What is an office action and what are the differences between a minor office action and a major office action?

An office action is a refusal or rejection that the USPTO issues in the form of a letter if it thinks there’s an error or problem with your trademark application. A minor office action is issued by the examining attorney at the USPTO when the submitted application contains minor errors such as typographical errors or improperly formatted documents. A major office action is issued by the examining attorney at the USPTO when the submitted application contains major errors, resulting in registration refusals that will require extensive research and legal arguments to overcome. If the examining attorney at the USPTO determines there is a conflict between your trademark and a trademark that is either registered or pending in the USPTO because the marks are similar in sound, appearance, or meaning, he/she will refuse registration of your mark for likelihood of confusion.