The efforts by the Dogecoin Foundation to trademark the term ‘Dogecoin’ seem to have come to a complete halt following an announcement by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Apparently, the government agency has marked the application as abandoned after not hearing back from the foundation.
USPTO Says Dogecoin Trademark Application Is Abandoned
An X (formerly Twitter) user took to the platform to share the latest development in the trademark application by the Dogecoin Foundation. According to the screenshot of the email shared, the USPTO has dropped the application as it believes it has been abandoned.
The email which was dated December 13, 2023, explains that the reason for this move was because it had not received any timely response from the foundation to “Office action. It seems the foundation had let the deadline required for this response elapse without reaching out to the agency.
However, all hope is not lost as the USPTO explains in the email that the foundation can still continue with the application which they choose. In the case where the foundation did not actually receive the Office action in question, or if they did not intentionally delay their response, the email states that they can file a petition to revive the application.
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Terms of this revival to be included in the petition is a signature of someone with firsthand knowledge of the facts regarding the application stating that the delay was unintentional. Additionally, the foundation would have to respond to the Office action in the case they did receive. In the case that they did not receive the Office action, they are to file a statement saying that they did not receive it.
As part of the petition to revive the application, the foundation would also have to pay a petition fee, as well as an extension fee for time to respond to the Office action. The timeframe within which they can do this is outlined to be two months.
In the case where the Dogecoin Foundation did not actually abandon their application and the USPTO made an error, the email outlines that they can file a ‘Request for Reinstatement’. They would have to include proof of this, “such as a copy of an email confirmation issued by the USPTO that includes the date of receipt and a summary of the online submission,” the email read.”
Unlike a petition for reinstatement, a request for reinstatement carries no fee. However, the foundation does get the same two-month deadline to file a request for reinstatement.
In August 2023, the USPTO had initially refused the foundation’s Dogecoin trademark application saying it was too “generic for applicant’s services.” This was celebrated by the community which believes that Dogecoin does not belong to anyone.
