Check the official public site
Open https://tsdr.uspto.gov/ directly and try a known application or registration identifier. A public-page failure suggests availability or browser trouble, not necessarily a bad API key.
TSDR API Troubleshooting
TSDR Not Working? Check 403, 429 and Service Availability
If USPTO TSDR is not loading, or your TSDR API request fails, first distinguish an official service interruption from a key, request format, rate-limit or document-availability problem. This guide follows published USPTO support information.
TSDR case workflow
- 1Known serial number
- 2Status + document lookup
- 3Source-backed verification
Trademark data accessStatus / Documents / Images
On this page
Direct answer
Why is the TSDR API not working?
Common causes include a missing or invalid key, an incorrect endpoint, request throttling, unavailable documents, or temporary USPTO maintenance. Check both the HTTP status code and response content.
Purchasing another key does not restore availability during a USPTO-wide outage and does not authorize bypassing rate limits.
TSDR not working: a five-minute decision path
Check the official USPTO status notice
Look for system notices and TSDR help information before changing credentials. A website reachable at one moment does not prove all API endpoints are healthy.
Read the HTTP response
401/403: verify authentication and permissions without exposing your API key. 429: check quotas and retry pacing. 5xx/timeouts: treat as possible temporary server conditions.
Verify the endpoint and case identifier
Status lookup, image download, and case PDF/ZIP downloads have different paths and limitations. Check the serial or registration number and the relevant published example.
Retry conservatively and log facts
Record timestamp, HTTP code, documented endpoint family and request ID without any key or confidential header. Pause/back off on throttling; do not rotate keys to evade caps.
Errors and next checks
| Symptom | What to check |
|---|---|
| 401 or 403 | Verify the service endpoint, key header, key status and authorization. A 403 does not always mean a key is banned. |
| 429 | Reduce request frequency and follow API request limits and backoff instructions. |
| 404 | Confirm serial/registration identifiers, endpoint format and document availability. |
| 500/502/503 or timeouts | Check official notices and retry conservatively after the issue is resolved. |
| PDF/ZIP download failures | Document-download limits may be lower than general request limits. |
TSDR rate limits
Published TSDR guidance has described limits of 60 requests per API key per minute and four PDF/ZIP download requests per key per minute. Check official documentation for current limits before production integration.
Published TSDR guidance has described limits of 60 requests per API key per minute and four PDF/ZIP download requests per key per minute. Check official documentation for current limits before production integration.
Troubleshooting checklist
Check official availability
Verify the public TSDR service and USPTO notices.
Check authentication
Confirm the expected endpoint and API header.
Test a known record
Make one small authorized request with a known serial number.
Review response
Use the error status and body to choose the next action.
Questions about outages
Does 403 mean a banned key?
Not necessarily. Verify the error response and access status.
Can I use more keys to bypass limits?
No. Follow applicable USPTO policies and limits.
Should I publish a failed request log?
Never publish an API key. Redact the credential before sharing diagnostic information.
Direct answer
First determine whether the failure is global or limited to your request
A failed TSDR request can have different causes: an official USPTO service interruption, a malformed URL, missing authentication, an expired or restricted credential, a wrong record identifier, or traffic above the published limits. Do not assume all 403 errors indicate a ban or that a newly purchased key will fix a service-wide outage.
Start by checking the public TSDR interface, official USPTO system notices and the most recent API response. If the public site also fails to retrieve a known record, investigate availability before rotating credentials or changing application logic.
How to diagnose common failures
401 or 403 authorization errors
Check the exact endpoint and expected authentication header, whether the credential is valid for TSDR, and the official access state. Never paste the full key into a public support message.
429 Too Many Requests
Stop immediate retries, reduce request frequency and respect both general and PDF/ZIP limits. Use an application-level queue instead of concurrent uncoordinated workers.
404 or unavailable case
Verify serial/registration identifiers, case type, endpoint path and document ID. A 404 is not proof that a trademark is legally dead.
500-series errors or timeouts
Check official USPTO status messages and repeat a small authorized diagnostic request after an appropriate interval; keep a bounded retry policy.
Unexpected HTML response
A proxy or gateway error page may be returned instead of XML, JSON or PDF. Inspect content type before trying to parse the response.
Incomplete or stale-looking data
Check official document/indexing delays and retrieve the current record again at a responsible interval before declaring a source data error.
Incident response sequence for an API integration
Pause high-volume activity
Stop automated bursts until you know the error type.
Capture safe diagnostics
Record HTTP code, endpoint category, date/time and truncated response description, with the key redacted.
Test one known case
Use one valid, documented status request at a low frequency.
Check service notices
Distinguish platform maintenance from a local configuration problem.
Correct or back off
Fix identifiers or headers for configuration errors; follow official retry guidance for rate-limit failures.
Re-enable conservatively
Restart limited traffic and monitor whether the original failure recurs.
Avoid unsafe troubleshooting advice
Do not repeatedly retry at maximum speed, rotate among credentials to evade limits, publish secret headers in debug output or market replacement keys as a cure for documented USPTO outages. Correct diagnosis is more useful than excessive request attempts.
Do not repeatedly retry at maximum speed, rotate among credentials to evade limits, publish secret headers in debug output or market replacement keys as a cure for documented USPTO outages. Correct diagnosis is more useful than excessive request attempts.
Detailed troubleshooting answers
Does a 403 response prove that my key is permanently banned?
Not necessarily. It means the request was not authorized; credentials, headers, scopes or a restriction may each be involved.
What does a 429 response mean?
Usually the request rate has exceeded a permitted limit. Slow down and review official rate rules.
Why did a PDF download fail while status XML worked?
Document downloads have separate, lower limits and may also be affected by missing document identifiers or unavailable source content.
Is every TSDR outage visible on the USPTO notice page?
Not necessarily immediately. Check official notices and perform a small authorized diagnostic rather than assuming a cause.
Can I request help with my integration?
Yes. Share a redacted error description, the endpoint category, timestamp and expected response—never the full API key.
Is USPTO TSDR down right now?
This guide does not report a live outage. Check the official TSDR interface and USPTO system notices at the time of your failed request. A 429 from your own application is not proof of a USPTO-wide outage.
What if the public TSDR case works but my API fails?
Compare the exact API path, identifier, key header, scope and rate limit. A functioning public interface and an authorization error can coexist.
Does buying an extra API key fix a 429 error?
Not necessarily. You should diagnose and respect the USPTO's quota and authorization rules, not distribute traffic across keys to circumvent restrictions.
Need TSDR API key access?
If you need access for supported public trademark status, document or image retrieval, review our $20-per-key offer. State your intended use, and our team will review the request before payment instructions are issued.