Trademark Search – Basic Mode

The USPTO has been continually updating its new trademark search system since its launch in 2023. Recent changes and updates to the USPTO’s "Basic" search mode (i.e., not “Expert” mode – “Basic” is the default) and things to remember when using this mode, include:

• "General search" is the default search option in “Basic” mode and searches all of the following fields: wordmark, goods and services, serial numbers, registration numbers, owner name and address, and mark description. A “General search” for a word or name will likely return a large number of hits, so you will probably want to limit the results in some way. For example, searching ACME in the “General search” field returns nearly 5000 results.

• You can limit your search results to include only live, registered, pending, dead, cancelled, or expired marks by using the "Status filter" on the left side of the page (after you have entered your initial search term).  Limiting the ACME search to only "Live" marks reduces the hit count to fewer than 2000.

• Using the drop-down menu under “General search” allows you to limit your search to one of these specific fields: wordmark, owner, goods and services, mark description, serial number, or registration number. Limiting the "Live" ACME search to the wordmark field brings the hit count down to about 200 results.

• A "Refine search to goods or services" field automatically pops up when you enter a search term into the general, wordmark, owner, or mark description field. Remember that entering a specific term into the goods/services field will only return applications and registrations reciting that specific term – e.g., searching for "shirts" in the goods/services field will return ONLY marks reciting "shirts" – not "blouses" or "tops" or any other type of clothing.

• No field tags (i.e., USPTO-specific categories of search terms) are needed to search for wordmarks, owner names, registration numbers, serial numbers, or mark descriptions using the drop-down menu in “Basic” mode. However, you can still use field tags in “Basic” mode by selecting "Field tags and Search builder" at the bottom of the "General search" drop-down menu. (You must use field tags to use “Search builder.”)

• To use the “Search builder,” click on "Field tag and Search builder" (in the drop-down menu under “General search”). Click in the “Type to select field tag” box to choose the kind of field you want to search and add the text you want to be searched in “Search text.” (Remember, for word marks, the most relevant field tag will usually be “CM”). Click "Build." Your new search term(s) will now appear in the main "Field tag and search builder" search bar. Click on the magnifying glass icon to see your results. You can use “Search builder” to refine your search further by entering additional search terms and/or fields.

Go to https://tmsearch.uspto.gov/search/search-information to begin your search.