The United States Patent and Trademark Office Updates The Trademark Manual of Examining Procedure

In November 2025, the United States Patent and Trademark Office (“USPTO”) updated the Trademark Manual of Examining Procedure to–

1. Incorporate relevant precedential decisions issued since the prior revision to the Trademark Manual of Examining Procedure in May 2025 and before August 31, 2025; and
2. Clarify or formalize several existing procedures.

Below is a list of the more significant changes along with the corresponding section of the Trademark Manual of Examining Procedure (“T.M.E.P.”):

1. Attorney recognition: Duration of recognition (See T.M.E.P. Section 604.03);
2. Signatures: Requirements for signatures (See T.M.E.P. Section 611.01(b));
3. Translation requirement – exception: Wording from obscure languages (See T.M.E.P. Section 809);
4. Bone fide intent to use: Bona fide intention to use the mark in commerce (See T.M.E.P. Section 1101);
5. Color marks: Functional or generic color(s) not registrable (T.M.E.P. Section 1202.05(b));
6. Doctrine of foreign equivalents (T.M.E.P. Section 1207.01(b)(vi);
7. Appeal Briefs: Applicant’s Appeal Brief (T.M.E.P. Section 1501.02(a));
8. Appeal Briefs: Examining Attorney’s Appeal Brief (T.M.E.P. Section 1501.02(b));
9. Petitions to the Director: Evidence and proof of facts (T.M.E.P. Section 1705.03);
10. Petition to Revive: Response to Nonfinal Office Action (T.M.E.P. Section 1714.01(a)(i));
11. Petition to Revive: Response to Final Office Action (T.M.E.P. Section 1714.01(a)(ii));
12. Section 66(a): Correspondence in Section 66(a) Applications and Registrations (T.M.E.P. Section 609.01(a)); and
13. Section 66(a): Replacement (T.M.E.P. Section 1904.12).