PTO Form 1957 (Rev 9/2005)
`
`OMB No. 0651-0050 (Exp. 07/31/2017)
`
`Response to Office Action
`
`The table below presents the data as entered.
`
`Entered
`
`Input Field
`
`SERIAL
`NUMBER
`
`LAW OFFICE
`ASSIGNED
`
`MARK SECTION
`
`85120231
`
`LAW OFFICE 113
`
`MARK
`
`http://tsdr.uspto.gov/img/85120231/large
`
`LITERAL ELEMENT APPLE
`
`STANDARD
`CHARACTERS
`
`YES
`
`USPTO-GENERATED
`IMAGE
`
`YES
`
`MARK STATEMENT The mark consists of standard characters, without claim to any particular font style, size or color.
`
`ARGUMENT(S)
`
`Please see the Evidence section for Applicant's arguments.
`
`EVIDENCE SECTION
`
`(cid:160)(cid:160)(cid:160)(cid:160)(cid:160)(cid:160)(cid:160)(cid:160)EVIDENCE FILE NAME(S)
`
`(cid:160)(cid:160)(cid:160)(cid:160)(cid:160)(cid:160)(cid:160)ORIGINAL PDF
`FILE
`
`(cid:160)(cid:160)(cid:160)(cid:160)(cid:160)(cid:160)(cid:160)CONVERTED
`PDF FILE(S)
`(cid:160)(cid:160)(cid:160)(cid:160)(cid:160)(cid:160)(cid:160)(4 pages)
`
`evi_17218103138-20150612181446713635_._esponse_to_Office_Action_for_APPLE_in_Class_45__Ref._923093_.pdf
`
`\\TICRS\EXPORT16\IMAGEOUT16\851\202\85120231\xml18\ROA0002.JPG
`
`\\TICRS\EXPORT16\IMAGEOUT16\851\202\85120231\xml18\ROA0003.JPG
`
`\\TICRS\EXPORT16\IMAGEOUT16\851\202\85120231\xml18\ROA0004.JPG
`
`\\TICRS\EXPORT16\IMAGEOUT16\851\202\85120231\xml18\ROA0005.JPG
`
`DESCRIPTION OF
`EVIDENCE FILE
`
`applicant's response to the Office Action that issued on December 17, 2014
`
`SIGNATURE SECTION
`
`RESPONSE
`SIGNATURE
`
`SIGNATORY'S
`NAME
`
`SIGNATORY'S
`POSITION
`
`/Yuka Sugar/
`
`Yuka Sugar
`
`Attorney of record, California bar member
`
`SIGNATORY'S
`PHONE NUMBER
`
`(408) 862-1844
`
`DATE SIGNED
`
`06/16/2015
`
`AUTHORIZED
`SIGNATORY
`
`YES
`
`(cid:160)(cid:160)(cid:160)(cid:160)(cid:160)(cid:160)(cid:160)
`(cid:160)(cid:160)(cid:160)(cid:160)(cid:160)(cid:160)(cid:160)
`(cid:160)(cid:160)(cid:160)(cid:160)(cid:160)(cid:160)(cid:160)
`

`
`FILING INFORMATION SECTION
`
`SUBMIT DATE
`
`Tue Jun 16 18:43:27 EDT 2015
`
`TEAS STAMP
`
`USPTO/ROA-XX.XXX.XXX.XXX-
`20150616184327956749-8512
`0231-53015e1ab7bd925a14b6
`da2b21139f236596a5ff2d063
`23b623cf1b886191ba7-N/A-N
`/A-20150612181446713635
`
`PTO Form 1957 (Rev 9/2005)
`
`OMB No. 0651-0050 (Exp. 07/31/2017)
`
`To the Commissioner for Trademarks:
`
`Response to Office Action
`
`Application serial no. 85120231(cid:160)APPLE(Standard Characters, see http://tsdr.uspto.gov/img/85120231/large) has been amended as follows:
`
`ARGUMENT(S)
`In response to the substantive refusal(s), please note the following:
`
`Please see the Evidence section for Applicant's arguments.
`
`EVIDENCE
`Evidence in the nature of applicant's response to the Office Action that issued on December 17, 2014 has been attached.
`Original PDF file:
`evi_17218103138-20150612181446713635_._esponse_to_Office_Action_for_APPLE_in_Class_45__Ref._923093_.pdf
`Converted PDF file(s) ( 4 pages)
`Evidence-1
`Evidence-2
`Evidence-3
`Evidence-4
`
`SIGNATURE(S)
`Response Signature
`Signature: /Yuka Sugar/(cid:160)(cid:160)(cid:160)(cid:160)(cid:160)Date: 06/16/2015
`Signatory's Name: Yuka Sugar
`Signatory's Position: Attorney of record, California bar member
`
`Signatory's Phone Number: (408) 862-1844
`
`The signatory has confirmed that he/she is an attorney who is a member in good standing of the bar of the highest court of a U.S. state, which
`includes the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and other federal territories and possessions; and he/she is currently the applicant's attorney or an
`associate thereof; and to the best of his/her knowledge, if prior to his/her appointment another U.S. attorney or a Canadian attorney/agent not
`currently associated with his/her company/firm previously represented the applicant in this matter: (1) the applicant has filed or is concurrently
`filing a signed revocation of or substitute power of attorney with the USPTO; (2) the USPTO has granted the request of the prior representative to
`withdraw; (3) the applicant has filed a power of attorney appointing him/her in this matter; or (4) the applicant's appointed U.S. attorney or
`Canadian attorney/agent has filed a power of attorney appointing him/her as an associate attorney in this matter.
`
`Serial Number: 85120231
`Internet Transmission Date: Tue Jun 16 18:43:27 EDT 2015
`TEAS Stamp: USPTO/ROA-XX.XXX.XXX.XXX-201506161843279
`56749-85120231-53015e1ab7bd925a14b6da2b2
`1139f236596a5ff2d06323b623cf1b886191ba7-
`N/A-N/A-20150612181446713635
`
`(cid:160)(cid:160)(cid:160)(cid:160)(cid:160)(cid:160)(cid:160)(cid:160)
`

`
`

`
`Response to Office Action — APPLE in Class 45 QSN 85120231}
`
`This is in response to the Office Action that issued on December 17, 2014 (the “Office Action”).
`
`Introduction
`
`In the Office Action, the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office (“PTO”) rejected Apple’s specimen
`filed with the PTO on November 7, 2014 (the “Specimen”) in connection with Apple’s
`Statement of Use purportedly because the Specimen “consists of several pages from the Apple
`App Store, which shows the mark [APPLE] being used in connection with downloadable
`software goods rather than with the services listed in the application.” (Office Action at 1.)
`
`Apple’s application, Serial No. 85/120,231, for APPLE covers “Personal and social services
`rendered by others to meet the needs of individuals, namely, online social networking and
`introduction services; online social networking services, namely, facilitating social interaction
`among individuals, social introductions, and for finding persons with particular hobbies, interests
`and backgrounds; providing a social networking website for entertaimnent purposes; security
`services for the protection of property, namely, monitoring of computerized data for security
`purposes” in Class 45.
`
`Representative screen shots from the Specimen are reproduced immediately below:
`
`im-mrmsdnwwcormuhsumwmawnulp
`O
`
`<
`
`I1 E]
`
`:J A
`
`. Z
`
`Apple
`
`fiunaa
`Myfioas MyPHonoApps Myinaaapps Updates Appsum
`
`EL:-">B"§’llII296Man11:-MJAMQE
`
`iPhone Apps
`
`-.
`
`.
`
`-
`
`oanaaa/e
`-«rm
`-rmo
`~47“... gig “$499
`use” -
`
`Imccasls
`
`-mu My rrwvas
`1
`
`Anew S1019
`
`D-aces
`
`Ualaiébafld
`
`“Fun:
`iPad Apps
`
`vm-u »
`rm -.
`
`90 El
`--Free
`«
`“nun .
`'-vr»-an
`--
`"Free vsma
`-5999
`
`‘U Ll M» Fn:-"J3
`1
`
`419‘: Sun
`
`Face:
`
`Fwd V. IP"vv=e
`
`Wm-.-.~ U
`
`US2008 7030790 1
`
`. m
`
`Masks
`
`ma w, nrrov-e
`
`

`
`.
`
`_
`.
`-
`7
`,
`.
`Sympfonw, No 9 V‘ k Must. Do 95. ‘humus New Wood‘
`Mvfiws
`Mywmwovwefinvs
`"‘vIPadApus
`Updates
`
`I11!
`Ill so
`NIBSOWI
`
`2
`
`2 ma my menus
`
`Find My Friends *
`Apme
`IE
`
`'
`
`Dual:
`
`R.uluvu-_;1I‘<:F>-Me‘!-'5
`
`R:-we.)
`
`Screenshots
`mu v
`
`anan
`
`. .-n. --— um. 3'30:
`Cllltsndon Mums School
`1 701 Rock SI
`Moumnm Vlow CA
`Umvea slam
`Lhuwn _.n1
`-.m~-we
`
`I
`
`mem-
`
`For the reasons set forth more fully below, the Specimen depicts valid use of Apple’s APPLE
`house mark in connection with the “sale or advertising of the [applied-for] services,” per
`Trademark Rule 2.56(b)(2), 37 C.F.R. § 2.56(b)(2), T.M.E.P. § 1301.04.
`
`Argument
`
`Apple respectfully disagrees with the initial findings of the PTO and requests that the specimen
`refilsal be withdrawn. The PTO argues that the Specimen depicts use of the APPLE mark with
`goods, as opposed to services. However, as the Board has noted, “[a]lthough it may well be
`software that is generating the [services], in today’s commercial context if a customer goes to a
`company’s website and accesses the company’s software to conduct some type of business, the
`company may be rendering a service, even though the service utilized software.” In re Ancor
`Holdings, LLC, 79 U.S.P.Q.2d 1218, 1220-21 (T.T.A.B. 2006) (finding that the advertisement
`specimen at issue created in the minds of purchasers an association between the INFOMINDER
`mark and applicant’s reminder services despite INFOMINDER being described as a “tool,”
`“product,” and “suite”); see also T.M.E.P. § l301.04(h)(iii). In today’s commercial context,
`consumers go to Apple’s App Store and access Apple’s software through which Apple renders
`various services, including online social networking and introduction services, as depicted in
`Apple’s Specimen.
`
`US2008 7030790 1
`
`

`
`In fact, recent revisions to the T.M.E.P. now account for the kind of service mark usage that
`Apple makes through the apps that are depicted in the Specimen:
`
`Software applications (‘apps’) for smartphones and computer tablets are now
`commonly used to provide services. Apps are simply the interface that enables
`the providers of the services to reach the users and render the services, and the
`users to access those services. Common specimens for such apps are usually
`screenshots of electronic devices demonstrating the apps delivering the services.
`Such a specimen may not always depict proper service—1nark use of the mark in
`connection with the identified services, bu.t it may be acceptable if the displayed
`screenshot clearly and legibly shows the mark associated with the identified
`services as the services are rendered or performed via the app. See TMEP §
`l30l .04(i), Example 15 (KURBKARMA).
`
`T.M.E.P. § 1301 .04(h)(iv)(D). This section of the T.M.E.P. is directly on point in this instance,
`as is the KURBKARMA example referenced in the section, a screenshot of which from TMEP §
`l30l.04(i). Example 15 is shown below:
`
`Il|.IlICSl'l1‘Vu'V\.'
`
`According to the T.M.E.P., this KURBKARMA usage is valid usage because “The iPhone®
`screen images clearly and legibly show
`the services being performed by the applicant via the
`app. Mark-services association is present because the mark is placed in sufficiently close
`proximity to the iPhone® screenshots, which show the services as they are accessed and
`rendered via the device.” Id. The present application is no different. As the screen shots from
`
`US2008 7030790 1
`
`

`
`the Specimen reflect, the social networking services covered by the application are shown being
`performed on the iPhone® screen images, and the mark-services association is present because
`the APPLE word mark is prominently displayed in larger font in sufficiently close proximity to
`the iPhone® screenshots, which show the services as they are accessed and rendered.
`Just as the PTO found the KURBKARMA app specimen from Apple’s iTunes Store to be
`acceptable service mark usage for online matching services in Class 35, so too should the PTO
`find Apple’s Specimen from Apple’s App Store to be acceptable because it shows directly
`analogous service mark usage of the APPLE mark with “social networking” in Class 45.
`
`Based on the above, Apple submits that the Specimen shows the applied—for mark in use in
`commerce in connection with the services recited in the Statement of Use, thereby complying
`with Trademark Act Sections 1 and 45, 15 U.S.C. §§ 1051, 1127. Apple trusts that this
`Response resolves all of the issues in the Office Action and that the Statement of Use is now in
`condition for acceptance.
`
`US2008 7030790 1