TSDR API Status Codes
Understand trademark lifecycle codes, dates and HTTP error codes.
Learn more →Status Intelligence
How to Read USPTO Trademark Status Without Losing the Lifecycle Context
A trademark record has more than one “status” concept. The broad live/dead indicator, the current case status, the status date, event history and underlying documents each answer different questions.
Status interpretation
- 1Current USPTO record
- 2Read status + event date
- 3Assess underlying documents
Data company workflowNormalize / qualify / verify / deliver
On this page
Direct answer
Do not reduce a trademark record to one status field
For research, the broad live/dead flag is useful for orientation, but the current case status and event/document history explain where the application or registration actually is in its lifecycle. A professional dataset should specify which of those fields drives qualification.
Four layers of status context
| Layer | What it tells you |
|---|---|
| Live/dead indicator | Broad active vs inactive orientation. |
| Current case status | More specific case-level position used in status-driven workflows. |
| Status / event date | Time dimension needed for freshness and cohort design. |
| Documents / event history | Evidence explaining why the record moved through the lifecycle and what communication was issued. |
Interpreting status data from the TSDR API
The source record distinguishes current status from historic events. HTTP errors from an API request do not describe a trademark's legal state.
TSDR API Documentation
Retrieve status and provenance for known serial numbers.
Learn more →Status codes are signals, not complete products
A code such as historic 641 can identify a nonfinal-action-mailed event, but commercial qualification may also require representation, class, geography, contact availability, freshness and duplicate controls.
A code such as historic 641 can identify a nonfinal-action-mailed event, but commercial qualification may also require representation, class, geography, contact availability, freshness and duplicate controls.
How to verify a status
Locate the record
Use Trademark Search or the known serial/registration number.
Open TSDR
Check the current status for the correct identifier.
Review dates and documents
Use the event/date and document history for context.
Separate official fact from interpretation
Record what the official source says, then apply business qualification rules separately.
Status language changes depending on the question
A researcher asking whether a record is broadly live or dead is asking a different question from a data buyer asking for applications that experienced a particular event during a particular date window. A useful status model therefore separates broad state, current case posture, event history and supporting documents instead of collapsing them into one column.
The distinction becomes especially important in longitudinal work. An application can experience an Office Action, a response and later abandonment or another disposition. If a dataset preserves only the latest label, the event sequence that created the commercial or research signal can disappear.
Application status, registration status and event history are not interchangeable
Application lifecycle
Tracks prosecution events before registration, including examination, Office Actions, responses and possible abandonment.
Registration lifecycle
After registration, different maintenance, renewal, cancellation or expiration events can affect whether the registration remains live.
Event history
Provides the sequence and dates needed to understand how the record reached the current state.
Document evidence
Explains many of the communications or filings behind the event history and should be used when issue-level interpretation matters.
A practical status dataset should say exactly what each column means
| Example field | Interpretation rule |
|---|---|
| Live/dead | Use as broad orientation, not as a substitute for the underlying lifecycle reason. |
| Case status | Treat as the current case-level value observed from the selected source. |
| Status/event date | Use for chronology and freshness only when the field’s meaning is defined. |
| Event code/label | Treat as an event signal whose official wording and lifecycle context should be documented. |
| Verification timestamp | Records when the source was checked because USPTO records can change after extraction. |
Trademark status questions
Is LIVE/DEAD enough to build a professional lead list?
Usually not. It is a broad state and often needs date, lifecycle, representation, contact, class or other criteria to answer a business question.
Can the same application appear in more than one lifecycle cohort over time?
Yes. A single serial number can experience different events at different dates, which is why event history and deduplication rules matter.
Why does TSDR matter if Trademark Search already shows a result?
Trademark Search is useful for discovery; TSDR provides record-level status and documents used to verify the individual case context.
What should a custom status dataset specify?
At minimum, define the status or event being targeted, the date window, the verification point and any additional qualification fields required for inclusion.
Need status-based cohorts in bulk?
Request a supported status/event profile with the additional fields required by your use case.