USPTO Trademark Search

Where Trademark Records Live

US federal trademarks are administered by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). The official search database is the Trademark Search system at tmsearch.uspto.gov, which replaced the older TESS and TSDR systems. Searches are free. State-level trademarks also exist in each state's registry, but a federal registration is the stronger asset and the one most verification processes check.

How to Read a Trademark Record

A complete USPTO record contains five things that matter for verification:

• Mark and serial number — the serial number is the unique identifier; always record it, because the same word can be registered by different owners in different classes.
• Status: Live or Dead — "Live" means the registration (or application) is currently in force. "Dead" covers abandoned applications, cancelled registrations, and expired marks — a company advertising a dead mark as protected is a disclosure problem.
• Owner — the current owner of record. Ownership transfers appear as assignments; a mark registered to one company but used by another should prompt questions about licensing or a missed assignment filing.
• Classes (goods and services) — marks are registered per class; a company may own the mark for one class and have no protection in the class where it actually does business.
• Filing and registration dates — the registration date matters for priority in disputes, and the timeline shows how long the brand has been in use.

Why Trademark Checks Belong in Business Verification

• Brand ownership proof — the owner of record on a live registration is strong evidence of who controls the brand.
• Merger and acquisition trails — assignment records show when a brand changed hands, which can reveal acquisitions that never made the news.
• Fraud indicators — a company claiming a registered trademark that is actually dead or registered to someone else is a pattern seen in counterfeit and impersonation schemes.
• Name-confusion triage — when two companies share a name, the trademark record (live mark, owner, earliest use date) is often the decisive document.

Use the free search here to check a mark quickly, and include the trademark record in the Full Intelligence Report when a counterparty's brand position matters to your deal.