Instant trademark search
Look up any US trademark by name, owner, or class in milliseconds. See live, pending, and dead status at a glance — from a daily-updated copy of the public USPTO Trademark Case Files.
Trademark data sourced from the USPTO Trademark Case Files Dataset. Not legal advice. Always confirm in the USPTO TSDR before relying on it.
What is a trademark search?
A trademark search checks the US federal register for names, words, and phrases other businesses have already claimed. Instant searches all of them the moment you type — no forms, no waiting.
Before you commit to a brand, a trademark search tells you whether the name is already taken. Instant searches the full USPTO trademark register — millions of live, pending, and dead marks — and returns matches as you type, each tagged with its status, class, and owner.
How it works
Type any mark
Start typing a brand, product, or generic word. Matching US trademarks appear as you type — no search button, no page reloads.
Filter to what matters
Narrow by live, pending, or dead status, by international (Nice) class, or by owner. Switch between prefix, exact, fuzzy, and phonetic matching.
Open the full record
Click any result for filing and registration dates, owner, classes, and goods & services — then jump straight to the official USPTO record.
Instant results, refreshed every day
Most trademark tools reload the page for every query and run on stale data. Instant returns matches in milliseconds and rebuilds its index daily from the USPTO Trademark Case Files dataset.
Filter the whole register without a single page reload: by live, pending, or dead status, by international (Nice) class, or by owner — and switch between prefix, exact, fuzzy, and phonetic matching to catch look- alikes and sound-alikes.
Live, pending, or dead — status at a glance
Every result carries a color-coded status, so you can tell an available name from a taken one at a glance.
- LiveRegistered and in force — someone already owns this mark.
- PendingFiled and moving through examination or publication — not yet registered.
- DeadAbandoned, cancelled, or expired — the mark is no longer protected.
Instant vs. the USPTO database and paid trademark search sites
The official USPTO database is the authority — but it’s slow and built for examiners. Paid sites bury a quick check under upsells. Instant is the fast, free middle.
| Capability | Instant | USPTO search | Paid search sites |
|---|---|---|---|
| Instant results as you type | Milliseconds | Loads each query | Seconds, ad-heavy |
| Filter by status, class & owner | One click | Complex UI | Limited |
| Refreshed daily from USPTO data | Every day | Official source | Varies |
| Free, no account or upsell | Always free | Free | Pushes paid filing |
| Check domain availability too | Built in | — | — |
Instant is built for speed and clearance research — always confirm the official record in USPTO TSDR before you rely on it.
Naming a company? Check the domain, too
A name is only yours when the trademark is clear and the domain is available. Instant does both in one place.
Found a mark that looks clear? Jump straight to Instant Domain Search to check the matching domain across hundreds of extensions in milliseconds — the same speed, in the same place. Still hunting for the perfect name? The reverse dictionary turns a meaning into a shortlist of brandable dictionary words, each with live domain availability, and the business name generator talks the name through with you and checks every suggestion as you go.
Trademark search FAQ
A trademark search (or trademark lookup) is a search of the US federal trademark register — the database of names, words, and phrases that businesses have claimed with the USPTO. You run one before naming or filing to see whether a mark is already taken. Instant’s trademark search checks the whole register the moment you type.
Type the business or product name into the search box and read the results. Filter to live status to see marks that are currently registered or pending, and narrow by international (Nice) class to the goods or services you care about. A name is generally clearer when there are no live or pending marks for related goods — but always confirm the official record before relying on it.
Yes — it’s completely free, with unlimited searches, no account, and no upsell to paid filing services. We build it because founders searching for a trademark are usually searching for a domain name too.
The index is rebuilt every day from the public USPTO Trademark Case Files dataset, so status changes and new applications show up quickly. For the authoritative, real-time record, open any mark in USPTO TSDR before you rely on it.
Live marks are registered and in force. Pending marks have been filed and are moving through examination or publication but aren’t registered yet. Dead marks were abandoned, cancelled, or expired and no longer carry protection — though a dead mark can still signal that a name has been contested before.
Trademarks are registered within the international (Nice) classification — 45 classes that group goods and services (for example, Class 25 is clothing and Class 42 is software and technology). The same word can be registered by different owners in different classes, so filtering by class shows the conflicts that actually matter for your business.
It searches wordmarks — the text and standard-character marks that protect a name regardless of styling. Design marks (logos and stylized artwork) aren’t matched by their imagery here; for a logo clearance you’d also review design-mark records directly in the USPTO database.
Yes. Filter by owner to see everything a company has filed, and every result shows its serial number and registration number. Open a record for the full history — filing and registration dates, owner details, classes, and goods & services — with a direct link to the matching USPTO file.
No. A domain search checks whether a web address is available to register; a trademark search checks whether the brand itself is legally claimed. A name is only truly yours when the trademark is clear and the domain is available, so it’s worth checking both before you commit.
Yes. Open the name in the domain checker and you’ll see a live USPTO trademark preview next to the domain’s availability, WHOIS record, and history. Or start here: search the mark, then jump to the domain search once it looks clear.
No. TESS was the USPTO’s long-running search system; the USPTO retired it in 2023 and replaced it with its own Trademark Search. Instant is independent of the USPTO. It reads the same public case-file data and puts an instant, filterable search on top, so you can explore quickly and then confirm anything important in the official record.
No. It searches the US federal register only. State registrations, unregistered common-law marks, and other countries’ registers (such as the EUIPO and UK IPO) aren’t included. Our guide on how to choose a domain name lists the official search sites for other regions.
No. This tool is for research and is not legal advice. A full clearance also considers common-law and state rights and similar (not just identical) marks. Confirm anything important in USPTO TSDR and consult a trademark attorney before filing.