Laws: Cases and Codes : U.S. Code : Title 15 : Section 1057


   
U.S. Code as of: 01/19/04
Section 1057. Certificates of registration

    (a) Issuance and form
      Certificates of registration of marks registered upon the
    principal register shall be issued in the name of the United States
    of America, under the seal of the Patent and Trademark Office, and
    shall be signed by the Director or have his signature placed
    thereon, and a record thereof shall be kept in the Patent and
    Trademark Office. The registration shall reproduce the mark, and
    state that the mark is registered on the principal register under
    this chapter, the date of the first use of the mark, the date of
    the first use of the mark in commerce, the particular goods or
    services for which it is registered, the number and date of the
    registration, the term thereof, the date on which the application
    for registration was received in the Patent and Trademark Office,
    and any conditions and limitations that may be imposed in the
    registration.
    (b) Certificate as prima facie evidence
      A certificate of registration of a mark upon the principal
    register provided by this chapter shall be prima facie evidence of
    the validity of the registered mark and of the registration of the
    mark, of the registrant's ownership of the mark, and of the
    registrant's exclusive right to use the registered mark in commerce
    on or in connection with the goods or services specified in the
    certificate, subject to any conditions or limitations stated in the
    certificate.
    (c) Application to register mark considered constructive use
      Contingent on the registration of a mark on the principal
    register provided by this chapter, the filing of the application to
    register such mark shall constitute constructive use of the mark,
    conferring a right of priority, nationwide in effect, on or in
    connection with the goods or services specified in the registration
    against any other person except for a person whose mark has not
    been abandoned and who, prior to such filing - 
        (1) has used the mark;
        (2) has filed an application to register the mark which is
      pending or has resulted in registration of the mark; or
        (3) has filed a foreign application to register the mark on the
      basis of which he or she has acquired a right of priority, and
      timely files an application under section 1126(d) of this title
      to register the mark which is pending or has resulted in
      registration of the mark.
    (d) Issuance to assignee
      A certificate of registration of a mark may be issued to the
    assignee of the applicant, but the assignment must first be
    recorded in the Patent and Trademark Office. In case of change of
    ownership the Director shall, at the request of the owner and upon
    a proper showing and the payment of the prescribed fee, issue to
    such assignee a new certificate of registration of the said mark in
    the name of such assignee, and for the unexpired part of the
    original period.
    (e) Surrender, cancellation, or amendment by registrant
      Upon application of the registrant the Director may permit any
    registration to be surrendered for cancellation, and upon
    cancellation appropriate entry shall be made in the records of the
    Patent and Trademark Office. Upon application of the registrant and
    payment of the prescribed fee, the Director for good cause may
    permit any registration to be amended or to be disclaimed in part:
    Provided, That the amendment or disclaimer does not alter
    materially the character of the mark. Appropriate entry shall be
    made in the records of the Patent and Trademark Office and upon the
    certificate of registration or, if said certificate is lost or
    destroyed, upon a certified copy thereof.
    (f) Copies of Patent and Trademark Office records as evidence
      Copies of any records, books, papers, or drawings belonging to
    the Patent and Trademark Office relating to marks, and copies of
    registrations, when authenticated by the seal of the Patent and
    Trademark Office and certified by the Director, or in his name by
    an employee of the Office duly designated by the Director, shall be
    evidence in all cases wherein the originals would be evidence; and
    any person making application therefor and paying the prescribed
    fee shall have such copies.
    (g) Correction of Patent and Trademark Office mistake
      Whenever a material mistake in a registration, incurred through
    the fault of the Patent and Trademark Office, is clearly disclosed
    by the records of the Office a certificate stating the fact and
    nature of such mistake, shall be issued without charge and recorded
    and a printed copy thereof shall be attached to each printed copy
    of the registration certificate and such corrected registration
    shall thereafter have the same effect as if the same had been
    originally issued in such corrected form, or in the discretion of
    the Director a new certificate of registration may be issued
    without charge. All certificates of correction heretofore issued in
    accordance with the rules of the Patent and Trademark Office and
    the registrations to which they are attached shall have the same
    force and effect as if such certificates and their issue had been
    specifically authorized by statute.
    (h) Correction of applicant's mistake
      Whenever a mistake has been made in a registration and a showing
    has been made that such mistake occurred in good faith through the
    fault of the applicant, the Director is authorized to issue a
    certificate of correction or, in his discretion, a new certificate
    upon the payment of the prescribed fee: Provided, That the
    correction does not involve such changes in the registration as to
    require republication of the mark.



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