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<p>Not to disagree with you or with David, but I think one of my
main points was simply the USPTO behaving in a way that
contradicts its own public statement of what its behavior is
supposed to be.</p>
<p>The public statement is that the USPTO does not carry out "a
determination of the legality of the transaction" and does not "verify
the validity of the information" in the document. Indeed if the
USPTO were to carry out such "legality" and "validity" analysis,
it seems to me the USPTO would be wrong to put anyone but a law
school graduate onto the task. For the USPTO to delegate this
analysis to someone whose education is limited to a two-year
community college program seems wrong.</p>
<p>And setting aside whether it is right or wrong to entrust this
analysis to someone who never set foot in a law school, the plain
fact is that the USPTO expressly says it doesn't and won't do such
analysis. As such, it strikes me as wrong for the USPTO to pursue
a secret policy of doing such analysis when it says it doesn't and
won't.</p>
<p>And it's wrong for the USPTO to have its non-lawyer telephone
representative offering to send out an assignment that she says
will be legally effective given that in her view the assignment
that we e-filed was not legally effective. All of this based, as
she condescendingly explained, on checking to see whether the word
"goodwill" did or did not appear in the document. No other
analysis was needed, as she explained things. Merely checking for
the presence or absence of one magic word was all that she needed
to do, she explained.<br>
</p>
<div class="moz-cite-prefix">On 1/2/2024 10:34 AM, Katherine Markert
via E-trademarks wrote:<br>
</div>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span
style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">David,
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span
style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span
style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">I
never professed to be an administrative law expert, nor do I
think you were suggesting that I proclaimed myself as such.
</span><span
style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Segoe UI Emoji",sans-serif">\U0001f60a</span><span
style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">
I would appreciate you clarifying some of your response, for
my own edification.
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span
style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span
style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Are
you saying that the USPTO\u2019s practice, of verifying that the
cover sheet and underlying document are consistent, runs
afoul of administrative law?
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span
style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span
style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">If
you view it as acceptable for the USPTO to verify the cover
sheet and underlying document (but don\u2019t like the current
procedure of merely looking for the term \u201cgoodwill\u201d), what
is a more suitable way for the PTO\u2019s paralegals to verify
consistency of the cover sheet and underlying document in
view of the administrative law angle?
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span
style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span
style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Thanks<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span
style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span
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<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span
style="font-size:10.0pt;color:#385623">Katie
Markert<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:9.0pt">Partner<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:4.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span
style="font-size:8.0pt;color:#385623">Markert
& Cominolli PLLC<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span
style="font-size:8.0pt;color:#385623">Phone:</span></b><span
style="font-size:8.0pt;color:#385623">
</span><span style="font-size:8.0pt">585-504-2507 <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span
style="font-size:8.0pt;color:#385623">Email:</span></b><span
style="font-size:8.0pt;color:#385623">
</span><span style="font-size:8.0pt"><a
href="mailto:km@markertcominolli.com"
moz-do-not-send="true"><span style="color:#0563C1">km@markertcominolli.com</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span
style="font-size:8.0pt;color:#385623">Web:</span></b><span
style="font-size:8.0pt;color:#385623">
</span><span style="font-size:8.0pt"><a
href="http://www.markertcominolli.com/"
moz-do-not-send="true"><span style="color:#0563C1">www.markertcominolli.com</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:8.0pt">75 S.
Clinton Ave., Suite 510, Rochester, NY 14604<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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style="font-size:4.0pt;font-family:"Bierstadt Display",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><a
href="http://www.linkedin.com/in/katherinemarkert"
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<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
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<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>David Boundy via E-trademarks<br>
<b>Sent:</b> Tuesday, January 2, 2024 12:17 PM<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> David Boundy <a class="moz-txt-link-rfc2396E" href="mailto:DavidBoundyEsq@gmail.com"><DavidBoundyEsq@gmail.com></a><br>
<b>Subject:</b> Re: [E-trademarks] paralegals that think
they are smarter than lawyers<o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal">What would happen if you just refile
with no cover explanation? the next person to pick it up
may take the TMEP at face value.<o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal">I disagree with Katherine Market's
reading of TMEP on administrative law grounds. I agree
with her to the extent that use fo the magic word
"goodwill" is better safe than sorry. But I agree with
Carl that it's the practitioner's job to make the legal
conclusion. In my view a reading of TMEP 503.01 through
the lens of the administrative law tells the PTO's
paralegals not to make the legal determination for
themselves or to second guess a practitioner.<o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
</div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal">On Tue, Jan 2, 2024 at 11:40\u202fAM Carl
Oppedahl via E-trademarks <<a
href="mailto:e-trademarks@oppedahl-lists.com"
moz-do-not-send="true" class="moz-txt-link-freetext">e-trademarks@oppedahl-lists.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>
<p>I am baffled at a recent interaction with the USPTO's
Assignment Division. <br>
<br>
I have seen the Assignment Division cheerfully and
seemingly unquestioningly record all manner of
documents, some of which had less actual substantive
legal content than an image scan of a used facial
tissue. Such unquestioning recordation of documents is
completely consistent with what the USPTO says at <a
href="https://www.uspto.gov/learning-and-resources/transferring-ownership-assignments-faqs#type-browse-faqs_160521"
target="_blank" moz-do-not-send="true"
class="moz-txt-link-freetext">
https://www.uspto.gov/learning-and-resources/transferring-ownership-assignments-faqs#type-browse-faqs_160521</a>
:<o:p></o:p></p>
<blockquote style="margin-top:5.0pt;margin-bottom:5.0pt">
<p>The office simply puts the information on the public
record and does not verify the validity of the
information. Recordation is a ministerial function.
The office neither makes a determination of the
legality of the transaction nor the right of the
submitting party to take the action. <o:p></o:p></p>
</blockquote>
<p>Recently I e-filed a trademark assignment document
through ETAS. What came back was a Notice of
Non-Recordation. The excuse given for bouncing the
assignment document is a form paragraph:<o:p></o:p></p>
<blockquote style="margin-top:5.0pt;margin-bottom:5.0pt">
<p>The assignment document submitted for recording is
not acceptable. The statement for the Goodwill of the
business was omitted. 15 USC § 1060(a)<o:p></o:p></p>
</blockquote>
<p>A click on LinkedIn indicates that the sole educational
credential of the signer of the Notice is a two-year
stint at Prince George's Community College.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p>I will mention that the signer of the Notice is
technically correct that the magic word "goodwill" is
not recited in the assignment document. Suffice it to
say that the words recited in the document do absolutely
and without doubt convey the goodwill despite the magic
word not having been recited. (The document was drafted
by someone who's not me, and it was executed prior to my
firm having been asked to handle this recordation.)
<o:p></o:p></p>
<p>I phoned up the Assignment Division reaching a
different person than the signer of the Notice. She
confidently affirmed the propriety of the bounce,
lecturing me that the word "goodwill" simply must appear
in the document or it will not legally achieve the
intended change of ownership. Doubling down, she then
offered to email to me an exemplary assignment document
that she said would be legally effective.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p>Yes, we have unauthorized practice of law going on here
at the USPTO.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p>I am torn between two possible ways of dealing with
this bounce from the Assignment Division.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p>One choice would be to e-file a "resubmission" with a
statement directed to the fact that the words recited do
in fact convey the goodwill even if the magic word
"goodwill" is not recited. My guess, based upon what
the telephone representative said, is that this would
lead to a Reel and Frame Number. But of course this
would put a "kick me" sign on the trademark rights.
This would preserve in perpetuity the legal opinion by
the USPTO about what was supposedly not conveyed, and
any adversary in litigation would seize upon this in an
argument that the trademark went abandoned upon the
execution of the document. Never mind that the USPTO's
legal opinion came from someone with no more than a
two-year credential from a community college.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p>Another choice would be to spend hours trying to craft
some sort of cleanup document for signature by the same
people who signed the existing assignment document. The
cleanup document might include "confirmatory" language
confirming that of course the string of words that
conveyed the goodwill really did convey the goodwill.
It might include
<i>nunc pro tunc</i> language. It might include
quitclaim language. But of course this would likewise
put a "kick me" sign on the trademark rights. This
would preserve in perpetuity a messy cleanup document.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p>Either path requires me to spend professional time
dealing with the bounce, time that I probably cannot
bill to the client.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p>None of this fuss and bother would have been needed if
the person signing the bounce notice had followed the
USPTO's promise not to " verify the validity" of the
document and the USPTO's promise not to "make a
determination of the legality of the transaction".<o:p></o:p></p>
<p><o:p> </o:p></p>
</div>
<p class="MsoNormal">-- <br>
E-trademarks mailing list<br>
<a href="mailto:E-trademarks@oppedahl-lists.com"
target="_blank" moz-do-not-send="true"
class="moz-txt-link-freetext">E-trademarks@oppedahl-lists.com</a><br>
<a
href="http://oppedahl-lists.com/mailman/listinfo/e-trademarks_oppedahl-lists.com"
target="_blank" moz-do-not-send="true"
class="moz-txt-link-freetext">http://oppedahl-lists.com/mailman/listinfo/e-trademarks_oppedahl-lists.com</a><o:p></o:p></p>
</blockquote>
</div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><br clear="all">
<br>
<span class="gmailsignatureprefix">-- </span><o:p></o:p></p>
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<p
style="margin:0in;text-align:start"><b><span
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Boundy </span></b><span
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Partner <span
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here to add me
to your
contacts.</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></p>
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