[E-trademarks] Fw: Some Quality Control Checks/Suggestions Using Trademark Search

Fri Feb 21 17:18:07 UTC 2025

Thank you Ken for posting.  Several things about this situation at the 
Trademark Office sadden me.

  * A first thing is, this is the sort of thing computers are supposed
    to be good at.  Yes, if some suggested change at the Trademark
    Office were to call for hiring new staff, I could imagine management
    doing foot-dragging.  But somebody at the Trademark Office could
    just set this up as a cron job and it could generate the report
    periodically in an automatic way. Indeed I bet in a couple of hours
    I could craft some PHP script that would do this in an automatic
    recurring way.
  * A second thing is, why does it need external inputs for this to get
    addressed at the Trademark Office.  I would have thought that
    somebody in management would have caught on years ago that this
    needs to get paid attention to.  Every one of these cases, when it
    does finally reach the desk of an EA, will make lots of extra work
    for that EA (assuming the EA is alert enough to pay attention).  And
    in the (sorry, might happen) category of an EA failing to notice the
    problem, the result might well be a grant of a registration with
    mistakes in it.
  * A third thing is, any time an EA examines a newly filed case, the
    examination necessarily requires a search of Office records.  But
    each of these cases has defects that might lead to its failing to
    turn up in a search of Office records, depending on what is being
    searched for.  This, too, can lead to cases getting registered that
    ought never to have gotten registered.

I think probably anybody who looks at this situation would likely be sad 
for the same three reasons.  I realize I am just stating the obvious here.

On 2/21/2025 10:00 AM, Ken Boone via E-trademarks wrote:
> Today's report.  (The new QC search may look familiar.  Yes, I 
> intentionally omitted the new *БЪЛГАРИКА *standard character mark.)
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
> *From:* Ken Boone <boondogles at hotmail.com>
> *Sent:* Friday, February 21, 2025 10:55 AM
> *To:* TMFeedback <tmfeedback at uspto.gov>
> *Subject:* Some Quality Control Checks/Suggestions Using Trademark Search
> Only the 10th search (typed drawings in the standard character era) 
> shows significant progress since yesterday.
>
> #
> 	
> 	
> QC Search
> 	
> 	
> Today
> 	
> 	
> Originally
> 	
> 	
> Change
> 1
> 	
> 	
> SN:( /<79000000-79399439>/ ) AND MD:unknown AND LD:true
> 	
> 	
> 457
> 	
> 	
> 449
> 	
> 	
> 8
> 2
> 	
> 	
> FD:[* TO 20240708] AND MD:unknown AND LD:true NOT (SN:79* SN:89* )
> 	
> 	
> 66
> 	
> 	
> 79
> 	
> 	
> -13
> 3
> 	
> 	
> (SN:( /<79000000-79399439>/ ) OR (FD:[* TO 20240708])) AND LD:true NOT 
> ON:*
> 	
> 	
> 19
> 	
> 	
> 21
> 	
> 	
> -2
> 4
> 	
> 	
> (SN:( /<79000000-79399439>/ ) OR (FD:[* TO 20240708])) AND LD:true NOT 
> (GS:* SN:89*)
> 	
> 	
> 23
> 	
> 	
> 24
> 	
> 	
> -1
> 5
> 	
> 	
>  LD:true NOT  FD:* COMMENT:"Live But No Filing Date - 98305614 
> 97977848 97977833"
> 	
> 	
> 4
> 	
> 	
> 3
> 	
> 	
> 1
> 6
> 	
> 	
> LR:true NOT LD:true      Comment:"Live Registrations But Actually Dead"
> 	
> 	
> 20
> 	
> 	
> 20
> 	
> 	
> 0
> 7
> 	
> 	
> SN:( 75722562 79090344 79099220 79105611 79107274 79294728 79294737 
> 79310411 79331990 79336276 79366512 79384354 79391101 85333307 
> 86500939 88128956 88629495 90444281 90555410 90979979 97667505 
> 97728652 97975969 98176859 98975063 ) AND LD:true AND WD:*?*
> 	
> 	
> 25
> 	
> 	
> 25
> 	
> 	
> 0
> 8
> 	
> 	
> LD:true AND MD:(*1* *3* *4* *5* ) NOT ( WD:* FM:* ) COM:"Missing Wordmark"
> 	
> 	
> 98
> 	
> 	
> 99
> 	
> 	
> -1
> 9
> 	
> 	
> DC:( 030116 )  AND DD:( "heads of cats" )  AND LD:true
> 	
> 	
> 5
> 	
> 	
> 5
> 	
> 	
> 0
> 10
> 	
> 	
> LD:true AND MD:*1* AND FD:[20031102 TO *]   COM:"New Typed Drawings???"
> 	
> 	
> 2
> 	
> 	
> 17
> 	
> 	
> -15
> 11
> 	
> 	
> WD:( *²* *³* *•* *¹* *¼* *½* *¾* *™* *¦* *¯* *†* *‡* *ˆ*) AND LD:true 
> AND MD:(TYPED STANDARD)
> 	
> 	
> 20
> 	
> 	
> 20
> 	
> 	
> 0
>
>
> The new search (#11) identifies 20 live typed drawing or standard 
> character marks with unexpected characters occurring in the wordmark 
> entries. (Yes, I'm sure there are more irregularities among the live 
> standard character marks - that this QC search is incomplete and can 
> be improved.)  For your convenience, here is a list of those 20 typed 
> drawings or standard character mark with unexpected characters in the 
> wordmark entries.
>
> #
> 	
> 	
> SN
> 	
> 	
> FD
> 	
> 	
> 	
> 	
> Wordmark
> 1
> 	
> 	
> 79166932
> 	
> 	
> 09/30/14
> 	
> 	
> ®
> 	
> 	
> PRESTA²
> 2
> 	
> 	
> 79235429
> 	
> 	
> 02/15/18
> 	
> 	
> ®
> 	
> 	
> SEC³URE
> 3
> 	
> 	
> 79264585
> 	
> 	
> 03/04/19
> 	
> 	
> ®
> 	
> 	
> STORE¯CHAIN
> 4
> 	
> 	
> 88751137
> 	
> 	
> 01/08/20
> 	
> 	
> ®
> 	
> 	
> NB² NOTHING BUT BOURBON
> 5
> 	
> 	
> 79285188
> 	
> 	
> 01/30/20
> 	
> 	
> ®
> 	
> 	
> VESTAMID E²X
> 6
> 	
> 	
> 79288581
> 	
> 	
> 01/30/20
> 	
> 	
> ®
> 	
> 	
> E²X
> 7
> 	
> 	
> 79292893
> 	
> 	
> 07/03/20
> 	
> 	
> ®
> 	
> 	
> P³ PULSE
> 8
> 	
> 	
> 79300503
> 	
> 	
> 11/11/20
> 	
> 	
> ®
> 	
> 	
> CHAMP²
> 9
> 	
> 	
> 90515424
> 	
> 	
> 02/06/21
> 	
> 	
> ®
> 	
> 	
> PERK²O
> 10
> 	
> 	
> 79309572
> 	
> 	
> 02/08/21
> 	
> 	
> ®
> 	
> 	
> X²
> 11
> 	
> 	
> 90865200
> 	
> 	
> 08/04/21
> 	
> 	
> ®
> 	
> 	
> CURIO NO¯MERY
> 12
> 	
> 	
> 97786933
> 	
> 	
> 02/08/23
> 	
> 	
> ®
> 	
> 	
> KASTRA ELI?¯N
> 13
> 	
> 	
> 79366806
> 	
> 	
> 02/23/23
> 	
> 	
> ®
> 	
> 	
> SB²
> 14
> 	
> 	
> 79366809
> 	
> 	
> 02/23/23
> 	
> 	
> ®
> 	
> 	
> ULTRA-SB²
> 15
> 	
> 	
> 79386509
> 	
> 	
> 09/05/23
> 	
> 	
> 	
> 	
> E²
> 16
> 	
> 	
> 79388132
> 	
> 	
> 12/19/23
> 	
> 	
> 	
> 	
> BELIGHT³
> 17
> 	
> 	
> 79409085
> 	
> 	
> 01/19/24
> 	
> 	
> 	
> 	
> A³-SHIELD
> 18
> 	
> 	
> 79400216
> 	
> 	
> 05/23/24
> 	
> 	
> 	
> 	
> EI²
> 19
> 	
> 	
> 79401538
> 	
> 	
> 05/23/24
> 	
> 	
> 	
> 	
> EMPOWERED INTELLIGENCE ²
> 20
> 	
> 	
> 79416052
> 	
> 	
> 11/28/24
> 	
> 	
> 	
> 	
> PIËCH DUAL²DRIVE
>
>
> You likely noticed that *Madrid applications dominate this list*.  
> Perhaps the software for Madrid applications could use further 
> enhancements to check that all characters occurring in standard 
> character marks *_comply with USPTO's standards for standard character 
> marks?_*
>
> Most of these trademarks have either the superscript ² or ³ characters 
> in the wordmark, but those characters are NOT included on the USPTO's 
> standard character list 
> (https://www.uspto.gov/trademarks/standard-character-set 
> <https://www.uspto.gov/trademarks/standard-character-set>), plus 
> section *807.04(b)    When Special Form Drawing Is Required* of the 
> TMEP states:
>
> A special form drawing is required for marks that contain 
> superscripts, subscripts, exponents, or other characters that are not 
> in the USPTO’s standard character set. /In re AFG Indus. Inc./, 17 
> USPQ2d 1162, 1164 (TTAB 1990) (requiring special form drawing for 
> raised numeral).  See *TMEP §807.03(b) 
> <https://tmep.uspto.gov/RDMS/TMEP/current#/current/TMEP-800d1e1215.html>* regarding 
> the USPTO’s standard character set.
>
> Sadly, for the occurrences of the superscript ² or ³ characters in the 
> wordmark, many of the trademarks are already registered. I'm guessing 
> that complicates removal of the standard character claim and using the 
> *STYLIZED TEXT* mark drawing code for these trademarks? Maybe a 
> *Public Note* could be added to TSDR for these registrations to admit 
> that the standard characters claim was included in these registrations 
> in error?
>
> For #3, STORE¯CHAIN, the ¯ character is not included in the standard 
> character list, but this trademark is registered, so maybe again a 
> *Public Note* could be added to TSDR for these registrations to admit 
> that the standard characters claim was included in these registrations 
> in error?
>
> For #11, CURIO NO¯MERY, the drawing shows *Curio Nōmery*, where *ō* is 
> the standard character with decimal value* 333* and is described as 
> *omacr - latin small letter o with macron*.  Now that TRAM/TSDR can 
> handle characters with decimal values over 255, I recommend manually 
> correcting the wordmark to *CURIO NŌMERY* ASAP!
>
> For #12, KASTRA ELI*?¯*N, the *?¯* sequence is particularly annoying 
> (the unexpected *?* and the *¯* invalid character for a standard 
> character mark.  The drawing shows *KĀSTRA ELIŌN* and I recommend 
> manually correcting the wordmark to *KĀSTRA ELIŌN* as TRAM/TSDR can 
> now handle characters with decimal values over 255.
>
> For #15 thru #20 with superscript ² or ³ characters in the wordmark 
> entries, I recommend cancelling the standard character claims and 
> converting the trademarks to *stylized text* ASAP to prevent these 
> trademarks from becoming registrations with the standard character claim.
>
>
> Hope this helps,
> Ken Boone
> USPTO IT Specialist (retired)
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>
>
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