What Is a USPTO Trademark Attorney?
A USPTO trademark attorney is a licensed attorney who represents clients before the United States Patent and Trademark Office in connection with trademark matters. This includes filing trademark applications, responding to office actions issued by USPTO examining attorneys, prosecuting applications through the registration process, and representing clients in proceedings before the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB).
While any licensed U.S. attorney can file a trademark application with the USPTO, an attorney who specializes in trademark prosecution develop deep expertise in the USPTO's examination standards, procedural requirements, and the substantive areas of trademark law that determine whether an application is approved or refused. At Blue Ridge Trademark, our attorney focuses exclusively on trademark matters, giving them the specialized knowledge needed to navigate the USPTO effectively.
Why You Need a USPTO Trademark Attorney
The USPTO's own data shows that trademark applications filed by attorneys have significantly higher approval rates than those filed by applicants without legal representation. This is because an experienced trademark attorney understand how to conduct proper clearance searches to identify potential conflicts before filing, draft descriptions of goods and services that satisfy USPTO requirements, select the appropriate filing basis and international classification, prepare specimens that meet the USPTO's stringent standards, craft persuasive responses to office actions that overcome refusals, and navigate procedural requirements that can trip up inexperienced filers.
Our USPTO Practice
Blue Ridge Trademark's attorneys handle all types of USPTO trademark filings, including new trademark applications (both use-based and intent-to-use), office action responses for Section 2(d) likelihood of confusion refusals, descriptiveness refusals, specimen issues, and all other grounds, statements of use and extensions of time, Trademark Trial and Appeal Board proceedings including oppositions and cancellations, Section 8 declarations of use, Section 9 renewal applications, Section 15 declarations of incontestability, assignments and changes of ownership, and Madrid Protocol international applications through the USPTO.