Trademarks > Notice Regarding Unavailability of File Wrappers

Between September 27, 2004 and until at least December 3, 2004, various of the file wrappers bearing the paper versions of pending trademark applications may not be readily available for public viewing. However, scanned images of these papers can be viewed through TICRS, the Office’s Trademark Image Capture and Retrieval System. Computers bearing TICRS are available at the public search room.

The Trademark Operation is currently housed at 2900 Crystal Drive in Arlington, Virginia. However, the Operation will be relocating to the USPTO’s new facility in Alexandria, Virginia. Different divisions of the Operation will begin to conduct business from the Alexandria facility at different times: some divisions will be housed at that facility as early as October 5, 2004, and others as late as November 2004. The Trademark Operation will generally begin packing all files currently stored in the offices of these divisions - - including file wrappers stored at the law offices - - approximately one day before the division is scheduled to begin work at the new facility. Once packed, the file wrappers will be unavailable until they have been unpacked and shelved at a central docket facility to be established in Alexandria.

As noted above, images of the contents of the files can be viewed through TICRS.

The following is noted as well. Since April 12, 2004, the Trademark Operation has not created paper copies of any electronically created documents. Hence, there are no paper copies of any submissions filed through TEAS, the Trademark Electronic Application System, on or after April 12, 2004. Likewise, there are no paper copies of communications issued by examining attorneys on or after that date. Thus, whereas the TICRS file for a pending application will always be complete, the unavailable file wrapper may not include all, or any, of the contents of a pending application.

The Office regrets any inconvenience that may result from the unavailability of the file wrappers.