Back in the day (i.e., before November 19, 2011), trademark applicants could only list a single email address to receive electronic notices from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (“USPTO”). However, after the most recent version of the Trademark Electronic Application System (“TEAS”) was released (version 4.9), trademark applicants were allowed to list additional email addresses known as “courtesy emails.”
Unfortunately, numerous users complained that the notices were not being properly delivered to the courtesy email addresses. However, the USPTO has now confirmed that the problem with delivery of courtesy emails has been resolved. Apparently, the fix also led to a distinction between emails delivered to the primary email addresses and the emails delivered to the courtesy email addresses. According to the USPTO, the emails to the courtesy email addresses do not contain the “deep link” to access the Trademark Status and Document Retrieval (TSDR) system directly.
Therefore, when entering email addresses, it is still worthwhile to make sure that you designate your preferred email address as the primary email address, as the notices sent to that email address will contain the deep link.