1904.02(f)(ii) Limitations vs. Amendments to Goods and Services
A limitation filed with the IB may affect pending or registered extensions of protection in some or all of the Contracting Parties. By contrast, an amendment to the identification of goods/services in a §66(a) application is comparable to a limitation affecting only the United States in that the amendment affects only the U.S. application. Any extensions of protection to other Contracting Parties are unaffected by amendments to a §66(a) application.
While a limitation filed with the IB may render the identification of goods/services in the §66(a) application sufficiently definite, merely recording a limitation with the IB is not considered a response to an Office Action. See 37 C.F.R. §§2.62, 2.65(a); TMEP §1904.03(g)(i). If the examining attorney issued an Office action prior to notification of the limitation, a proper response to the Office action still must be received within the response time period. See TMEP §1904.03(g)(i).
See TMEP §1906.01(e) regarding the filing of a request to record a limitation with the IB; §1904.03(g)(i) regarding limitations in pending requests for extension of protection (§66(a) applications); and §1904.15(a) regarding limitations in registered extensions of protection to the United States.