Trademark Law: Update of Trademark Manual of Examining Procedure

On January 17, 2015, the United States Patent and Trademark Office issued the January 2015 Trademark Manual of Examining Procedure (“TMEP”), which incorporates changes made in accordance with the following rules:

• Renaming of Express Mail® to Priority Mail Express®, published October 22, 2014 at 79 FR 63036;

• Reduction of Fees for Trademark Applications and Renewals, published December 16, 2014 at 79 FR 74633; and

• Miscellaneous Changes to Trademark Rules of Practice and the Rules of Practice in Filings Pursuant to the Protocol Relating to the Madrid Agreement Concerning the International Registration of Marks, published January 16, 2015 at 80 FR 2303.

For a listing of all the changes, see the “Changes in the TMEP January 2015 Edition” document that is posted as part of the TMEP.