Your Guide to Trademark Search Tools and Software

A trademark search helps you identify potentially conflicting marks before choosing a name or filing an application. This guide explains which public databases to use and how to organise an initial search. Trademark Factory is not the official trademark register, and a database search cannot confirm that a name is safe to use.

Free trademark search tools by market

• United States: use the USPTO Trademark Search system for federal trademark applications and registrations. It replaced TESS, which was retired on November 30, 2023.
• Canada: use the Canadian Trademarks Database for Canadian records. Read CIPO’s search guidance before interpreting the results.
• European Union: use EUIPO eSearch plus for EUIPO records and TMview to search records from participating national, regional and international offices.
• Other markets: the WIPO Global Brand Database brings together Madrid System marks and collections from participating offices. Check the relevant national or regional register as well; one aggregated database does not cover every right in every country.

Start a US trademark search

1. Open USPTO Trademark Search. Choose Wordmark for a name or slogan, enter the wording in the search box and run the search. Use the system’s Help for current search syntax.
2. Run additional searches for distinctive words, alternative spellings and words that sound similar. An exact-name search is only an initial screen.
3. Review potentially relevant records. Compare the mark and its goods or services with yours. Related goods or services can fall in different classes, so a class filter can hide relevant results.
4. Record the serial number of each relevant application. Use TSDR to check its current status and documents. A dead federal record can still be relevant if the mark remains in use.
5. Extend the search beyond federal records to state registers and actual marketplace use, including websites, directories and relevant sales channels. Keep a dated list of your searches and the records that need review.

What paid trademark search software can add

Compare paid products by the work you need them to do. Ask which offices and common-law sources they cover, how frequently records are updated, how they handle similar words or images, and whether the price includes interpretation by a qualified professional.

Request a current quote and a sample report before choosing a provider. A larger database or an automated similarity score does not establish registrability or eliminate infringement risk. The value of a search depends on its scope, the queries used and the review of relevant results.

Choose your next step

Use an initial search to screen candidate names, then decide whether a broader clearance review is needed before investing in a brand. Our guide to preliminary, comprehensive and international searches explains the differences. If you have already filed and need to follow your application, use our trademark status guide instead.

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