11. 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 the requirements of this act.

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, any amendments to the application that may be reasonably requested by the secretary or deemed by the applicant to be advisable to respond to any rejection or objection.

c. The secretary may require the applicant to disclaim an unregistrable component of a mark otherwise registrable, and an applicant may voluntarily disclaim a component of a mark sought to be registered. The disclaimer shall not 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 becomes distinctive of the applicant’s or registrant’s goods or services.

d. Amendments may be made by the secretary to the application submitted by the applicant upon the applicant’s agreement; or the secretary may require submission of a fresh application.

e. If the applicant is found not to be entitled to registration, the secretary shall notify the applicant and shall advise the applicant of the reasons for the denial of registration. 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 then be reexamined. This procedure may be repeated until:

(1) the secretary finally refuses registration of the mark; or

(2) the applicant fails to reply or amend within the specified period, in which case the application shall be deemed to have been abandoned.

f. If the secretary finally refuses registration of the mark, the applicant may seek a review in accordance with the procedures set forth in section 14 of P.L.1995, c.171 (C. 56:3-13.3b).

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 order of filing. If a prior-filed application is granted a registration, any other application for the same or confusingly similar marks shall be rejected. A rejected applicant may bring an action for cancellation of the registration of the same or confusingly similar mark upon grounds of prior or superior rights to the mark, in accordance with the provisions of subsection b. of section 14 of P.L.1995, c.171 (C. 56:3-13.3b).

L.1995,c.171,s.11.