TTABlog Flotsam and Jetsam, Issue No. 15: Fee Reduction, New TPAC Members, TTAB Website Beta

Here's another edition of "Flotsam and Jetsam," wherein I provide, on an irregular basis, timely tidbits to the TTABar. The last edition was a mere nine months ago. Can't promise when the next one will be.



Trademark Fee Reduction: In a notice in the Federal Register on December 16th (here), the USPTO announced that certain trademark fees will be reduced as of January 17, 2015. In particular, the fee for filing an application will be reduced by $50 per class, and the renewal fee will be reduced by $100 per class. To quote the Federal Register notice:

[T]he USPTO reduces by $50 the fee for an application filed using the regular TEAS application form, and a TEAS request for transformation of an extension of protection to the United States into a U.S. application pursuant to § 7.31, from $325 to $275 per class if the applicant authorizes email communication and agrees to file all responses and other specified documents electronically during the prosecution of the application. This option will be known as a TEAS Reduced Fee (‘‘TEAS RF’’) application. The USPTO also reduces by $50 the fee for a TEAS Plus application from $275 to $225 per class and reduces by $100 the fee for a TEAS application for renewal of a registration from $400 to $300 per class.

Carl Oppedahl
At his blog, Ant-like Persistence - a name only a patent attorney could love - Carl Oppedahl suggests (here) that, when possible, one might delay filing a renewal application until after January 15th in order to save a few bucks. Also, if filing a new application before January 17, one might lump all the goods and services together and pay a single filing fee, then when the USPTO sorts things out and asks for more fees for the additional classes, one may pay the lower fee for the additional classes.

Two New TPAC Members: The USPTO has announced the appointment of two new members to the Trademark Public Advisory Committee (TPAC): Jonathan Hudis, a partner with Oblon, Spivak, McClelland, Maier & Neustadt, LLP; and Timothy J. Lockhart, of Wilcox & Savage, P.C. The full list of committee members, with biographical information, may be found here.

Hudis, Lockhart

Beta Version of New TTAB Website: Take a look at the proposed new TTAB website: here. What do you think? I like the current version, perhaps because I know where to find things. But then, I'm still using the original Blogger template from ten years ago. One thing I did notice that would improve this new TTAB website considerably: a direct link to The TTABlog.

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Text Copyright John L. Welch 2014.