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<p>I'd guess that not one of the USPTO developers managing this
particular "update" to the TEAS software has ever in his or her
life actually used any of the TEAS forms involved here, in the
actual service of a real client.</p>
<p>I'd guess that the same may be said for whatever beltway bandit
contractor is being "managed" (using the term loosely ) by the
USPTO developers.</p>
<p>I'd guess that if you were to put any of these people on the
spot, their stammered answer would be that so far as they knew,
the "saved submission" feature was sort of a "nice to have" thing
but not actually really important. <br>
</p>
<p>Yesterday I received instructions from foreign counsel to carry
out a trademark renewal. The fact pattern is complicated and
there are layers of communication involved. I am not, for
example, in direct communication with the underlying client. The
TM registration has five trademark classes in it. The USPTO's
proclivity to do "audits" on foreign renewals that have lots of
semicolons in the ID means that we have no choice but to worry and
worry about the many would-be specimens of use. It is almost
certain that two or three or four versions of the would-be TEAS
submission will need to be generated and reviewed before the
underlying client reaches a confidence level as to everything
about what will be contained and said in the renewal. There are
time zones involved so that every iteration will include a loss of
at least a 24-hour cycle. <br>
</p>
<p>Preparing this TEAS submission, and checking its correctness,
took me around an hour.<br>
</p>
<p>In a normal TEAS workflow, I would save the submission each time,
prior to shipping the "click here" link off to foreign counsel.
Then the next day when I hear back about the need to make some
adjustment to the filing package, I need merely reload the
submission file and make the adjustment, and the time required
would be just a few minutes.</p>
<p>Same thing a day after that when yet another review cycle has
happened and it turns out that yet another adjustment is needed.
Maybe against all odds the client managed to snap one last
photograph and now there is one more specimen of use to add to the
many specimens of use that had already been uploaded to the
submission.</p>
<p>But instead of "one hour on the first day plus ten minutes a day
later plus another ten minutes a day later", this task for this
client is going to suck up maybe three hours of my time. All
because the saved-submission feature has been broken for several
days now.</p>
<p>More importantly, every time I have to start from a blank form,
constructing the renewal package all over again, I have to check
the correctness of it from the top to the bottom. Suppose that on
the second try or the third try, I inadvertently get it a little
bit wrong on which goods from class 10 are to be canceled and
which are to be retained. If eventually that submission is the
one that gets submitted and it turns out I canceled something that
was not supposed to be canceled, it is impossible to get that item
of goods back into the case. There is an enormous malpractice
risk every time that I start over again from a blank form.<br>
</p>
<p>My point here being that the USPTO developers probably have no
clue, none at all, about how wrong they are if they use "nice to
have but not really super important to have" as their way of
characterizing the saved-submission feature. <br>
</p>
<div class="moz-cite-prefix">On 12/12/2023 7:40 AM, Richard Schafer
wrote:<br>
</div>
<blockquote type="cite"
cite="mid:SA1PR05MB7983254CE58F78C4A9D3FD5C8E8EA@SA1PR05MB7983.namprd05.prod.outlook.com">
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<div class="WordSection1">
<p class="MsoNormal"><span
style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Goudy Old Style",serif;color:#1F497D">Still
broken today after three days of outage.
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span
style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Goudy Old Style",serif;color:#1F497D"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span
style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Goudy Old Style",serif;color:#1F497D">This
is significant egg-on-face territory for the PTO and
reinforces the opinion that the PTO’s IT department and
their contractors are incompetent.
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span
style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Goudy Old Style",serif;color:#1F497D"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span
style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Goudy Old Style",serif;color:#1F497D;mso-fareast-language:ZH-CN">Best
regards,<br>
<b>Richard A. Schafer | Schafer IP Law</b></span><span
style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Garamond",serif;color:#1F497D;mso-fareast-language:ZH-CN"><br>
</span><span
style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Goudy Old Style",serif;color:#1F497D;mso-fareast-language:ZH-CN">P.O.
Box 230081 | Houston, TX 77223<br>
M: 832.283.6564 | </span><span
style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Goudy Old Style",serif;color:#1F497D"><a
href="mailto:richard@schafer-ip.com"
moz-do-not-send="true"><span style="color:#0563C1">richard@schafer-ip.com</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span
style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Goudy Old Style",serif;color:#1F497D"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<div>
<div
style="border:none;border-top:solid #E1E1E1 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 0in 0in 0in">
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>From:</b> E-trademarks
<a class="moz-txt-link-rfc2396E" href="mailto:e-trademarks-bounces@oppedahl-lists.com"><e-trademarks-bounces@oppedahl-lists.com></a>
<b>On Behalf Of </b>Carl Oppedahl via E-trademarks<br>
<b>Sent:</b> Tuesday, December 12, 2023 1:43 AM<br>
<b>To:</b> For trademark practitioners. This is not for
laypersons to seek legal advice.
<a class="moz-txt-link-rfc2396E" href="mailto:e-trademarks@oppedahl-lists.com"><e-trademarks@oppedahl-lists.com></a><br>
<b>Cc:</b> Carl Oppedahl <a class="moz-txt-link-rfc2396E" href="mailto:carl@oppedahl.com"><carl@oppedahl.com></a><br>
<b>Subject:</b> Re: [E-trademarks] Thanks for the six
hours warning on Friday evening that I can't save my draft
form...<o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
</div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p>Thank you for posting.<o:p></o:p></p>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal">On 12/11/2023 12:35 PM, Tim Ackermann via
E-trademarks wrote:<o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
<blockquote style="margin-top:5.0pt;margin-bottom:5.0pt">
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal">Evidently, this is still broken -- you
cannot save many of the TEAS forms. No ETA on repair.
<o:p></o:p></p>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a
href="https://www.uspto.gov/blog/ebiz/"
moz-do-not-send="true" class="moz-txt-link-freetext">https://www.uspto.gov/blog/ebiz/</a><br
clear="all">
<o:p></o:p></p>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span
style="font-size:12.0pt">Tim
Ackermann<o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span
style="font-size:12.0pt">The
Ackermann Law Firm<o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<p><span
style="font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif">E: <a
href="mailto:tim@ackermannlaw.com"
target="_blank"
moz-do-not-send="true"
class="moz-txt-link-freetext">tim@ackermannlaw.com</a><br>
P: 817.305.0690<br>
F: 214.453.0810<br>
W: <a
href="http://ackermannlaw.com"
target="_blank"
moz-do-not-send="true">ackermannlaw.com</a><br>
O: 1701 W. Northwest Hwy. Ste. 100<br>
Grapevine TX 76051</span><o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
</div>
</div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal">On Sat, Dec 9, 2023 at 3:10 PM Tim
Ackermann <<a href="mailto:tim@ackermannlaw.com"
moz-do-not-send="true" class="moz-txt-link-freetext">tim@ackermannlaw.com</a>>
wrote:<o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
<blockquote
style="border:none;border-left:solid #CCCCCC 1.0pt;padding:0in 0in 0in 6.0pt;margin-left:4.8pt;margin-right:0in">
<div>
<div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span
style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif;color:#1B1B1B">Posted
at </span><span
style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif;color:#444444"><a
href="https://www.uspto.gov/blog/ebiz/entry/planned-events941"
target="_blank" moz-do-not-send="true"><b><span
style="color:#005EA2">06:24PM Dec 08, 2023</span></b></a></span><span
style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif;color:#1B1B1B"> in Planned
Events | </span><span
style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif;color:#444444"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span
style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif;color:#444444">Friday
Dec 08, 2023<o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div>
<p
style="mso-margin-top-alt:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:6.0pt;margin-left:0in;line-height:22.5pt">
<a name="m_-3019616059707130393_planned-events941"
moz-do-not-send="true"></a><span
style="font-size:17.5pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif;color:#333333">Planned
Events<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p
style="margin:0in;line-height:15.75pt;box-sizing:border-box"><b><span
style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif;color:#1B1B1B">Trademark
Electronic Application System (TEAS) Save
Feature Temporarily Disabled on Some Forms</span></b><span
style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif;color:#1B1B1B"> <br>
The USPTO will be updating the TEAS forms below
which requires us to disable the save feature on
those forms
<b>beginning at 12:01 a.m. on Saturday</b>,
December 9 ET. An update will be posted on this
page once the save feature is restored. You’ll
still be able to: <br>
<br>
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<ul type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal"
style="color:#1B1B1B;mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;box-sizing:border-box">
<span
style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif">Save
certain forms, including initial applications <o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"
style="color:#1B1B1B;mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;box-sizing:border-box">
<span
style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif">Upload
data from previously saved forms <o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"
style="color:#1B1B1B;mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;box-sizing:border-box">
<span
style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif">Submit
all TEAS forms as usual <o:p></o:p></span></li>
</ul>
<p
style="margin:0in;line-height:15.75pt;box-sizing:border-box"><span
style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif;color:#1B1B1B"> Saving
will be temporarily disabled on the following
forms: <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<ul type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal"
style="color:#1B1B1B;mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;mso-list:l1 level1 lfo2;box-sizing:border-box">
<span
style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif">Change
Address or Representation Form <o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"
style="color:#1B1B1B;mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;mso-list:l1 level1 lfo2;box-sizing:border-box">
<span
style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif">Combined
Declaration of Continued Use/Excusable Nonuse
and Incontestability under Sections 71 and
15 <o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"
style="color:#1B1B1B;mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;mso-list:l1 level1 lfo2;box-sizing:border-box">
<span
style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif">Combined
Declaration of Use and Incontestability Under
Section 8 and 15 <o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"
style="color:#1B1B1B;mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;mso-list:l1 level1 lfo2;box-sizing:border-box">
<span
style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif">Combined
Declaration of Use and/or Excusable
Nonuse/Application for Renewal of Registration
of a Mark under Section 8 and 9 <o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"
style="color:#1B1B1B;mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;mso-list:l1 level1 lfo2;box-sizing:border-box">
<span
style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif">Declaration
of Incontestability of a Mark under Section
15 <o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"
style="color:#1B1B1B;mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;mso-list:l1 level1 lfo2;box-sizing:border-box">
<span
style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif">Declaration
of Use and Excusable Nonuse under Section 71 <o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"
style="color:#1B1B1B;mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;mso-list:l1 level1 lfo2;box-sizing:border-box">
<span
style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif">Declaration
of Use and/or Excusable Nonuse of Mark in
Commerce Under Section 8 <o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"
style="color:#1B1B1B;mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;mso-list:l1 level1 lfo2;box-sizing:border-box">
<span
style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif">Letter
of Protest <o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"
style="color:#1B1B1B;mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;mso-list:l1 level1 lfo2;box-sizing:border-box">
<span
style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif">Petition
for Expungement or Reexamination Form <o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"
style="color:#1B1B1B;mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;mso-list:l1 level1 lfo2;box-sizing:border-box">
<span
style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif">Petition
to Revive Abandoned Application - Failure to
File Timely Statement of Use or Extension
Request <o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"
style="color:#1B1B1B;mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;mso-list:l1 level1 lfo2;box-sizing:border-box">
<span
style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif">Petition
to Revive Abandoned Application - Failure to
Respond Timely to Office Action <o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"
style="color:#1B1B1B;mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;mso-list:l1 level1 lfo2;box-sizing:border-box">
<span
style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif">Petition
to the Director <o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"
style="color:#1B1B1B;mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;mso-list:l1 level1 lfo2;box-sizing:border-box">
<span
style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif">Post-Publication
Amendment <o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"
style="color:#1B1B1B;mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;mso-list:l1 level1 lfo2;box-sizing:border-box">
<span
style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif">Request
for Express Abandonment <o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"
style="color:#1B1B1B;mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;mso-list:l1 level1 lfo2;box-sizing:border-box">
<span
style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif">Request
for Extension of Time to File a Response <o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"
style="color:#1B1B1B;mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;mso-list:l1 level1 lfo2;box-sizing:border-box">
<span
style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif">Request
for Permission to Withdraw as Attorney of
Record <o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"
style="color:#1B1B1B;mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;mso-list:l1 level1 lfo2;box-sizing:border-box">
<span
style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif">Request
for Reconsideration after Final Action <o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"
style="color:#1B1B1B;mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;mso-list:l1 level1 lfo2;box-sizing:border-box">
<span
style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif">Request
To Delete Section 1(b) Basis, Intent to Use <o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"
style="color:#1B1B1B;mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;mso-list:l1 level1 lfo2;box-sizing:border-box">
<span
style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif">Response
to Office Action <o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"
style="color:#1B1B1B;mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;mso-list:l1 level1 lfo2;box-sizing:border-box">
<span
style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif">Response
to Office Action for Post-Registration
Matters/Response to Office Action for
Post-Registration for Expungement or
Reexamination Form <o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"
style="color:#1B1B1B;mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;mso-list:l1 level1 lfo2;box-sizing:border-box">
<span
style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif">Response
to Suspension Inquiry or Letter of
Suspension <o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"
style="color:#1B1B1B;mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;mso-list:l1 level1 lfo2;box-sizing:border-box">
<span
style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif">Section
7 Request Form <o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"
style="color:#1B1B1B;mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;mso-list:l1 level1 lfo2;box-sizing:border-box">
<span
style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif">SOU
Extension Request <o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"
style="color:#1B1B1B;mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;mso-list:l1 level1 lfo2;box-sizing:border-box">
<span
style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif">Trademark/Service
Mark Allegation of Use <o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"
style="color:#1B1B1B;mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;mso-list:l1 level1 lfo2;box-sizing:border-box">
<span
style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif">Voluntary
Amendment Not in Response to USPTO Office
Action/Letter Form <o:p></o:p></span></li>
</ul>
<p
style="margin:0in;line-height:15.75pt;box-sizing:border-box"><span
style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif;color:#1B1B1B"> Thank
you for your understanding. If you have
questions, email <a href="mailto:teas@uspto.gov"
target="_blank" title="mailto:teas@uspto.gov"
moz-do-not-send="true"><b><span
style="color:#005EA2">teas@uspto.gov</span></b></a>. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p
style="margin:0in;line-height:15.75pt;box-sizing:border-box"><span
style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif;color:#1B1B1B"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
</div>
</div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><br clear="all">
<o:p></o:p></p>
<div>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span
style="font-size:12.0pt">Tim
Ackermann<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span
style="font-size:12.0pt">The
Ackermann Law Firm<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p><span
style="font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif">E: <a
href="mailto:tim@ackermannlaw.com" target="_blank"
moz-do-not-send="true"
class="moz-txt-link-freetext">tim@ackermannlaw.com</a><br>
P: 817.305.0690<br>
F: 214.453.0810<br>
W: <a
href="http://ackermannlaw.com"
target="_blank"
moz-do-not-send="true">ackermannlaw.com</a><br>
O: 1701 W. Northwest Hwy. Ste. 100<br>
Grapevine TX 76051</span><o:p></o:p></p>
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