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Trademarks > Change of Owner (Assignments) & Change of Owner Name

Change of Owner (Assignments) & Change of Owner Name

During the examination of a pending trademark application as well as after a trademark has registered, the owner of a trademark may change for various reasons. Some trademark owners transfer their ownership of a mark to another entity, which is called an assignment. In addition, some trademark owners change their names while retaining ownership. In both instances, the USPTO advises trademark owners to record the ownership transfer (assignment definition) or name change definition with the Assignment Services Division of the USPTO.

To record an assignment or name change, the owner must file a Recordation Form Cover Sheet along with a copy of the actual assignment or proof of name change. Requests to record documents in the Assignment Services Division can be filed through the USPTO website, at http://etas.uspto.gov. The recordation fee is $40.00 1 . Paper documents and cover sheets 2 to be recorded in the Assignment Services Division should be sent to:

Mail Stop Assignment Recordation Services
Director of the US Patent and Trademark Office
PO Box 1450
Alexandria, VA 22313-1450

1Locate the current fee schedule at How to Pay Fees to determine the current fee for assignment recordation (Trademark Services Fee Code 8521)

For further information about recording assignments or name changes, see TMEP §§503 et seq. or call the Assignment Services Division at 571-272-3350.

[Note: An applicant cannot assign an intent to use application before the applicant files an amendment to allege use under 15 U.S.C. §1051(d) of the Act, except to a successor to the applicant's business, or portion of the business to which the mark pertains, if that business is ongoing and existing. 15 U.S.C. §1060; 37 C.F.R. §3.16.]

2 The form for this purpose is # PTO-TM-1594 forms (Recordation Form Cover Sheet definition)

KEY: e Biz=online business system fees=fees forms=formshelp=help laws and regs=laws/regulations definition=definition (glossary)

Call the Trademark Assistance Center at 571.272.9250 or 1.800.786.9199 for help on trademark matters. Send questions about USPTO programs and services to the USPTO Contact Center (UCC). You can suggest USPTO webpages or material you would like featured on this section by E-mail to the webmaster@uspto.gov. While we cannot promise to accommodate all requests, your suggestions will be considered and may lead to other improvements on the website.


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