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examination of application and issue or refusal of registration
Sec. 212. (a) Upon the filing of an application for registration in proper form as provided in section 209, and upon payment of the fee provided in section 215, the Administrator shall determine whether or not the application relates to a design which on its face appears to be subject to protection under this title, and if so, he shall register the design. Registration under this subsection shall be announced by publication. The date of registration shall be the date of publication.
(b) If, in his judgment, the application for registration relates to a design which on its face is not subject to protection under this title, the Administrator shall send the applicant a notice of his refusal to register and the grounds therefor. Within three months from the date the notice of refusal is sent, the applicant may request, in writing, reconsideration of his application. After consideration of such a request, the Administrator shall either register the design or send the applicant a notice of his final refusal to register.
(c) Any person who believes he is or will be damaged by a registration under this title may, upon payment of the prescribed fee, apply to the Administrator at any time to cancel the registration on the ground that the design is not subject to protection under the provisions of this title, stating the reasons therefor. Upon receipt of an application for cancellation, the Administrator shall send the proprietor of the design, as shown in the records of the Office of the Administrator, a notice of said application, and the proprietor shall have a period of three months from the date such notice was mailed in which to present arguments in support of the validity of the registration. It shall also be within the authority of the Administrator to establish, by regulation, conditions under which the opposing parties may appear and be heard in support of their arguments. If, after the periods provided for the presentation of arguments have expired, the Administrator determines that the applicant for cancellation has established that the design is not subject to protection under the provisions of this title, he shall order the registration stricken from the record. Cancellation under this subsection shall be announced by publication, and notice of the Administrator’s final determination with respect to any application for cancellation shall be sent to the applicant and to the proprietor of record.
(d) Remedy against a final adverse determination under subparagraphs (b) and (c) above may be had by means of a civil action against the Administrator pursuant to the provision of section 1361 of title 28, United States Code, if commenced within such time after such decision, not less than 60 days, as the Administrator appoints.
(e) When a design has been registered under this section, the lack of utility of any article in which it has been embodied shall be no defense to an infringement action under section 220, and no ground for cancellation under subsection (c) of this section or under section 223.
certification of registration
Sec. 213. Certificates of registration shall be issued in the name of the United States under the seal of the Office of the Administrator and shall be recorded in the official records of that Office. The certificate shall state the name of the useful article, the date of filing of the application, the date of registration, and shall contain a reproduction of the drawing or other pictorial representation showing the design. Where a description of the salient features of the design appears in the application, this description shall also appear in the certificate. A renewal certificate shall contain the date of renewal registration in addition to the foregoing. A certificate of initial or renewal registration shall be admitted in any court as prima facie evidence of the facts stated therein.
publication of announcements and indexes
Sec. 214. (a) The Administrator shall publish lists and indexes of registered designs and cancellations thereof and may also publish the drawing or other pictorial representations of registered designs for sale or other distribution.
(b) The Administrator shall establish and maintain a file of the drawings or other pictorial representations of registered designs, which file shall be available for use by the public under such conditions as the Administrator may prescribe.
