Guides
Trademarks, explained plainly
No fluff, no fabricated numbers — real guidance on searching, clearing, registering and monitoring a trademark, written for founders and sellers naming something new.
Can You Trademark a Name? The Distinctiveness Test
A name can be trademarked if it is distinctive enough for the goods it names. Here is the USPTO's test, and how our screen reads a name against it.
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How to Copyright a Name (and What to Protect Instead)
You generally cannot copyright a business or product name. Here is why, what copyright covers around a brand, and which protection fits the name.
Business Name Search: What It Does and Doesn't Check
A business name search shows whether a name can be registered with a state, not whether it is safe to brand. Here is how to run both checks.
What Changed in Trademark Fees in 2026
Use the current USPTO fee schedule to budget a trademark application without relying on outdated filing-cost advice.
How to Check if a Business Name Is Trademarked
Check a business name before launch with a practical USPTO search workflow and a clear record of what you found.
TESS Is Gone: What to Use Now
Find the current USPTO trademark search tools and use them more carefully than the old TESS shortcut allowed.
Intent-to-Use Trademark: A Founder’s Guide
Understand an intent-to-use trademark application, what it proves, what it costs and the deadlines to plan for.
Why a Clear Trademark Search Is Not a Guarantee
Use a clear trademark search result as a sensible next step, not a promise that a brand can never face a conflict.
Trademark Classes for Software: A Clear Guide
Choose trademark classes for software with a practical way to separate apps, SaaS and the services around them.
USPTO Trademark Search: A Founder’s Review
A practical review of the USPTO Trademark Search system: what it is good at, where founders need more context and how to use it.
Trademark a Name and Logo: One Filing or Two?
Decide whether to protect a business name, logo or both without confusing a design filing with a word-mark filing.
Trademarkia Review: What to Check First
Use a neutral checklist when comparing Trademarkia or any filing service, starting with scope, ownership and official records.
Amazon Brand Registry: Trademark Basics
Prepare your Amazon brand for the trademark checks that should happen before product pages and packaging go live.
LegalZoom Trademark Review: DIY or Service?
Compare DIY filing, a registration service and attorney support using the questions that matter before a trademark application.
How to Search International Trademarks
Plan an international trademark search without assuming a US result carries over to every market you want to enter.
Best Trademark Monitoring Services: What Matters
Compare trademark monitoring services by coverage, alert quality and review workflow rather than an unhelpful feature checklist.
Trademark Monitoring: A Practical Guide
Set up trademark monitoring that catches relevant new filings without turning every alert into a fire drill.
Register a Clothing Brand Name: First Steps
Clear and protect a clothing brand name with a workflow built for labels, online shops and changing collections.
Naming a Startup: A Trademark Checklist
A practical checklist for clearing a startup name before you commit — including how AI agents and automated naming tools should run trademark clearance as part of the naming process, not after it.
Do I Need a Trademark Attorney?
You're not legally required to hire an attorney for a straightforward US trademark filing — but there are specific situations where skipping one is a false economy. Here's how to decide.
What Is a Trademark Clearance Search?
A clearance search goes beyond checking if a name is taken — it's a structured risk assessment of whether you can safely use and register a name. Here's what it covers and when you need one.
TESS Is Gone: How to Search Trademarks Now
The USPTO retired TESS (Trademark Electronic Search System) in November 2023. Here's what replaced it, where to search live trademark records today, and why the switch is actually an improvement.
Trademark Classes, Explained: The Nice Classification System
How the 45-class Nice Classification system works, why picking the right class matters more than picking the right name, and how to figure out which classes cover your product.
Trademark vs Copyright vs Patent: What's the Difference?
Trademarks, copyrights and patents protect different things and are handled by different processes. Here's how to tell which one (or more) your business actually needs.
How Much Does a Trademark Cost? A Realistic Breakdown
USPTO filing fees, per-class costs, attorney fees, and the hidden costs of a trademark application — plus how to avoid paying for a filing that gets refused.
How to Trademark a Name: A Step-by-Step Guide
The full process for trademarking a business, product or brand name in the US — clearance, classes, filing basis, the USPTO application, and what happens after you file.