# TMEP § 1301.01(a): Criteria for Determining What Constitutes a Service

> Federal · Agency guidance · In force

URL: https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/TMEP_S1301.01(a)

## Section

- **Citation:** TMEP § 1301.01(a)
- **Heading:** Criteria for Determining What Constitutes a Service
- **Jurisdiction:** Federal
- **Kind:** Agency guidance
- **Status:** In force
- **Text as of:** August 14, 2026
- **Source:** Compiled text
- **Location:** USPTO TMEP / Chapter 1300 - Service Marks, Collective Marks, and Certification Marks / TMEP § 1301.01(a)

## Text

The following criteria have evolved for determining what
constitutes a service: "(1) a service must be a real activity; (2) a service must be
performed to the order of, or for the benefit of, someone other than the applicant;
and (3) the activity performed must be qualitatively different from anything
necessarily done in connection with the sale of the applicant’s goods or the
performance of another service."
Blizzard Ent. Inc. v. Ava Labs,
Inc.
, Ser. No. 91285851, 2024 TTAB LEXIS 259, at *10-11 (2024) (citing
In re Canadian Pac. Ltd.
, 754 F.2d 992, 994-95 (Fed. Cir.
1985);
In re Husqvarna AB
, Ser. No. 78899587, 2009 TTAB LEXIS 492,
at *4-5 n.3 (2009);
Carefirst of Md., Inc. v. FirstHealth of the Carolinas,
Inc.
, Opp. No. 91116355, 2005 TTAB LEXIS 600, at *33 (2005));
In re Betz Paperchem
, Inc., 222 USPQ 89 (TTAB 1984);
In re Integrated Res., Inc.
, 218 USPQ 829 (TTAB 1983);
In re Landmark Commc’ns, Inc.
, 204 USPQ 692 (TTAB 1979).

## Nearby sections

- [TMEP § 1301 Service Marks](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/TMEP_S1301.md)
- [TMEP § 1301.01 What Is a Service?](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/TMEP_S1301.01.md)
- [TMEP § 1301.01(a) Criteria for Determining What Constitutes a Service](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/TMEP_S1301.01(a).md)
- [TMEP § 1301.01(a)(i) Performance of a Real Activity](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/TMEP_S1301.01(a)(i).md)
- [TMEP § 1301.01(a)(ii) For the Benefit of Others](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/TMEP_S1301.01(a)(ii).md)
- [TMEP § 1301.01(a)(iii) Sufficiently Distinct from Activities Involved in Provision of Goods or Performance of Other Services](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/TMEP_S1301.01(a)(iii).md)
- [TMEP § 1301.01(b)(i) Contests and Promotional Activities](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/TMEP_S1301.01(b)(i).md)
- [TMEP § 1301.01(b)(ii) Warranty or Guarantee of Repair](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/TMEP_S1301.01(b)(ii).md)
- [TMEP § 1301.01(b)(iii) Publishing One’s Own Periodical](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/TMEP_S1301.01(b)(iii).md)
- [TMEP § 1301.01(b)(iv) Soliciting Investors](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/TMEP_S1301.01(b)(iv).md)
- [TMEP § 1301.01(b)(v) Informational Services Ancillary to the Sale of Goods](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/TMEP_S1301.01(b)(v).md)
- [TMEP § 1301.01(b)(vi) Clinical Trials](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/TMEP_S1301.01(b)(vi).md)
- [TMEP § 1301.02 What Is a Service Mark?](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/TMEP_S1301.02.md)
- [TMEP § 1301.02(a) Matter that Does Not Function as a Service Mark](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/TMEP_S1301.02(a).md)

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Source: Frix Law Library, https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/TMEP_S1301.01(a). Check the current official text before relying on it. Not legal advice.