USPTO Trademark Search: It’s Not as Easy as You Think

2026-03-12T18:22:45-04:00

The USPTO's Trademark Electronic Search System (TESS) is a free tool for searching federally registered and pending trademarks. It is not a comprehensive trademark clearance tool. Understanding what TESS misses, and the specific ways a TESS-only search can return misleading results, matters for anyone making business or filing decisions based on clearance research. What TESS [...]