A trademark is any word, logo, slogan, or design that identifies the source of goods or services. Federal registration with the USPTO gives you nationwide priority and the right to sue infringers in federal court.

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Search Before You Launch

A clearance search through the USPTO TESS database is the single most important step before naming a product or brand. Conflict with an existing registered mark can cost six figures in rebranding.

How to search →

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File the Right Application

Use-in-commerce (1a) or Intent-to-Use (1b) — picking the wrong basis is the most common reason applications fail. The USPTO filing fee is $250–$350 per class, per mark.

Filing guide →

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Protect & Maintain

Registration lasts 10 years but requires renewal declarations at year 5–6 (Section 8) and every 10 years (Section 9). Failure to file = cancellation. Abandoned marks are lost permanently.

Maintenance guide →

680,000+

New applications filed per year (USPTO)

Source: USPTO Trademark Dashboard 2024

~12 months

Average time to registration

For straightforward applications

87%

Of Fortune 500 companies have registered trademarks

Brand valuation research

$350

USPTO fee per class (TEAS Plus)

As of 2024 fee schedule

Browse by Industry Class

The Nice Classification system divides all goods and services into 45 classes. Your filing class determines the scope of your protection.

View all 45 classes →

💻 Electronics Computers, software, phones 👕 Clothing & Apparel Garments, footwear, hats ⚙️ Technology Services SaaS, IT, web services 📢 Advertising Marketing, retail, business 🎓 Education & Media Publishing, sports, events 💊 Pharmaceuticals Medicines, supplements ✨ Cosmetics Beauty, cleaning products 💳 Finance Insurance, banking, real estate 🍽️ Food & Drink Restaurants, catering, bars 📡 Telecom Broadcasting, messaging 🏥 Medical Services Healthcare, dentistry, therapy ⚖️ Legal & Security Legal services, investigations

Brand Origin Stories

The trademark decisions — and accidents — behind the world's most recognized brands.

All stories →

Brand Story Nike Paid $35 for Its Logo A graphic design student created the Swoosh in 1971. Nike later gave her 500 shares. Read story → Brand Story Apple's Logo Bite Mystery The bite exists for scale — without it, the apple looks like a cherry. Designer Rob Janoff confirms it. Read story → Brand Story Coca-Cola's Bottle Is a Trademark The contour bottle shape has been federally registered since 1960 — no label needed. Read story → Brand Story Google's Name Was a Typo The founders meant 'googol' (10¹⁰⁰). A misspelling became the most visited domain on Earth. Read story →

Trademark Guides

Plain-English guides written for founders, brand managers, and attorneys.

All 50 guides →

Filing Guide How to Trademark a Name in 2026 Step-by-step USPTO process, from clearance search to registration certificate. Read guide → Costs How Much Does a Trademark Cost? USPTO fees, attorney costs, and the total real-world cost to register a mark. Read guide → Education Trademark vs. Copyright: Key Differences Which protection do you actually need? A plain-English breakdown for founders. Read guide → Legal Trademark Infringement: What It Means What counts as infringement, how enforcement works, and what to do if you get a letter. Read guide → Myths Poor Man's Trademark: Does It Work? Mailing yourself a copy does not protect your mark. Here is what actually does. Read guide → Strategy Why You Must Search Before Launch Rebranding after a cease-and-desist is 10× more expensive than a $350 search. Read guide →

How TMarkMetric Works

We ingest the full USPTO trademark dataset and make it searchable in seconds — without login, without subscription.

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USPTO Source Data

We index directly from the USPTO TSDR dataset — currently 97,000+ searchable trademark records, updated regularly. Every mark, every status change, every filing date.

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Instant Search

Our search indexes mark text, owner names, serial numbers, and class codes. Results are ranked by relevance and recency — no account needed.

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Brand Intelligence

Explore full portfolios for any brand owner. See how many marks they hold, what classes they protect, and their filing history over time.

Trademarks by State

Explore trademark activity and top brand owners in every U.S. state.

All 50 states →

🌴 California 🗽 New York ⭐ Texas ☀️ Florida 🌲 Washington 🌆 Illinois 🎓 Massachusetts 🍑 Georgia

Ready to search?

Search 97,000+ indexed U.S. trademark records instantly. No login required.

Search Trademarks → Read the Guides