How to Search for a Trademark on the USPTO

Introduction to USPTO's Free Trademark Search

The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) provides free public access to its trademark database through its online search tool. Before investing time and money in a trademark application, it's essential to check whether similar or identical marks already exist, which could prevent your registration.

This guide walks you through how to effectively use the USPTO's search system to identify potential conflicts with your proposed trademark.

Basic Search Options

The USPTO search tool offers several basic search options for beginners. The default search mode is "search by all," which runs your search term through every word field in the database records.

For a simple search without technical parameters, you can use the dropdown options to search specifically by:

• Wordmark (the text of the trademark)
• Goods and services (what products or services the mark is used for)
• Owner (the company or individual who owns the mark)
• Serial or registration number (if you know the specific ID)
• Mark description (how the mark is officially described)

You can also use the buttons on the left side of the search page to filter whether you want to see:

• Live marks - Currently registered or pending marks
• Dead marks - Cancelled or abandoned marks

Advanced Searching with Field Tags

For more precise searching, the USPTO system allows you to use field tags. These tags help you search specific fields within the database and combine multiple search criteria.

To use field tags effectively:

• Field tags must be typed in ALL CAPS, followed by a colon
• The search term should immediately follow the colon, typically in lowercase
• You can combine field tags using Boolean operators: AND, OR, and NOT

One of the most useful field tags is CM: which searches through the word, translation, and pseudo mark fields. For example, to find marks containing "unicorn," you would search: CM:unicorn

When using field tags, the status filter boxes no longer work. Instead, specify the status with additional field tags:

• AND LD:true - for live marks only
• AND LD:false - for dead marks only
• AND RN:* - for marks that have ever been registered (both live and dead)

Searching Phonetic Equivalents

Given that many trademark names use creative spellings (like "Cheez-It," "Flickr," "Kleenex"), it's crucial to search for phonetic alternatives to your proposed mark.

When using sound matching, wildcards, or truncation in your search, you must include forward slashes at the beginning and end of your search term.

For example, to search for all variations of "BRIGHT":

1. Consider that the "b" sound could also be spelled with "p" - represented as [bp]
2. The vowel "i" could have variations - represented as [ieay]
3. The "t" at the end could be doubled or followed by an "e" - add {0,2} to allow for variations

A complete search string might look like:

CM:/[bp]r[ieay]gh?te?{0,2}/ AND LD:true

This would find variations like "bright," "brite," "bryte," "pright," as well as "brighter" or "brightest." If you're getting too many results, you can narrow the search by removing some phonetic alternatives or limiting the classes.

Searching by Trademark Class

Trademarks are registered within specific classes of goods and services. There are 45 international classes, and you can narrow your search by focusing on relevant classes.

Start with coordinated classes (CC:) which searches related classes together. For example, if you're searching for software-related trademarks:

CM:/[bp]r[ieay]gh?te?{0,2}/ AND LD:true AND CC:009

For more precise searching, you can use the international class (IC:) tag. When doing so, include related classes as well:

CM:/[bp]r[ieay]gh?te?{0,2}/ AND LD:true AND IC:(009 042 a b 200)

This example includes class 009 (software, computer hardware), 042 (computer services), and codes for collective and certification marks.

Searching for Design Elements

If your trademark includes graphical elements, you can search for similar designs using the USPTO's design codes. The design code system categorizes visual elements into numeric codes.

To search by design, use the DC: field tag with the appropriate design code. For example, to search for trademarks containing snowflake designs:

DC:01.15.09 AND LD:true

When searching multiple design codes, you can add notes in parentheses:

DC:(060102 mountain) AND DC:(01.15.03 lightning) AND LD:true

Conclusion

The USPTO's search tool is powerful if properly used. Start with broad searches and gradually narrow your parameters as you become more familiar with the system.

For businesses with significant brand investments, combining self-directed USPTO searches with the assistance of a lawyer or a professional trademark search services can provide the most comprehensive protection.