How to check a trademark for free

You do not need to pay anyone to find out whether a name is already a trademark. The US register is public.

What you are looking for

Live marks — registrations and pending applications that are still in force — that are the same as your name or contain it. Dead marks, ones that were abandoned or cancelled, do not block you. The register lists both, so read the status.

Where to search

The US Patent and Trademark Office runs the official search. It is free, and it is thorough, but it is built for attorneys. NamingBay searches it for live marks that contain your name and shows the result next to the domain and App Store columns. For the rest of the world, WIPO's Global Brand Database covers most countries, and the EU and UK registers each have their own search. Those sites block automated lookups, so NamingBay links you to them to check by hand.

How to read a match

A live match is not automatically the end. Check what it covers — the classes of goods and services — and whether it is a word mark or a logo. A word mark on a related product is the serious case. A logo mark in an unrelated field usually is not. The rule of thumb is confusion: could a customer think the two are connected?

When to stop and ask

If a live word mark in a related field contains your name, do not argue with the register. Talk to a trademark attorney before you commit. A search costs nothing. A rename after launch costs everything you have printed the name on. NamingBay is a register lookup, free and without signup, and not legal advice.

NamingBay is free and needs no signup. Registry and register lookups, not legal advice.