On February 12th, PRL USA Holdings, Inc. (a holding company that owns many of Ralph Lauren's trademark applications/registrations), filed a federal trademark application for RUFF LAUREN with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. The application covers the following goods in Class 18:
Dog apparel; dog collars and dog collar accessories namely, bows and charms; dog leashes; dog parkas; dog shoes; dog carrying bags; pet accessories, namely, canvas, vinyl and leather pouches for holding disposable bags to place pet waste.Ralph Lauren filed this application on an intent-to-use basis, suggesting it is not currently selling the goods listed in the application under the RUFF LAUREN mark but has a bona (ed. - not bone) fide intention to do so in the near future. 15 U.S.C. 1051(b); TMEP 1101. Before this application can mature into a registration, Ralph Lauren must actually start using this mark in conjunction with the sale of the listed goods and submit sufficient proof of same to the USPTO. TMEP 1103.
It appears Ralph Lauren filed this exact same application back in August 2014, also on a intent-to-use basis. Ralph Lauren filed five six-month extensions of time to show the proper use of this trademark for the purposes of the 2014 application, which is the maximum number allowed. The final deadline for the 2014 application is February 24, 2018. If Ralph Lauren doesn't submit sufficient evidence showing use of RUFF LAUREN by that date, the 2014 application will go abandoned, which is probably why it filed a new application for the exact same mark covering the exact same goods. The owner of an intent-to-use application can request up to three years of additional time, in six month increments, to show use of its mark after the application goes through the examination process (which itself takes several months) and receives a Notice of Allowance. 15 U.S.C. 1051(d); TMEP 1108.01.
According to my quick search, PRL USA Holdings, Inc. owns 327 active applications or registrations with the USPTO.
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