US Patent and Trademark Office Awards InterNACHI a new Federal Certification Mark!

[Nick Gromicko]

I am pleased to announce that after several years, the United States Patent and Trademark Office has issued InterNACHI a Notice of Allowance for the new "Certified Professional Inspector (CPI)" professional designation.

[Joe Farsetta]

CREIA Inspectors have bragged in the past about how they are also CPIs. I believe TAREI has a similar designation.

Not anymore.

This will likely be a HUGE boost for my friend Keith Swift and the crew at his CalNACHI.

For those with dual memberships, there is no problem. For those not NACHI members, there's a huge problem. Webmasters in California and Texas are anxiously awaiting instructions to remove CPI references from CREIA member websites. Printing companies are also likely waiting orders for new brochures and business cards.

For those who believe they already occupied the field while using these designations n the past, let me explain:

The period to protest this as a registered designation began way back in 2005 and went on for the past three years...

Apparently no one protested.

[Nick Gromicko]

Correct, the opposition window is now closed.

[Michael R. Boyett]

TAREI should have protested if they were concerned shouldn't they? Is this another designation for all iNACHI members to use or are there additional requirements? TAREI's CPI designation has required:

[Frank M. Carrio, CMI]

Originally Posted by gromicko

I am pleased to announce that after several years, the United States Patent and Trademark Office has issued InterNACHI a Notice of Allowance for the new "Certified Professional Inspector (CPI)" professional designation.

Congratulations!

It is surprising how you as an individual think "so far ahead" and all of the rest of us just sit and think...... Damn! Nick has really got his chit together!

I am sure that there are MANY who just had a baby walrus over this matter!

[David Nice]

Nick,

Any planned additional requirments for this designation?

[Scott Patterson]

Originally Posted by dnice

Any planned additional requirments for this designation?

According to the USPTO website Certified Professional Inspector is for compliance of environmental regulations:

Word Mark CERTIFIED PROFESSIONAL INSPECTOR (CPI)Goods and ServicesIC B . US B . G & S: Inspections of residential and commerical buildings, including inspections of said buildings to determine compliance with environmental regulationsStandard Characters ClaimedMark Drawing Code(4) STANDARD CHARACTER MARKSerial Number78741238Filing DateOctober 26, 2005Current Filing Basis1BOriginal Filing Basis1BPublished for OppositionJanuary 15, 2008Owner(APPLICANT) INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF CERTIFIED HOME INSPECTORS CORPORATION COLORADO 1750 30TH STREET BOULDER COLORADO 80301Assignment RecordedASSIGNMENT RECORDEDAttorney of RecordMark CohenDisclaimerNO CLAIM IS MADE TO THE EXCLUSIVE RIGHT TO USE CERTIFIED PROFESSIONAL INSPECTOR APART FROM THE MARK AS SHOWNType of MarkCERTIFICATION MARKRegisterPRINCIPALOther DataThe certification mark, as used by persons authorized by the certifier, certifies that the inspections of residential and commercial buildings provided have been performed by an inspector who has met the online examination requirements as established by the certifierLive/Dead IndicatorLIVE

[David Nice]

Originally Posted by Scott Patterson

According to the USPTO website Certified Professional Inspector is for compliance of environmental regulations:

Word Mark CERTIFIED PROFESSIONAL INSPECTOR (CPI)Goods and ServicesIC B . US B . G & S: Inspections of residential and commerical buildings, including inspections of said buildings to determine compliance with environmental regulations...

Scott,

How you read that to mean "inspections...to determine compliance with environmental regulations..." ONLY, is beyond me.

The proper interpretation is that the "mark" is for residential and commercial inspections AND "inspections...to determine compliance with environmental regulations..."

[Nick Gromicko]

David is correct, hence the word ",including..."

[dmcauley]

Great job Nick et al. what is the next step in the process for granting the CPI?

[John McKenna]

Originally Posted by dnice

Scott,

How you read that to mean "inspections...to determine compliance with environmental regulations..." ONLY, is beyond me.

The proper interpretation is that the "mark" is for residential and commercial inspections AND "inspections...to determine compliance with environmental regulations..."

Touché

[Scott Patterson]

Originally Posted by dnice

Scott,

How you read that to mean "inspections...to determine compliance with environmental regulations..." ONLY, is beyond me.

The proper interpretation is that the "mark" is for residential and commercial inspections AND "inspections...to determine compliance with environmental regulations..."

Sorry for misspeaking, you are correct. I missed "including".

What does the disclaimer mean:

Disclaimer NO CLAIM IS MADE TO THE EXCLUSIVE RIGHT TO USE CERTIFIED PROFESSIONAL INSPECTOR APART FROM THE MARK AS SHOWN

Was this added because of all of the other uses of CPI that are listed on the USPTO site?

[Scott Patterson]

Originally Posted by mboyett

TAREI should have protested if they were concerned shouldn't they? Is this another designation for all iNACHI members to use or are there additional requirements? TAREI's CPI designation has required:
Attachment 20478

I would imagine that some objections will be filed with the USPTO over this, as CPI is and has been used by many organizations, even outside of the home inspection profession.

[Nick Gromicko]

It means that we didn't procure the mark by making a claim that we control the words "Certified" or "Professional" or "Inspector" individually. This is a normal disclaimer that must be made when an application contains commonly used words so that it is clear we are not asking for exclusive rights to those words.... only those words in that particular order "Certified Professional Inspector."

An example of marks that need not make such a disclaimer are less generic like "Xerox" or "Spandex."

[Nick Gromicko]

Scott, the Mark was advertised and the period of opposition is over.

CERTIFIED PROFESSIONAL INSPECTOR (CPI)

Standard Character claim: Yes

Current Status: Opposition period completed, a Notice of Allowance has been issued.

Date of Status: 2008-04-08

Filing Date: 2005-10-26

The Notice of Allowance Date is: 2008-04-08