TMEP | Incorporated relevant precedential decisions reported prior to October 1, 2016. |
109.02 | Updated procedure for requesting paper files. |
206 | Deleted second paragraph. |
206.02 | Updated to include procedure when the priority claim in a §44(d) or §66(a) application is submitted after the examining attorney has conducted a search of USPTO records for conflicting marks. Added cross references. |
206.04 | Revised section title. Reworded section for clarity. Added cross references. |
401.02 | Updated to include information regarding series code "87." |
602.03(e) | Updated to include procedure when the designated foreign attorney does not establish that he or she is a qualified practitioner. |
606 | Revised to clarify circumstances in which in-house counsel may sign a revocation and that current attorney may not sign revocation of power of attorney revoking his or her own authority. |
608.02 | Revised to indicate that suspended or excluded individual may not practice before the USPTO. Clarified procedure when USPTO discovers an individual engaged in unauthorized practice. |
611.04 | Clarified that attorney, general counsel, or in-house counsel signing submission for previously pro se applicant is recognized as the attorney of record. Added cross reference. |
707.02 | Example 8 – updated to reflect that bracketed material is deleted in all TEAS applications. |
710.01(c) | Added rule citation and case citation. |
710.03 | Added text quote from TBMP. |
714.05(c) | Updated to indicate that advisory statement in Office action is not subject to appeal. Added case citation. |
716.02(c) | Added cross reference. |
716.02(d) | Reworded first paragraph for clarity. |
716.02(e) | Moved text from fourth to first paragraph. Revised to clarify procedure when the examining attorney is ready to issue a denial of a request for reconsideration and the cited registration is in the grace period. |
717 | Added cross reference. |
718.02(a) | Revised to clarify appropriate TEAS form when seeking to revive a portion of an application that was partially abandoned. |
718.07 | Revised to clarify procedure.  |
803.03(i) | Updated to include Foreign Maritime Entity designation. Miscellaneous stylistic edits. Clarified procedures for foreign entities organized under national or provincial laws. |
809.02 | Clarified procedure in paragraph (3) when the primary significance of a non-English term is as a surname. |
814 | Updated to clarify procedure for requesting additional information. Added case citations. |
815.01 | Added case citations. |
816.04 | Updated to indicate that applicant may not reserve the right to amend to Supplemental Register. Added case citation. |
819 | Deleted Federal Register citation. |
819.01(p) | Revised to clarify that additional fee is required if failure to claim prior registration would result in a refusal under §2(d). |
820 | Deleted Federal Register citation. |
904.03(a) | Clarified that registration must be refused for informational or otherwise incapable marks, even if the specimen shows acceptable trademark use. |
904.03(f) | Updated types of TEAS forms to which electronic files can be attached. |
904.03(l) | Updated types of TEAS forms to which electronic files can be attached. |
904.04(a) | Revised to indicate that specimen may not be digitally created or altered advertising for services and that registration must be refused on Sections 1 and 45. Added cross reference. |
904.04(b) | Clarified online advertising banners appearing in search-engine results are generally not acceptable specimens for goods and that advertising is acceptable if it includes a picture of the mark appearing on the goods. |
907 | Added case citations. Reworded standard for refusing registration as direct quote from decision. |
1002.03 | Updated to include information regarding overseas countries and territories. |
1003.05 | Updated to indicate that §44(d) applicant may bring priority issue to USPTO attention via a letter of protest. |
1016 | Updated to indicate appropriate documentation when the grant of protection, registration, or certificate of extension issued by the designated trademark office of the applicant’s country of origin does not specify goods/services for which protection has been granted. |
1104.04 | Added cross reference. |
1104.11 | Clarified that fee for amendment to allege use that is withdrawn cannot be applied to another allegation of use. Added procedure when applicant wishes to reassert use after withdrawing an amendment to allege use. |
1107 | Updated to indicate that after issuance of the notice of allowance, an applicant cannot delete a §1(b) basis if the only other basis is §44(d) and to provide procedure to request deletion of §1(b) basis. |
1201.03 | Added case citation. |
1201.03(b) | Deleted first paragraph. |
1202.02(a)(v) | Added case citation. |
1202.02(a)(v)(A) | Added case citations. |
1202.02(a)(v)(B) | Added case citation. |
1202.05(a) | Added case citation. |
1205.01 | Added cross reference. |
1205.01(a)(iii) | Added case citation. |
1205.01(c)(ii) | Added case citation. |
1206.02 | Added cross reference. Deleted paragraph. |
1207.01(b) | Clarified that analysis is based on the marks as depicted in the respective application and registration, without regard to whether the marks will appear with other marks. Added case citations. Miscellaneous stylistic edit. |
1207.01(d)(iii) | Clarified that cancelled or expired third-party registrations for similar marks do not comprise probative evidence. Added case citations. |
1207.01(d)(xii) | Added case citation. |
1209.01(b) | Clarified that the examining attorney is not required to prove that others have used the mark at issue or that they need to use it. Added case citations. |
1209.01(c)(i) | Miscellaneous stylistic edits. Added case citation and updated case citations. |
1209.01(c)(iii) | Updated case citation. Miscellaneous stylistic edits. |
1209.02(b) | Revised to indicate proper statutory bases for refusals. Added statutory citation. |
1209.03(c) | Added case citations. |
1209.03(g) | Clarified circumstances in which doctrine is applied and added case citations. |
1209.03(v) | New section: Key Aspect of Goods or Services |
1209.03(w) | New section: Stylization |
1210.02(b) | Added case citation. |
1210.02(b)(i) | Added case citation. |
1210.06 | Added case citation. |
1210.06(b) | Revised to clarify that refusal under §2(e)(3) is not appropriate unless the mark as a whole would likely be perceived as indicating the geographic origin of the goods or services and a mark should not be refused under §2(a) unless the relevant geographic matter, when considered in the context of the mark as a whole, is deceptive. Added case citation. |
1211 | Inserted paragraph from §1211.01. Deleted last paragraph. |
1211.01 | Moved first paragraph to §1211. Deleted second paragraph. Revised to clarify test for determining whether a mark is primarily merely a surname. Added case citations. |
1211.01(a) | Added case citation. |
1211.01(a)(v) | Added case citation. |
1211.01(a)(vi) | Revised section title: Structure and Pronunciation of a Surname. Clarified that examining attorney must provide evidence that the primary significance of the term(s) to which the mark is being compared is as a surname(s). Added case citation. |
1211.01(b)(vi) | Added case citation, statutory citation, and cross reference. Deleted case citation.  |
1211.02(b)(i) | Added case citation. |
1211.02(b)(iv) | Added case citation. Deleted case citation. |
1211.02(b)(v) | Added case citations. |
1211.02(b)(vi) | Added case citation. Deleted case citation. |
1212.02(c) | Updated to indicate that applicant may not reserve the right to amend to Supplemental Register. Added case citation. |
1212.02(f)(ii)(A) | Clarified that descriptive matter must have acquired distinctiveness through use by itself. Revised mark used in examples. |
1212.02(f)(ii)(B) | Revised mark used as example. |
1212.05(b) | Updated case citation. |
1216.01 | Added case citation. |
1216.02 | Added case citations. |
1217 | Miscellaneous stylistic edits. Added case citation. |
1301.04(f)(ii) | Added case citation. Miscellaneous stylistic edits. |
1301.04(h)(iv)(C) | Reworded to clarify when webpages are acceptable specimens for services. Added case citation. |
1401.02(a) | Updated to include information regarding Nice Classification, 11th edition, version 2017. Renumbered list of items not included in Class 9. Renumbered list of items included in Class 36. |
1401.02(c) | Miscellaneous stylistic edit. |
1401.05 | Updated to reflect information provided in Nice Classification. |
1401.05(a) | Clarified procedures for classifying kits and to provide examples that reflect forthcoming changes in the Nice 11th edition. |
1401.05(b) | Clarified procedures for classifying medical and non-medical goods. |
1401.07 | Clarified examples and procedures for classification when a specimen discloses that use of the goods is limited to a particular function or purpose. |
1401.08 | Clarified that Class Headings should not be used to indicate that an application includes all goods in a particular class. |
1401.10 | Updated to indicate procedure for applications filed after the effective date of the Nice 11th edition. |
1401.10(b) | Revised example. |
1402.01(a) | Revised example. Clarified the types of punctuation that may be included in an identification. |
1402.03 | Revised example in paragraph (1). Deleted last sentence in paragraph (3). Added case citation to paragraph (4). Revised example in paragraph (5). Revised rule citations. |
1402.03(e) | Miscellaneous stylistic edits. Clarified appropriate identifications for publications. |
1402.03(f) | Miscellaneous stylistic edits. Added cross reference. |
1402.05(a) | Revised examples. |
1402.05(b) | Revised example. |
1402.06 | Added rule and case citations. |
1402.06(a) | Added cross reference. |
1402.06(b) | Added case citation. |
1402.07(b) | Miscellaneous stylistic edit. |
1402.07(c) | Miscellaneous stylistic edit. |
1402.08 | Clarified that applicant may request to move goods/services under a §1(b) basis to a companion application that includes goods/services in the same class, but under a §1(a) basis, or vice versa. |
1402.11(a)(v) | Deleted example. |
1402.11(a)(ix) | Revised example of appropriate identification. |
1402.11(a)(x) | Clarified procedures for properly identifying online publications and for examining specimens. |
1402.11(a)(xii) | Clarified procedures for properly identifying non-downloadable computer software. |
1402.11(b) | Miscellaneous stylistic edit. Clarified procedure for classifying "educational information" services. |
1402.11(d) | Miscellaneous stylistic edit. |
1402.11(e) | Deleted example. |
1402.12 | Revised example. Clarified that bracketed material in an identification is automatically deleted in all TEAS applications and may be deleted in paper applications by "no-call" examiner’s amendment. |
1402.14 | Miscellaneous stylistic edit. |
1501 | Updated to indicate that advisory statement in Office action is not subject to appeal. Added case citation. |
1501.02(b) | Revised to indicate that the examining attorney is encouraged to include citations to TSDR in appeal briefs. Added cross reference to TBMP. |
1505.02(e) | Clarified procedure for submitting amendments after notice of allowance has issued. |
1609.03 | Deleted text and case citations regarding changed circumstances. |
1711 | Revised rule citation. |
1712.02(b) | Miscellaneous stylistic edit. Added subsection headings. |
1712.02(b)(i) | New section heading: Time for Filing Petition.  |
1712.02(b)(ii) | New section heading: Standard of Review. Added procedure when the petition does not include a clear statement that the Office action was not received and either a complete response or request to reissue the Office action, |
1712.02(b)(iii) | New section heading: No Authority to Waive Statutory Requirements. |
1714.01(a)(i) | Added cross reference. |
1715.01(a) | Added reference to mark descriptions or other data fields to paragraph (4). Clarified that third party must notify USPTO of the serial number of §66(a) application in paragraph (6). |
1904.01(e) | Updated to add procedure when a U.S. application filed after a §66(a) applicant’s priority date proceeds to publication or registration because the request for extension of protection for the §66(a) application was not yet of record in the United States when the examining attorney searched USPTO records for conflicting marks. |
1904.02(e)(iii) | Added rule citation. |
1904.09(a) | Updated to clarify procedure for filing request for transformation. |
Appendix A | Revised to indicate that the examining attorney is encouraged to include citations to TSDR in appeal briefs. Added cross reference to TBMP. |
Appendix B | Deleted reference to Overseas Departments and Territories of France. |
Appendix C | Revised to include additional matter protected by statute. |
Appendix D | Revised to include additional acceptable entity designations. |
Subject Matter Index | Revised to include additional items and section references. |