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Chapter 600

Attorney, Representative, and Signature

601 Owner of Mark May Be Represented by an Attorney at Law

601.01 USPTO Cannot Aid in Selection of an Attorney

601.02 Communications With Applicant or Registrant Who Is Represented by an Attorney

602 Persons Authorized to Practice Before USPTO in Trademark Matters

602.01 Attorneys Licensed to Practice in the United States

602.02 Non-Attorneys

602.03 Foreign Attorneys and Agents

602.03(a) Canadian Attorneys and Agents

602.03(b) Foreign Attorneys and Agents From Countries Other Than Canada

602.03(c) Documents Filed by Foreign Attorneys and Agents

602.03(d) Representatives of Holders of International Registrations

602.03(e) Identification of Foreign Attorney in Original Application

603 Standards of Conduct

604 Recognition as a Representative

604.01 Three Ways to Be Recognized

604.02 Duration of Recognition

604.03 Change of Attorney

605 Powers of Attorney

605.01 Requirements for Power of Attorney

605.02 Power of Attorney Relating to More Than One Application or Registration

605.03 Associate Powers of Attorney

605.04 Powers of Attorney Filed After Registration

606 Revocation of Power of Attorney

607 Withdrawal of Attorney of Record

608 Unauthorized Practice

608.01 Actions by Unauthorized Persons Not Permitted

608.02 Individuals Excluded, Suspended, or Unauthorized to Practice Before the USPTO

609 Correspondence, With Whom Held

609.01 Establishing the Correspondence Address

609.01(a) Correspondence in §66(a) Applications

609.02 Changing the Correspondence Address

609.02(a) Request to Change Correspondence Address Presumed

609.02(b) Requirements for Request to Change Correspondence Address

609.02(c) Processing Requests to Change the Correspondence Address Before Registration

609.02(d) Changing the Correspondence Address in Multiple Applications or Registrations

609.02(e) Changing the Correspondence Address After Registration

609.02(f) Correspondence After Recordation of Change of Ownership

609.03 Applicant Has Duty to Maintain Current and Accurate Correspondence Address

609.04 Correspondence with Parties Not Domiciled in the United States

610 Designation of Domestic Representative by Parties Not Domiciled in the United States

611 Signature on Correspondence Filed in the United States Patent and Trademark Office

611.01 Signature and Certificate

611.01(a) Signature as Certificate

611.01(b) Requirements for Signature

611.01(c) Signature of Documents Filed Electronically

611.02 Signatures by Authorized Parties Required

611.02(a) TEAS Checkoff Boxes

611.03 Proper Person to Sign

611.03(a) Verification

611.03(b) Responses, Amendments to Applications, Requests for Express Abandonment, Requests for Reconsideration of Final Actions, and Requests to Divide

611.03(c) Powers of Attorney and Revocations of Powers of Attorney

611.03(d) Petitions to Revive

611.03(e) Petitions to the Director

611.03(f) Amendment, Correction, or Surrender of Registration

611.03(g) Renewal Applications

611.03(h) Designations and Revocations of Domestic Representative

611.03(i) Requests to Change Correspondence Address in an Application or Registration

611.04 Examples of Authorized and Potentially Unauthorized Signatories

611.05 Processing Documents Signed by Someone Other Than the Applicant or the Applicant’s Designated Attorney

611.05(a) Notice of Incomplete Response When Authority of Person Signing Response is Unclear

611.05(b) Replying to a Notice of Incomplete Response

611.05(c) Unsatisfactory Response or Failure to Respond

611.06 Guidelines on Persons With Legal Authority to Bind Certain Juristic Entities

611.06(a) Joint Owners

611.06(b) Signature by Partnership

611.06(c) Signature by Joint Venture

611.06(d) Signature by Corporation

611.06(e) Signature by Foreign Companies and Corporations

611.06(f) Signature by Unincorporated Association

611.06(g) Signature by Limited Liability Company

611.06(h) Signature by Limited Liability Partnership

NOTE: This chapter sets forth the procedures for recognition of representatives, signature of documents, and establishing and maintaining the correspondence address in pending applications for registration, and documents filed with the Post Registration Section of the Office. For a statement of practice concerning representation of others, signature of documents, and establishing and maintaining the correspondence address in proceedings before the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (“Board”), parties should refer to the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board Manual of Procedure (“TBMP”), Chapter 100, available on the United States Patent and Trademark Office (“USPTO”) website at http://www.uspto.gov, or contact the Board at (571) 272-8500.