Trademark ResearchThe agency offers three interfaces for searching TESS. Two of these - Structured and Free Form - require advanced search skills. New searchers, or searchers unfamiliar with this type of research, might prefer the "New User" or basic form. Researchers will find several free databases at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). The trademark databases provide access to pending and registered federal trademark records and documents. You will not find information pertaining to state, foreign or common law marks. While adequate for many types of trademark research, TESS has limitations, or more precisely, a few peculiarities. For example, it saves system resources by deactivating sessions where it detects no activity. In other words, if you fail to interact with TESS, it logs you off and loses the search results. There are several databases for conducting free copyright or trademark research. Trademark research might concern clearing the name of a new business, product or service for use in commerce. It might involve monitoring new trademark applications, business filings and domain name registrations for potential infringements. Particularly useful for preliminary research to clear a trademark for use, is the Trademark Electronic Search System (TESS). TESS contains information about pending and registered marks, as well as trademarks that became inactive after 1984. TESS is remarkably current: Information about paper or electronic filings appears in the database in about one month or two weeks, respectively. As businesses find their need for this kind of information increasing, many tighten their research budgets. It's a good thing then that much of the information is available for free. The USPTO does a good job of documenting this database's oddities. For best results, read the help section and perform several trial-and-error queries. If necessary, consult a research or trademark professional. | |
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