USPTO Trademark Search
The USPTO's official free tool that replaced TESS — the authoritative source, searching the live federal register directly.
Trademark guide
Trademark Electronic Search System (TESS)
For years, TESS — the Trademark Electronic Search System — was how you searched the US trademark register. In November 2023 the USPTO retired TESS and replaced it with a new cloud-based Trademark Search system. Here's what changed, and how to search US trademarks today.
Background
What was TESS?
The Trademark Electronic Search System (TESS) was the USPTO's free public database for searching registered and pending US trademarks. Businesses, attorneys, and founders used it to run knockout and clearance searches — checking whether a name was already taken — before filing a trademark application. It offered both a basic word search and an advanced, structured (Boolean) search mode.
What changed
TESS has been retired
In November 2023, the USPTO decommissioned TESS and launched a new cloud-based Trademark Search system in its place. Old TESS URLs and bookmarks no longer resolve, and the search interface looks and works differently. What did not change is the data itself: both systems search the same federal trademark register, so a search today covers the same registered and pending marks TESS did — just through a modernized tool.
How to search now
Three ways to search the US trademark register
The register is public, so you have options — the USPTO's official replacement, a free third-party search, or a developer API over the same data.
Goalie IP trademark search
A free search over our own daily-refreshed copy of the USPTO register, with exact and fuzzy mark matching and filters for owner, class, and status.
Search now →Trademark search API
For developers: query 14M+ USPTO records as clean JSON — exact, contains, and fuzzy mark search plus owner, class, status, and date filters.
See the API →Beyond a one-time search
A search is a snapshot — protection is ongoing
A clearance search tells you what exists today, but new conflicting applications are filed constantly. After you file or register, our trademark monitoring service watches the register (by class), marketplaces, domains, and social media for new conflicts — and our trademark infringement attorneys can act when one appears.
FAQ
TESS & trademark search questions
What is the Trademark Electronic Search System (TESS)?
TESS was the USPTO's free, public online tool for searching registered and pending US trademarks. For years it was the primary way to run a knockout or clearance search of the federal trademark register before filing an application.
Is TESS still available?
No. In November 2023 the USPTO retired TESS and replaced it with a new cloud-based Trademark Search system. The old TESS interface and its links no longer work, but the underlying data — the federal trademark register — is the same.
What replaced TESS?
The USPTO's new Trademark Search system replaced TESS. It searches the same register with a modernized interface and supports both quick keyword searches and advanced, structured queries. Third-party tools, including Goalie IP's search and JSON API, search the same USPTO data as well.
How do I search USPTO trademarks now?
You can use the USPTO's official Trademark Search system, or a third-party tool over the same data. Goalie IP offers a free trademark search that supports exact and fuzzy matching and filtering by owner, class, and status, plus a JSON API for developers who need programmatic access.
Is searching the US trademark register free?
Yes. The USPTO's Trademark Search system is free to use, and Goalie IP's trademark search is free as well. Developers can start on a free API tier of 200 calls per month with no credit card required.
Goalie IP is not affiliated with, or endorsed by, the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). This page is general information, not legal advice.