[Code of Federal Regulations]
[Title 37, Volume 1]
[Revised as of July 1, 2002]
From the U.S. Government Printing Office via GPO Access
[CITE: 37CFR2.161]

[Page 316]
 
              TITLE 37--PATENTS, TRADEMARKS, AND COPYRIGHTS
 
                         DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
 
PART 2--RULES OF PRACTICE IN TRADEMARK CASES--Table of Contents
 
Sec. 2.161  Requirements for a complete affidavit or declaration of continued use or excusable nonuse.

    A complete affidavit or declaration under section 8 of the Act must:
    (a) Be filed by the owner within the period set forth in 
Sec. 2.160(a);
    (b) Include a statement that is signed and verified (sworn to) or 
supported by a declaration under Sec. 2.20 by a person properly 
authorized to sign on behalf of the owner, attesting to the continued 
use or excusable nonuse of the mark within the period set forth in 
section 8 of the Act. The verified statement must be executed on or 
after the beginning of the filing period specified in Sec. 2.160(a). A 
person who is properly authorized to sign on behalf of the owner is:
    (1) A person with legal authority to bind the owner; or
    (2) A person with firsthand knowledge of the facts and actual or 
implied authority to act on behalf of the owner; or
    (3) An attorney as defined in Sec. 10.1(c) of this chapter who has 
an actual or implied written or verbal power of attorney from the owner.
    (c) Include the registration number;
    (d)(1) Include the fee required by Sec. 2.6 for each class of goods 
or services that the affidavit or declaration covers;
    (2) If the affidavit or declaration is filed during the grace period 
under section 8(c)(1) of the Act, include the late fee per class 
required by Sec. 2.6;
    (3) If at least one fee is submitted for a multi-class registration, 
but the class(es) to which the fee(s) should be applied are not 
specified, the Office will issue a notice requiring either the 
submission of additional fee(s) or an indication of the class(es) to 
which the original fee(s) should be applied. Additional fee(s) may be 
submitted if the requirements of Sec. 2.164 are met. If the required 
fee(s) are not submitted and the class(es) to which the original fee(s) 
should be applied are not specified, the Office will presume that the 
fee(s) cover the classes in ascending order, beginning with the lowest 
numbered class;
    (e)(1) Specify the goods or services for which the mark is in use in 
commerce, and/or the goods or services for which excusable nonuse is 
claimed under Sec. 2.161(f)(2);
    (2) If the affidavit or declaration covers less than all the goods 
or services, or less than all the classes in the registration, specify 
the goods or services being deleted from the registration;
    (f)(1) State that the registered mark is in use in commerce on or in 
connection with the goods or services in the registration; or
    (2) If the registered mark is not in use in commerce on or in 
connection with all the goods or services in the registration, set forth 
the date when use of the mark in commerce stopped and the approximate 
date when use is expected to resume; and recite facts to show that 
nonuse as to those goods or services is due to special circumstances 
that excuse the nonuse and is not due to an intention to abandon the 
mark;
    (g) Include a specimen showing current use of the mark for each 
class of goods or services, unless excusable nonuse is claimed under 
Sec. 2.161(f)(2). The specimen must:
    (1) Show the mark as actually used on or in connection with the 
goods or in the sale or advertising of the services. A photocopy or 
other reproduction of the specimen showing the mark as actually used is 
acceptable. However, a photocopy that merely reproduces the registration 
certificate is not a proper specimen;
    (2) Be flat and no larger than 8\1/2\ inches (21.6 cm.) wide by 
11.69 inches (29.7 cm.) long. If a specimen exceeds these size 
requirements (a ``bulky specimen''), the Office will create a facsimile 
of the specimen that meets the requirements of the rule (i.e., is flat 
and no larger than 8\1/2\ inches (21.6 cm.) wide by 11.69 inches (29.7 
cm.) long) and put it in the file wrapper;
    (h) If the registrant is not domiciled in the United States, the 
registrant must list the name and address of a United States resident 
upon whom notices or process in proceedings affecting the registration 
may be served.

[64 FR 48924, Sept. 8, 1999]

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