806.01(e)   Extension of Protection of International Registration - §66(a)

Section 66(a) of the Act, 15 U.S.C. §1141f(a), provides for a request for extension of protection of an international registration to the United States.  See 37 C.F.R. §2.34(a)(5).  The request must include a declaration of a bona fide intention to use the mark in commerce that is verified by the applicant for, or holder of, the international registration.  The verified statement is part of the international registration on file at the IB.  37 C.F.R. §2.33(e).  The IB will have established that the international registration includes this declaration before it sends the request for extension of protection to the USPTO.  Generally, the examining attorney need not review the international registration to determine whether there is a proper declaration of intent to use, or issue any inquiry regarding the initial verification of the application.  However, if the applicant voluntarily files a substitute declaration with the USPTO, it will be examined according to the same standards used for examining any other declaration.  See TMEP §804.05.

A §66(a) applicant cannot change the basis or claim more than one basis unless the applicant meets the requirements for transformation under §70(c).  37 C.F.R. §§2.34(b)(3) and 2.35(a).  See TMEP §1904.09 regarding the limited circumstances under which a §66(a) application can be transformed into an application under §1 or §44.

Section 66(a) requires transmission of a request for extension of protection by the IB to the USPTO.  It cannot be added or substituted as a basis in an application originally filed under §1 or §44.

Under 15 U.S.C. §1141g, Madrid Protocol Article 4(2), and 37 C.F.R. §7.27, the §66(a) applicant may claim a right of priority within the meaning of Article 4 of the Paris Convention if:

  • (1) The request for extension of protection contains a claim of priority;
  • (2) The request for extension of protection specifies the filing date, serial number, and the country of the application that forms the basis for the claim of priority; and
  • (3)   The date of international registration or the date of the recordal of the subsequent designation requesting an extension of protection to the United States is not later than six months after the date of the first regular national filing (within the meaning of Article 4(A)(3) of the Paris Convention) or a subsequent application (within the meaning of Article 4(C)(4) of the Paris Convention).

See Common Regs., Rule 9(4)(a)(iv); Guide to the International Registration of Marks under the Madrid Agreement and the Madrid Protocol (2014) ("Guide to International Registration"), Para. B.II.07.32.