What Are the Differences Between TEAS and TEAS Plus?

Basic Filing Requirements for TEAS and TEAS plus USPTO Trademark Registrations

TEAS

TEAS plus

(The reduced fee for TEAS plus is currently $50 less than TEAS)

37 CFR § 2.21  Requirements for receiving a [TEAS or paper submitted] filing date upon submission of a USPTO trademark application. (If the applicant does not submit all the elements required, the USPTO will deny a filing date and issue a notice explaining why the filing date was denied. )  

TMEP 819.01 TEAS Plus Filing Requirements

( also found in 37 C.F.R. §2.22)

(a) The Office will grant a filing date to an application under section 1 or section 44 of the Act that is in the English language and contains all of the following:

To be eligible for the reduced fee, a TEAS Plus application must request registration of a trademark or service mark on the Principal Register, and must include the following at the time of filing:

(1) The name of the applicant;

 (2) A name and address for correspondence;

" Applicant' s Name and Address.

" Applicant' s Legal Entity and Citizenship (or state or country of incorporation of a juristic applicant).

" E-mail Correspondence Address and Authorization. An e-mail correspondence address and authorization for the Office to send correspondence to the applicant by e-mail.

" Filing Basis or Bases. One or more bases for filing, and all requirements of 37 C.F.R. §2.34 for each basis.

(3) A clear drawing of the mark;

" Drawing. A clear drawing of the mark comprising either: (1) a claim of standard characters and the mark, typed in the appropriate TEAS Plus field; or (2) a digitized image of a mark in special form. If the mark includes color, the digitized image must show the mark in color.

(4) A listing of the goods or services;

" Identification and Classification of Goods/Services. A correctly classified and definite identification of goods/services taken directly from the Office’s Acceptable Identification of Goods and Services Manual (Goods and Services Manual), at http://tess2.uspto.gov/netahtml/tidm.html.

(5) The filing fee for at least one class of goods or services, required by § 2.6.

" Filing Fee. A filing fee per class for all classes listed in the application.

" Signed Verification. A verified statement, dated and signed by a properly authorized person.

" Color Claim and Description of Color(s). If the mark includes color, a claim that the color(s) is a feature of the mark; and a statement in the description of the mark field naming the color(s) and describing where the color(s) appears on the mark.

" Description of Mark. If the mark is not in standard characters, a description of the mark.

" Prior Registrations for Same Mark. If the applicant owns one or more registrations for the same mark, a claim of ownership of the registration(s), identified by the United States registration number(s).

" Translation. If the mark includes foreign wording, a translation of that wording.

" Transliteration of Non-Latin Characters. If the mark includes non-Latin characters, a transliteration of those characters.

" Consent to Registration of Name or Portrait. If the mark includes an individual' s name or portrait, either: (1) a statement that identifies the living individual whose name or likeness the mark comprises, and written consent of the individual; or (2) a statement that the name or portrait does not identify a living individual.

" Concurrent Use. If the application is a concurrent use application, the application must meet the requirements of 37 C.F.R. §2.42.

" Multiple-Class Applications. If the application contains goods/services in more than one class, the application must meet the requirements of 37 C.F.R. §2.86.

" Section 44 Applications. In a §44 application, the scope of the goods/services covered by the §44 basis may not exceed the scope of the goods/services in the foreign application or registration.

Note: 37 C.F.R. §2.22(a).

As long as the applicant has made a reasonable attempt to supply the required information in the initial application, the applicant has met the TEAS Plus filing requirements and generally will not lose TEAS Plus status if the information is later amended, either in response to an examining attorney’s requirement or on the applicant' s initiative, as long as the amendment is filed through TEAS or entered by examiner' s amendment. See TMEP §§819.01(a) et seq. for further guidance as to when the additional fee will be required in particular situations.

Note: If an applicant files a TEAS Plus application but does not meet these requirements, the examining attorney must issue an Office action requiring the applicant to pay the additional TEAS Plus processing fee. 37 C.F.R. §§2.6(a)(1)(iv) and 2.22(b). If a required field is filled with irrelevant or clearly inappropriate information, the required element will be considered omitted (e.g., if the notation ??? is entered as the translation in a mark that includes foreign wording).

Note: When an application loses TEAS Plus status, the application will be examined as a regular TEAS application. The application will retain its original filing date, assuming that the initial application met the five minimum filing requirements required of all applications, which are set forth in 37 C.F.R. §2.21. The examining attorney must perform the proper transaction to change the application status in the Office' s automated systems.

→Not Just Patents ® Legal Services provide a broad range of services for Intellectual Property Protection. If you are unsure what type of product or service protection is best for your business or just have a question, please call–a brief initial consultation is free at 1-651-500-7590  

Don’t assume that protecting your reputation and legal rights is too expensive, abandoning your trademark registration because of problems from office actions and refusals may result in a larger losses-loss of assumption of authenticity, loss of the right to protect from counterfeits, and loss of reputation. In today’s economy (and for the future), Intellectual Property Protection may be one of the best ways to invest in your business. Call us with questions at 1-651-500-7590   

Call 1-651-500-7590 or email info@notjustpatents.com for  Trademark Help; Responses to Office Action; File or Defend an Opposition or Cancellation; Patent or Trademark Searches and Application; Send or Respond to Cease and Desist Letters.

For more information from Not Just Patents, see our other sites.       

Patents

Trademarks

Steps to a Patent    How to Patent An Invention

Patent Search Steps

Strong Trademark  Trademark Inherent Strength   Enforcing Trade Names

Common Law Trademarks     Trademark Goodwill Trademark Protect

Should I Get A Trademark or Patent?

Patentability Evaluation

Trademark Disclaimers   Trademark Dilution     Oppose or Cancel?

Examples of Disclaimers  Business Name Cease and Desist

35 U.S.C. 101 Inventions patentable.

Verify a Trademark  Be First To File   How to Trademark Search

35 U.S.C. 102 Conditions for patentability; novelty and loss of right to patent.

Using Slogans (Taglines), Model Numbers as Trademarks

Which format? When Should I  Use Standard Characters?

35 U.S.C. 103 Conditions for patentability; non-obvious subject matter.

Trademark Statistics    Business Name Cease and Desist Letters

How To Answer A Trademark Cease and Desist Letter

35 U.S.C. 282 Presumption of validity; defenses

Trademark Refusals    Does not Function as a Mark Refusals

37 CFR § 1.53 Application number, filing date, and completion of application

Acceptable Specimen       Supplemental Register  $199 Statement of Use

How To Show Acquired Distinctiveness Under 2(f)

Filing Requirements for Patent Applications

Trademark Attorney for Overcoming Office Actions

Functional Trademarks   How to Trademark     Surname Refusal

List of U.S. Patent Classifications

Grounds for Opposition & Cancellation     Cease and Desist Letter

How Do U.S. Patent Classifications Work?

Valid/Invalid Use of Trademarks     Trademark Searching

Patent Statistics     Sample Patent, Trademark & Copyright Inventory Forms

Examples and General Rules for Likelihood of Confusion

USPTO Search Method for Likelihood of Confusion

Examples of Refusals for Likelihood of Confusion  DuPont Factors

Proximate Function

Color as Trade Dress  3D Marks as Trade Dress

Invention Information-  What is the Invention?

Ornamental Refusal (a type of Specimen Refusal)

Patent Field of Search

Descriptive Trademarks Trademark2e.com  Likelihood of Confusion 2d

Patent search-New invention

Merely Descriptive Trademarks   Merely Descriptive Refusals

Patent Search-Non-Obvious

Register a Trademark-Step by Step   On The Principal Register

Difference between Provisional and Nonprovisional Patent Application

Likelihood of confusion-Circuit Court tests

Pseudo Marks    How to Reply to Cease and Desist Letter

Converting Provisional to Nonprovisional Patent Application (or claiming benefit of)

Overcome Merely Descriptive Refusal   Overcome Likelihood Confusion

What Does ‘Use in Commerce’ Mean?    SCAM Letters

Shop Rights

Section 2(d) Refusals   ApplyToTrademark.com

Patent Pending see also Patent Marking

Typical Brand Name Refusals  What is a Family of Marks?

Patent Drawings

Trademark Steps Trademark Registration Answers TESS  

Trademark Searching Using TESS  Trademark Search Tips

TSDR Trademark Status and Document Retrieval

What is a Small or Micro Entity?

Published for Opposition see also Opposition Steps/Cancellation Steps

Counterclaims and Affirmative Defenses

How to Respond to Office Actions

What is a Compact Patent Prosecution?

Protecting Trademark Rights (Common Law)

Steps in a Trademark Opposition Process   How do I Know If Someone Has Filed for An Extension of Time to Oppose?

Changes To Implement the First Inventor To File Provisions of the America Invents Act

What is the Difference between Principal & Supplemental Register? What If Someone Files An Opposition Against My Trademark?

Patent steps

How to Respond Office Actions  DIY Overcoming Descriptive Refusals

PCT Patent Application information

Trademark Clearance Search   DIY Trademark Strategies

Provisional Patent Effect on Patentability

Samples of Responses to Office Actions

ID of Goods and Services see also Headings (list) of International Trademark Classes

Broad Patents

Geographically Descriptive or Deceptive

Making Amendments in Response to Office Actions

TTAB/TBMP Discovery Conferences & Stipulations

TBMP 113 Service of TTAB Documents  TBMP 309 Standing

Examples Office Action Responses More Examples

Trademark Incontestability  TTAB Manual (TBMP)

Trade Secrets

What are Dead or Abandoned Trademarks? Can I Use An Abandoned Trademark?  Can I Abandon a Trademark During An Opposition?

State & Federal Trade Secret Laws

Differences between TEAS and TEAS plus  Zombie Trademark

Chart of Patent vs. Trade Secret

What Does Published for Opposition Mean?

How to Keep A Trade Secret

Acquired Distinctiveness  2(f) or 2(f) in part Extension of Time to Oppose