.gov/trademarks-application-process/filing-online/trademark-electronic-application-system-teas-1.

For more information regarding the requirement to login to a USPTO.gov account, see https://www.uspto.gov/trademark/login.

For information about web browsers that are compatible with TEAS, see https://www.uspto.gov/trademarks-application-process/filing-online/browser-information.

For all TEAS submissions, the USPTO generally receives the submission within seconds after it is filed. TEAS almost immediately displays a "Success" page that confirms receipt. See TMEP §303.02(a). This page is evidence that the submission was filed should any question arise as to the filing date of the document, and may be printed or copied-and-pasted into an electronic record for storage. Id. From the "Success" page, the filer can click on a link to a PDF receipt that includes a summary of the filed information and general processing information. TEAS also separately sends an email acknowledgement of receipt that includes the same information. Filing electronically through TEAS automatically creates an entry of receipt of this filing in the USPTO’s automated system.

See TMEP §303.01 regarding the filing date for TEAS submissions.