(a) Upon the filing of an application for registration and payment of the application fee, the secretary may cause the application to be examined for conformity with this chapter.

(b) The applicant shall provide any additional pertinent information requested by the secretary, including a description of a design mark, and may make, or authorize the secretary to make, amendments to the application as may be reasonably requested by the secretary or deemed by the applicant to be advisable in order to respond to any rejection or objection.

(c) The secretary may require the applicant to disclaim an unregisterable component of an otherwise registerable mark, and an applicant may voluntarily disclaim a component of a mark sought to be registered. No disclaimer shall prejudice or affect the applicant’s or registrant’s rights, then existing or thereafter arising, in the disclaimed matter, or the applicant’s or registrant’s rights of registration on another application if the disclaimed matter is or has become distinctive of the applicant’s or registrant’s goods or services.

(d) The secretary may make amendments to the application submitted by the applicant upon the applicant’s agreement, or may require the submission of a new application.

(e) If an applicant is found not to be entitled to registration, the secretary shall so advise the applicant and shall advise the applicant of the reasons. The applicant shall have a reasonable period of time specified by the secretary in which to reply or to amend the application, in which event the application shall be reexamined. This procedure may be repeated until the secretary finally refuses registration of the mark or the applicant fails to reply or amend within the specified period, whereupon the application shall be deemed to have been abandoned.

(f) If the secretary finally refuses registration of the mark, the applicant may seek a writ of mandamus to compel registration. A writ may be granted, but without costs to the secretary, on proof that all statements in the application are true and that the mark is otherwise entitled to registration.

(g) In the instance of applications concurrently being processed by the secretary seeking registration of the same or confusingly similar marks for the same or related goods or services, the secretary shall grant priority to the applications in the order of filing. If a prior-filed application is granted a registration, the other application or applications shall then be rejected. Any rejected applicant may bring an action for cancellation of the registration upon grounds of prior or superior rights to the mark, in accordance with the provisions of Section 14230.

(Repealed and added by Stats. 2007, Ch. 711, Sec. 2. Effective January 1, 2008.)