Free vs. Professional Trademark Search
What a free search can tell you, what it cannot, and when the difference matters for your brand.
What Free Searches Provide
The USPTO's free search tool queries the federal register of trademarks. It is useful for a basic "knockout check" — a quick scan for obvious identical matches. Third-party free tools typically query the same database with basic phonetic matching.
What Free Searches Miss
No state coverage. A mark registered only at the state level does not appear in the federal database.
No common law coverage. Businesses using marks without registration have enforceable rights that free tools cannot detect.
Limited matching. Basic keyword and limited phonetic matching misses marks with different spellings but similar sounds or meanings.
When Free Is Enough
For a preliminary knockout check — if your exact mark is registered for the same goods, you know immediately. But a clear free search does not mean the mark is available.
When You Need Professional
Whenever you are making a financial commitment to a mark — filing an application, investing in branding, launching a product. Our Search Only tier at $499 covers all three data layers with attorney review.
Three tiers. One standard of rigor.
- Federal + state + common law search
- Risk-ranked results
- Delivered in 2 business days
- Everything in Search Only
- Written attorney opinion letter
- Go / no-go recommendation
- Everything in Search + Opinion
- 60-minute attorney consultation
- Fee credited toward registration