Search & Clearance

Choosing a name, logo, or slogan is a branding decision — but adopting one is a legal decision. If someone else already holds rights in a confusingly similar mark, you may face a refused application at best, or a demand letter after you have invested in signage, packaging, and marketing at worst. A clearance search performed before you commit helps you identify those conflicts while your options are still open — before the costs of changing course have grown.

A proper search goes well beyond checking whether the exact name is taken — and we offer two levels of clearance, so the depth of the search matches the stakes of the decision. The Federal Clearance Search covers the federal register (USPTO) — exact matches, phonetic equivalents, and confusingly similar marks — together with a general internet search for unregistered (common-law) uses of the mark. The Nationwide Clearance Search includes everything in the Federal search, and adds a search of all 50 state trademark registries plus full common-law coverage: business filings, domain names, and marketplace uses that never appear in any registry but can still defeat your rights.

Every clearance engagement includes a formal written Opinion Letter assessing registrability and conflict risk under the same likelihood-of-confusion standards a USPTO examining attorney will apply, with the results delivered and discussed in a consultation. The Nationwide search is also available as an upgrade to any of our registration packages. Like all of our services, clearance work is quoted as a fixed fee before any work begins — no hourly billing, no surprises.