USPTO Trademark Search Updates & Tips

A full list of USPTO search updates can be found at: https://tmsearch.uspto.gov/announcements.

Recent changes include:

• A “search builder” feature has been added to help formulate complex searches when searching by field tags.
• “Search by all” has been replaced with “General search” and is now the default “searcher,” which provides more relevant results at the top of the page.
  

Some of the new search menu options do not require field tags. For example, if you use the “Owner” search option or the “Wordmark” search option, you only need to enter the owner name or the word mark; no field tag is needed, and no parentheses are needed for multiple words (e.g. you can simply enter Acme Corporation or Acme Anvils). These search options will also generate a second search field: “Refine search by goods or services.” No field tags are needed in the “Refine search by goods or services” field; for example: entering Acme Corporation in the “Owner” search field and entering “nail polish” OR cosmetics in the Refine search by goods or services field will return marks owned by Acme Corporation that recite nail polish or cosmetics.

Most helpful update: One of the new search menu options is “Field tag and Search builder.” To use this option:

1. Enter your primary search term using the proper field tag (e.g., CM:acme to search ACME as a mark)
2. Click on “Search builder” (directly below the primary search field)
3. Use the drop-down menu to choose a field tag to refine your search (e.g., click GS to search for particular goods or services)
4. Enter the goods/services of interest (e.g., machine) in the “Search text” box
5. Click “Build”

The primary search field will now show the search parameters as: CM:acme AND GS:machine. Click the search icon to retrieve your results.

You can use the “Search builder” menu to add further search fields, such as LD (to limit your search to only “live” i.e., active registrations and applications) or ON (if you are only interested in marks by a certain owner).

A list of field tags can be found at: https://www.uspto.gov/sites/default/files/documents/TM-FederalTrademarkSearching-FieldTags-handout.pdf. Using the “Search builder” option makes it easier to add search fields -- you don’t have to memorize them or look them up!

Helpful hint: To search using field tags, choose either “General Search” or “Field tag and Search builder” from the search dropdown (default is “General Search”) and use “Expert” mode.