From first idea to registered trademark.
Every strong trademark starts with a clearance search. Here is exactly what happens, step by step, from the day you order to the day your registration certificate arrives.
From order to answers in 3 business days.
Submit your brand details
Tell us about your brand name, logo, or slogan in about 5 minutes using our secure, encrypted intake form.
We perform the search
Our legal team thoroughly reviews federal, state, common-law, and online sources for potential conflicts.
Get your report and strategy call
Receive your written risk assessment report, then sit down for a private 30-minute consultation call with your attorney to map out your legal options.
Everything you need before you file.
One flat fee per trademark. This is the one point in the process where bad news is still free to act on.
And why the USPTO agrees.
Trademark rights belong to the first to use a name in business, not necessarily the first to file a piece of paper. You can trade under a name for years, build an audience, and still lose it to a competitor who proves they used the name in commerce before you did.
We strongly recommend you search for federally registered and pending trademarks that may conflict with yours before filing.
United States Patent and Trademark Office
What happens once your name is cleared.
Once your search results call confirms your trademark is clear to move forward, we take it from application to registration.
Your application is drafted
Your attorney prepares your federal trademark application: the owner details, the description of your goods and services, the right classes, and your filing basis (already in use, or intent to use). $1,800 per trademark.
You review and approve
You receive the draft to read through. Ask questions or request changes, and once everything is right, you approve it.
We file with the USPTO
Your approved application goes into our queue for submission to the USPTO. You pay the USPTO filing fee ($350 per class) when your application is submitted.
Your application waits for an examiner
After filing, your application sits in the USPTO queue until it is assigned to an examining attorney. The USPTO sets this timeline, and it can take several months.
The examiner reviews your application
The examining attorney reviews your application. If the examiner raises an issue, the USPTO issues an Office Action and we walk you through your options. Office Action.
Your trademark is published
Once the examiner approves your application, it is published in the USPTO's Official Gazette, which opens a 30-day window for anyone who believes they would be harmed to oppose it.
Your registration certificate.
Already using your trademark
For a use-based application, once publication is complete the USPTO registers your trademark and issues your registration certificate. Our office emails you a copy of your digital registration certificate.
Planning to use it (intent to use)
For an intent-to-use application, the USPTO issues a Notice of Allowance after publication. Once you are using the trademark in commerce, we file your Statement of Use. When it is accepted, the USPTO registers your trademark and our office emails you your digital registration certificate.
How long does the whole process take?
Your clearance search results call happens within 3 business days, and we prepare your application after that. Once your application is filed, the USPTO sets the pace, and registration commonly takes many months.
I already searched the USPTO database myself. Do I still need a clearance search?
A USPTO database search only shows federal filings. Rights also come from use, so a clearance search also reviews state registrations, common-law use and online sources that a database search can miss.
What if my search finds a conflict?
That is exactly what the results call is for. Your attorney explains the risk and your options before you spend money on filing fees, branding or inventory.
