Code of Federal Regulations Title 37. Patents, Trademarks, and Copyrights § 37.2.173 Amendment of registration

(a) Form of amendment. The owner of a registration may apply to amend a registration or to disclaim part of the mark in the registration. The owner must submit a written request specifying the amendment or disclaimer. If the registration is involved in an inter partes proceeding before the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board, the request must be filed by appropriate motion to the Board.

(b) Requirements for request. A request for amendment or disclaimer must:

(c) Registration must still contain registrable matter. The registration as amended must still contain registrable matter, and the mark as amended must be registrable as a whole.

(d) Amendment may not materially alter the mark. An amendment or disclaimer that materially alters the character of the mark will not be permitted, in accordance with section 7(e) of the Act.

(e) Amendment of identification of goods, services, or collective membership organization. No amendment in the identification of goods or services, or description of the nature of the collective membership organization, in a registration will be permitted except to restrict the identification or to change it in ways that would not require republication of the mark.

(f) Amendment of certification statement for certification marks. An amendment of the certification statement specified in § 2.45(a)(4)(i)(A) or (a)(4)(ii)(A) that would materially alter the certification statement will not be permitted, in accordance with section 7(e) of the Act.

(g) Conforming amendments may be required. If the registration includes a disclaimer, description of the mark, or other miscellaneous statement, any request to amend the registration must include a request to make any necessary conforming amendments to the disclaimer, description, or other statement.

(h) Elimination of disclaimer. No amendment seeking the elimination of a disclaimer will be permitted, unless deletion of the disclaimed portion of the mark is also sought.

(i) No amendment to add or delete section 2(f) claim of acquired distinctiveness. An amendment seeking the addition or deletion of a claim of acquired distinctiveness will not be permitted.