		      INTRODUCTION


The purpose of this manual is to provide practitioners with
basic information generally useful for litigating cases
before the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board.  It is not
meant to modify, amend, or serve as a substitute for any
existing statutes, rules, or decisional law.  Rather, it is
intended to describe current practice and procedure
thereunder, as of the date of preparation of the manual.

Practitioners should bear in mind that statutes, rules,
decisional law, and practice and procedure thereunder are
subject to frequent change (albeit not by means of
statements in this manual).  Moreover, the manual is not
binding upon the Board, its reviewing tribunals, the
Commissioner, or the PTO.  Cf., In re Wine Society of
America Inc., 12 USPQ2d 1139 (TTAB 1989).

The bulk of the manual relates primarily to the two most
common types of inter partes proceedings before the Board,
namely, opposition and cancellation proceedings.  However,
the first chapter includes general information useful for
all proceedings, and the latter part of the manual contains
chapters devoted specifically to interference and concurrent
use proceedings, as well as a chapter pertaining to ex parte
appeals to the Board.

The manual will be updated periodically.  Suggestions for
improving the content of the manual are welcome.  They
should be addressed as follows:

     Assistant Commissioner for Trademarks
     Box TTAB No Fee
     Attention:  Chief Administrative Trademark Judge
     2900 Crystal Drive
     Arlington, Virginia 22202-3513

The title of the manual is abbreviated as "TBMP".  A
citation to a section of the manual may be written as
"TBMP _____" (e.g. "TBMP 110.01," "TBMP 113.06," etc.).
