USPTO Trademark Search: Find candidates
Use trademark search to identify potentially relevant marks, owners, similar wording or industries under the search system's supported fields and filters.
USPTO TSDR API Guide
TSDR USPTO Search or Trademark Search? Choose the Right Tool
Use the official USPTO Trademark Search system to discover possible marks and serial numbers. Use TSDR (Trademark Status and Document Retrieval) when you already have a case identifier and need its current status, Office Actions or public case documents.
TSDR case workflow
- 1Known serial number
- 2Status + document lookup
- 3Source-backed verification
Data company workflowNormalize / qualify / verify / deliver
On this page
Direct answer
Trademark discovery and record retrieval are different jobs
USPTO Trademark Search and the Trademark Status and Document Retrieval (TSDR) system serve complementary purposes. Trademark Search helps discover federal applications and registrations by search criteria such as words, marks, owners and other supported fields. TSDR opens a known case so you can check current status, filing details, historical events and its publicly available documents.
The distinction matters for technical integrations. A TSDR API key supports the documented case-status, document and image retrieval operations. It is not automatically a general keyword-search credential, a bulk export of every trademark or an unrestricted prospect discovery tool.
What each USPTO tool is best for
TSDR: Verify individual records
Use a serial or registration number to read the official current status, historical prosecution events, public documents and associated record information.
TSDR API: Automate permitted lookups
Use authorized, metered requests to retrieve case data, document information and available images programmatically.
Trademark bulk datasets: Broader analysis
Consider official bulk data products for research that requires large historical or aggregate sets rather than trying to turn TSDR into a complete search index.
A practical research sequence
Search for relevant trademarks
Use Trademark Search or an appropriate discovery dataset to identify candidate application or registration records.
Collect stable identifiers
Capture each returned case's serial or registration number, which will become the reference key for TSDR.
Retrieve case details
Use the TSDR website or documented TSDR API to check current status, goods/services, classification and other available fields.
Inspect documents where needed
Examine current or historical Office Actions, correspondence and source records before making claims.
Evaluate what the evidence supports
Distinguish actual current legal/procedural facts from older events or inferred business opportunities.
Recheck responsibly
Monitor relevant records over time only within official service and key-usage limits.
Common research use cases
Is this trademark currently live?
Find the case in TSDR, then review the current status and status date rather than relying on a search-result snippet.
Was there an Office Action?
Use TSDR documents and prosecution history to identify the actual communication and what issues it addressed.
What goods and services are covered?
Check the current case record and classifications; multiple classes do not necessarily mean the products or businesses are related.
Who is listed in the record?
View available owner, attorney and correspondence fields; do not assume they all represent the same contact.
Can I download the official document?
Use TSDR or the documented API download operations for a publicly available document, subject to rate limits.
Can a dead trademark be reused?
Not necessarily. Federal status does not alone establish that a mark is legally available, and clearance considerations remain.
Direct answer
Example: from search results to Office Action evidence
Suppose a researcher discovers several U.S. trademark applications in a relevant category. Trademark Search can help build the initial candidate list; the serial numbers identify the specific records. TSDR then shows whether each case remains active, what documents have been issued and when the relevant action occurred.
For prospect research, a document-level Office Action can be more informative than a broad 'live' or 'dead' label. But a historically issued Office Action does not mean the applicant currently has an unresolved refusal. Reviewing the latest status and case history prevents a misleading claim.
What a TSDR API key does not provide
A TSDR API key is not a right to unlimited requests, a substitute for trademark legal advice, a license to republish sensitive information improperly, or a guarantee that all documents are immediately available. Current official usage policies and published limits apply.
A TSDR API key is not a right to unlimited requests, a substitute for trademark legal advice, a license to republish sensitive information improperly, or a guarantee that all documents are immediately available. Current official usage policies and published limits apply.
Frequently asked questions
Can I search trademark names directly with a TSDR API key?
TSDR API documentation focuses on case-level retrieval using supported record identifiers. Use Trademark Search for broad trademark-name discovery.
Is the TSDR website free to use?
The USPTO provides a public TSDR interface; API registration and authorized programmatic access are a separate workflow.
Does TSDR have more document detail than search results?
Yes. TSDR is the official case-status and document-retrieval layer for viewing the case file where available.
Can I use both tools for prospect research?
Yes, when information is interpreted accurately and collection/use follows applicable source conditions.
What if the TSDR system is unavailable?
A successful Trademark Search lookup may still provide some record-level information, but it cannot always substitute for missing TSDR documents.
How do I search USPTO TSDR without a serial number?
Start with USPTO Trademark Search to discover a mark and its application or registration identifier. TSDR is primarily used to inspect a specific known record.
Can TSDR find every trademark containing a word?
TSDR is not the same as a broad Trademark Search query. Discover possible records with the official Trademark Search tool first, then use TSDR for current case status and documents.
Need programmatic USPTO case access?
For public TSDR case-status, document and image retrieval, our reviewed API-key access request starts at $20 per key. Describe your use case before payment details are provided.