504.02   Processing Time for Automatic Updating

Recording a change of ownership does not simultaneously and automatically update the Trademark database with the new owner information. The process for automatically updating the Trademark database requires that the Assignment Recordation Branch:  (1) record the document transferring title in the Assignment database; and (2) extract the trademark assignment information from the Assignment database and send it electronically to the Trademark Operation for automatic updating.  The Assignment Recordation Branch will extract trademark assignment information from the Assignment database and transmit it to the Trademark Operation once a week.

To expedite recordation with the Assignment Recordation Branch, new owners are encouraged to file requests for recordation electronically through ETAS on the USPTO website, at http://etas.uspto.gov.

If a trademark owner wants the Trademark database updated within a certain time frame, and there is insufficient time for the Assignment Recordation Branch to process a recently recorded title document for automatic updating, the owner should notify the Trademark Operation in writing of the change of ownership.  37 C.F.R. §3.85; TMEP §§502.02 et seq. and 502.03.  Trademark owners can search the Assignment Recordation Branch’s database at Assignments on the Web  to determine whether an assignment has been recorded, and can check TSDR at http://tsdr.uspto.gov/  to determine whether the Trademark database has been updated.