Federal trademark protection in the United States is defined in the Lanham Act (15 U.S.C. §§ 1051–1127), which governs protection, registration, maintenance, and remedies for trademark owners. The Trademark Office of the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) handles the application and registration of trademarks.
You can search trademarks by using Trademark Search. Trademark Search is the public search interface for the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO)’s database of registered trademarks and prior pending applications. This is the same database of trademarks used by examining attorneys at the USPTO.
Trademark Search contains federally registered or pending trademarks and available information on inactive applications and registrations (i.e. abandoned applications or cancelled or expired registrations). It does not contain any information on state, foreign, or common law trademarks. Trademark Search is updated daily with new registrations.
The USPTO is the federal agency that grants patents, registers trademarks, and advises the Administration, through the Secretary of Commerce, on intellectual property policy. It primarily publishes information related to patents and trademarks, including laws and rules, how to search for a trademark, legal notices, examination guidelines, and general information about the trademark registration process, all accessible through their website. Below are some helpful publications on the patent process.
The Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB) is a tribunal within the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). The TTAB handles appeals involving applications to register marks, appeals from expungment or reexamination proceedings involving registrations, and trial cases of various types involving applications or registrations. For more information on the TTAB, see the publications listed below.
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