What happens to a trademark application after it is filed?
Here is a description of the most common path for a newly-filed trademark application. Examination: If an application meets the minimum filing requirements, it will be forwarded to an examining attorney for review. The examining attorney will review the application to ensure that it complies with all rules and statutes, and will search the PTO database for any conflicting registrations or applications. The primary reasons a complete application will be refused at this stage are: • There is a likelihood of confusion with preexisting registration or application; • The mark is descriptive or deceptively misdescriptive of the goods/services; • The mark is primarily geographically descriptive or primarily geographically deceptively misdescriptive of the goods/services; or • The mark is primarily merely a surname. There are other reasons why an application may be rejected; however, these are the most common. Office Action/Response: If the examiner decides that the application should not proc
