Search trademarks on the U.S. Patent and Trademark office.
If you own a business, you may have thought of a clever logo, symbol, business name or slogan that you do not want others to copy and use. This type of information, considered "intellectual property," might need legal protection. To protect your intellectual property, you can file for a copyright or trademark, depending on the nature of your "property." For example, you may want to trademark your business name. Before you file, though, you should run a trademark search and see whether someone else has already trademarked your idea.
Instructions
1. Log on to the United States Patent and Trademark Office website (uspto.gov). At the top of the page beneath the banner, there will be a navy blue, horizontal navigation bar, starting with a button that reads "About USPTO," followed by a "Patents" button, a "Trademarks" button and so on.
2. Click on the "Trademarks" button, which will take you to the "Trademarks Home" web page. In the top, left-hand column of the page will be six navy blue buttons starting with "Trademark Process," followed by "News and Notices" and so on.
3. Click on the "Trademarks Process" button in this left-hand column. An expanded, lighter blue list of buttons will appear below the "Trademarks Process" tab.
4. Click on the "Search Marks" button, which will be the second-to-first lighter blue button in this expanded column. A new window will open displaying the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office's "Trademark Electronic Search System" web page, also known as TESS. According to the website, TESS allows users to search the official database of registered trademarks and those that are currently in the application phase.
5. Choose your method of search. The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office website allows users to search by basic word, word or design mark. Click on your preference.
6. Enter your search term and click "Submit Query."
