We made several enhancements in the latest releases of the Trademark Electronic Application System (TEAS) and the Trademark Electronic Application System International (TEASi). The significant changes are listed below. The releases will occur on May 5, 2018.
For questions about the releases, please email TEAS@uspto.gov (link sends e-mail).
Post-registration forms
- Saved copies of post-registration forms will show the proper error message for saved forms created prior to a new software release.
- Post-registration forms will calculate the additional grace period fee correctly during the e-signature process.
- For the convenience of registrants responding to office actions, the Post-Registration Response to Office action form will have a field for entering a description of the specimen.
- The text in owner and entity information section will be reformatted and clarified to help prevent the accidental misuse of these fields.
Request to delete §1(b) basis form error corrected
Previously, the Request to Delete §1(b) Basis form had an error in which the user could not delete a §1(b) basis when one class was assigned to §1(b) and §44(e) and the other class was assigned to both §1(a) and §44(e). This will be corrected and users can take all legally possible actions.
Mark description limitation
Users will be able to enter mark descriptions of no more than 4,000 characters. This will improve database response, search results, and ensure concise mark descriptions.
TEAS PDF margins
In certain situations, TEAS-generated PDFs would fail to wrap lines properly, resulting in extremely wide PDF margins that ran off the page. This error will be corrected and TEAS-generated PDFs will wrap normally.
Postal code requirements
In compliance with USPS Publication 141 (link is external), TEAS requires applicants and registrants in some countries to provide a postal code. The warning message on the form will make this clear.
ID Manual selection
This version of TEAS corrects an error in which apostrophes in some ID Manual entries caused and unexpected deletion of text from the applicant's goods and/or services. All ID Manual entries will function normally.
Owner name order
When changing between an individual owner and a corporate entity in a post-registration context, TEAS had an error in which words of the owner's name would be reversed. This error will be corrected.
Revocation/appointment form fixes
An error causing the Revocation/Appointment form to save an "empty" form to the user's computer will be fixed. Users will be able to use this form to only appoint a domestic representative, if they wish to. Previous functionality allowed this action only in concert with other actions.
TEAS collective mark application
Users will be able to file a collective mark application without being required to submit a "method of control" statement unless they have one or more goods and/or services that have a §1(a) basis. See 37 CFR §2.44.
Change of correspondence address email notification
This version of TEAS enhances some forms when the correspondence address is changed. A notification email will automatically be sent to the previous email correspondence address of record (assuming email communication with the USPTO is authorized for that address). This change will improve security for all applicants and registrants.
In some rare situations in the past, a new correspondence address would be uploaded to the database but not appear in the filing documents as displayed in TSDR. This will be corrected.
Additional attorneys
Some TEAS forms had an unnecessary limit on the number of characters in the "other appointed attorneys" field. This limit will be removed so law firms may more accurately list the additional attorneys on a file.
Corrections of minor form errors
- The Request for Extension of Time form will show the owner's email address correctly.
- An extraneous word will be removed from the handwritten declarations to bring them in line with all other declarations contained in TEAS forms.
- Statement of Use e-signature declaration display will be corrected.
- Typographical errors will be corrected in several forms.
- A handful of §508 issues will be corrected.
- The filing documents as displayed in TSDR will be modified for increased clarity.
- On the Petition to Revive for Failure to File Timely Statement of Use or Extension Request form, the language about deleting an entire class/processing it with a request to divide will be clarified.
TEASi
- Corrected error in subsequent designation forms that prevented users from selecting all countries for subsequent designation. Users will be able to select all countries if they wish.
- Improved limitations section for user-friendliness and to correct minor errors.