Electronic Filing Tips for Trademark Electronic Application System (TEAS)
1. Read the TEAS Enhancements Section to know when new electronic forms will be available or enhancements will be made to existing forms.
2. Read the TEAS FAQs which present solutions to many frequently encountered problems.
3. Be careful to select the proper form. The USPTO receives a surprisingly large number of electronic inadvertent filings; e.g., a Section 8 & 15 instead of an intended Section 8 & 9.
4. Enter any e-mail address with extreme caution. If using the signature option wherein the form is sent to a third party via e-mail for signature, be very careful to enter the proper e-mail address of both the intended signatory and the ultimate filer of the application. If the provided attorney e-mail is incorrect, once the application is signed, it will not be returned successfully to the attorney for final submission to the USPTO. You will NOT receive an "Undeliverable" notice where an incorrect e-mail address has been provided; instead, that notice bounces back to the USPTO, since it originates from the USPTO server. The TEAS Support Staff will attempt to re-send the e-mail where the nature of the error is clear (e.g., a listing of .co instead of .com), but that is not always possible.
Similarly, be very careful in entering on the Validation Page the address to which the USPTO should e-mail confirmation of receipt of the electronic transmission of the form; otherwise, it will be delivered to "cyberspace." Please note, however, that where a SUCCESS screen is viewed after transmission, this confirms receipt at the USPTO, even if the separate e-mail acknowledgement fails to arrive for some reason. The confirmation can also be generated directly by using the button on the Success screen for this specific purpose.
5. If filing for a stylized or design mark, ensure that before even attempting to begin the electronic filing process that the required JPG image file is in the proper pixel range (between 250 and 944 pixels, in any direction). If an image for a specimen, the pixel range is not an issue; instead, ensure that the overall size of the attachment does not exceed 5 megabytes. If having difficulty with the image size, send the image to TEAS@uspto.gov and ask the TEAS Support Staff to re-size the image.
6. If scanning a mark image that is to be a black-and-white image, the scanner must be set specifically for black-and-white, not color. I.e., if the improper setting is used, the produced image may appear to be black-and-white, but will actually consist of thousands of colors, and will result in a mark image of unacceptable quality when received at the USPTO.
7. For lengthy recitations of goods and/or services, prepare the listing first as a Word or Word Perfect document, to be able to use the spell-check feature (which TEAS does not have). However, please note that, to avoid the introduction of unwanted characters in the TEAS form, which sometimes results from cutting-and-pasting a Word or Word Perfect document, first convert the document to a text format, using the .save as. and .save as type. features of Word or Word Perfect.
8. Once a form is successfully validated (i.e., the system has confirmed that an entry has been made for all mandatory fields), a Validation Page is displayed. From this page, the information that will be transmitted to the USPTO can easily be reviewed in various formats, e.g., in the simple INPUT TABLE format, and printed through the browser function, if necessary for firm records. It is critical to confirm at this point that all information is correct, because this is the data that will upload to the USPTO databases. All attached images must be the correct image files; e.g., if a specimen image file has been mistakenly attached as the mark, this most likely cannot be amended later in prosecution.
9. Use the Download Portable button at the bottom of the Validation Page, to save all work prior to submission of the form.
10. Do NOT wait until the very last minute to attempt an electronic filing, particularly where there is a statutory deadline. We make every effort to have the Trademark Electronic Application System (TEAS) available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. However, while TEAS is almost always available, credit card payments cannot be made from midnight to two a.m. on Sundays (although you can create a form during that period and save it for later use).
The site is sometimes down for scheduled maintenance, for which the USPTO generally posts advance notice. We recommend that you check the Current Server Status and Planned Outages page before beginning the filing process. Sometimes the site is also down unexpectedly. Although we try to restore service as soon as possible, this does not always happen as quickly as we would hope. Because of the possibility of an unforeseen problem (such as site downtime or Internet connectivity issues), we do encourage you to plan ahead when filing papers electronically and not wait until the last minute to file time-sensitive papers with the USPTO.
All forms filed via TEAS are time/date stamped when received on the USPTO server, according to Eastern Standard Time (EST) and EST controls for purposes of determining the timeliness of a document. Any submission that arrives as of 11:59 p.m. EST will be given that day's filing date (i.e., regardless of the USPTO's "normal" business hours).
11. Specific problems encountered during an electronic filing attempt should be reported to the TEAS Support Staff, at TEAS@uspto.gov, rather than to the Trademark Assistance Center. Please include your name and telephone number as part of the e-mail, should a specialist need to reach you directly.
12. For any proposed enhancements to existing TEAS forms, or suggestions for new forms (cf. reporting problems with an electronic filing, as set out in #11, above), please email eComments@uspto.gov. NOTE: A reminder that, whenever possible, upcoming enhancements and new forms are identified in the TEAS Enhancements Section.
