Trademark office action · Attorney response
An office action invites a response — not the end. An experienced attorney reads the refusal, drafts the response, and files it inside your deadline, at any major registry.
Your deadline is firm: USPTO gives 3 months, EUIPO and UKIPO 2 months, IPIndia 1 month, CNIPA 15 days. Responses start from $150 — a flat fee quoted before any work begins.
Refusal read
Grounds confirmed
Response drafted
You approve first
Filed in your window
Deadline never missed
Trusted by founders and brands worldwide
How it works
Send us the office action, application number, and your goods and services as filed. We read the cited grounds, tell you the response approach, and quote a flat fee before any work begins — even if GTC didn't file the original application.
Once you engage us, your attorney drafts the response and shares it for your review and approval before filing. You see every argument before it goes to the registry — no surprises.
We file via the registry portal inside your response window and track the examiner's reply. One round of back-and-forth is included; if a further substantive response is needed, we quote it upfront.
What you're up against
When a trademark examiner reviews your application, they may issue a written objection citing prior conflicting marks, descriptiveness, lack of distinctiveness, or a formality issue. It's an invitation to respond, not the end of the road. The right strategy depends entirely on which family the refusal falls into.
Usually straightforward
Classification fixes, specification clarifications, disclaimer requirements, identification-of-goods objections, and other formality issues. These rarely threaten the mark itself — a precise, on-time response usually clears them and the application proceeds.
Quoted upfront per matter
Likelihood of confusion with an earlier mark, lack of distinctiveness, descriptiveness, surname, or prohibited-sign objections. These turn on argumentation and evidence — we scope the response and quote it before any drafting begins.
What it costs
Every response is a flat fee, quoted in writing after a free triage — never billed by surprise. The fee depends on the registry and the refusal type; substantive refusals take more work and are scoped per matter. Government response fees are usually zero.
What the response includes
Response fees vary by refusal type. We quote the response in writing before any work begins. Government fees, if any, are passed through at cost.
Start your response
Why GTC
Send us the office action and an attorney reads the refusal, confirms the grounds, and quotes a flat fee — before any work or payment.
A qualified attorney drafts the statutory response to the cited grounds, and you approve every argument before it is filed.
We diarise the registry response window and file inside it, so a missed deadline never abandons your application.
The same team answers office actions at the USPTO, EUIPO, UKIPO, IPIndia, CNIPA, and every other registry your brand reaches.
Your Customer Success Team
Every GTC client gets a dedicated Account Manager and a Senior Account Manager who learn your business and stay with you from first email to final filing. They are named people who pick up the phone and already know your matter, so every step moves forward without delay.
Your day-to-day point of contact, who coordinates every matter, keeps things moving, and already knows your file. They have your full history, so you start every conversation where the last one left off.
Senior oversight on strategy and escalations, stepping in as your needs grow, so every important detail stays on track.
A named person, on email or a call, at every step.
How we compare
| What you get | GTC | Online filing services | Doing it yourself |
|---|---|---|---|
| An attorney reads the refusal and confirms the grounds | |||
| Response drafted to the office's rules and filed in your window | |||
| A flat fee quoted before any drafting | |||
| Both procedural and substantive refusals handled | |||
| One team for office actions across 107 offices | |||
| Government response fees passed through at cost |
An attorney reads the refusal and confirms the grounds
Response drafted to the office's rules and filed in your window
A flat fee quoted before any drafting
Both procedural and substantive refusals handled
One team for office actions across 107 offices
Government response fees passed through at cost
The timeline
An office action runs on a fixed clock that varies by registry. Here is what to expect once you send it over.
The registry issues the refusal and your response clock starts — 3 months at the USPTO, 2 at the EUIPO and UKIPO, 1 month at IPIndia, and 15 days at CNIPA.
Send it over — an attorney identifies the cited grounds and quotes the response in writing before any work begins.
We draft the argumentation, you approve it, and we file through the registry portal — well before the deadline.
We monitor the examiner's response; one round of standard back-and-forth is included.
In their words
I've had the pleasure of working with Rajat for many years. He has expertly guided me through the process of registering my company in the USA, Canada, UK, Australia, New Zealand, and more. His deep knowledge of trademark law across jurisdictions is impressive.
Darius Tay, ID
ExcellentTrustpilotOffice action FAQ
Guides by registry
A dedicated guide for each major office, with that registry's deadline, the grounds it cites, and the response strategy. Issued somewhere else? The global guide maps the term and deadline for every office.
USPTO
3 months to respond
§2(d) likelihood of confusion, §2(e) descriptiveness, surname
See the United States guide
EUIPO
2 months to respond
Article 7 absolute grounds, Article 8 relative grounds
See the European Union guide
UKIPO
2 months to respond
Section 3 absolute grounds, Section 5 relative grounds
See the United Kingdom guide
IPIndia
1 month to respond
§9 absolute grounds, §11 relative grounds
See the India guide
CNIPA
15 days to respond
Article 30 prior marks, Article 11 distinctiveness, Article 10 prohibited signs
See the China guide
Any registry
Filed elsewhere, or not sure what your office calls the refusal? The global guide maps the term and the deadline for every trademark office.
See the global guide
Got an office action and a tight deadline?
Send the refusal and your application file — a trademark attorney reads the grounds, shares the response strategy, and quotes a flat fee before any work begins. No obligation.
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