Trademark Searching

• General Resources
• Online Trademark Databases
• Public Search Services at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
• Patent and Trademark Depository Libraries

General Resources

Official Gazette of the United States Patent and Trademark Office: Trademarks (USPTO)

This periodical publicizes trademark requests to give persons an opportunity to file objections. Also lists approved registrations, cancellations, and amendments. Issues published since May 1986 are in Government Documents Microforms under the call number C 21.5/4: and can be requested at the Government Documents Service Desk. Earlier issues can be requested from Remote Storage at the Main Circulation Desk on the First Floor of Willis Library.

Index of Trademarks Issued From the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO)

This periodical indexes companies, organizations, and persons registering trademarks. It also lists renewals, cancellations, and amendments for each year.

Trade Names Dictionary (Gale Research Company)

This guide, located in the Reference Section of the Science and Technology Library under call number T 223 .V4 A22, lists over 250,000 consumer-oriented trade names, brand names, product names, coined names, model names, and design names. It also includes names of their manufacturers, importers, marketers, or distributors. Entries are in alphabetical order by trade name, with company names interfiled.

Brands and Their Companies (Gale Research, Inc.)

This publication, located in General Reference under the call number T223.V4 A25, lists brand names of commercial products and gives the name, address, and phone number of the manufacturer of each product.  You can search this publication to determine if a particular name is already being used for a similar product.

NTC's Dictionary of Trade Name Origins, by Adrian Room (NTC Business Books)

This work, located in General Reference under the call number T324.R66, lists more than 700 well-known trade names and explains the derivation and history of each name and describes each name's connotations and associations.

Top Symbols and Trademarks of the World (Deco Press)

This seven-volume set, located in the Reference Section of the Science and Technology Library under call number T325.R5, compiles commercial symbols from over 30 countries, all created after 1945. It is divided by country/geographic area, and arranged in alphabetical order by name of company.

Trademarks & Symbols of the World (North Light Books)

This collection, located in the Reference Section of the Science and Technology Library under call number T325.T73 1989, compiles examples of trademarks and other pictorial symbols as an aid to designers. It includes illustrations with a key to the designer, company, and other information.

Online Trademark Databases

Thomas Global Register

A worldwide directory of global industrial suppliers and product information. Browse through a detailed list of industrial products and services to access companies within these and many other categories, or search by keyword, product/service or company name, and geographic location.

ThomasNet^®

A database of U.S. and Canadian products, brands, and their companies. You can search by product, brand, company, or industry. Includes CAD drawings of logos.

Whois (Network Solutions)

You can use this database to search for Internet domain names by keyword. Network Solutions is a site where Internet domain names are determined.

Zycon

An international directory of manufacturers and suppliers of industrial products and services. Browse through a short list of popular categories or a longer, more detailed list of categories. Search the database by product or service, by company, or by brand name.

Public Search Services at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office

A number of public search facilities are available at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, providing public access to collections of patents, trademarks, and other documents at its Public Search Facilities in Arlington, Virginia.

In addition to copies of patents and trademarks, the Search Facilities maintain a variety of reference materials to assist searchers, researchers, and potential applicants. These include manuals, indices, dictionaries, reference publications, and Official Gazettes. Access to paper files is available without charge.

Patent and Trademark Depository Libraries

The Patent and Trademark Depository Library Program (PTDLP) administers a nationwide network of public, state and academic libraries designated as Patent and Trademark Depository Libraries (PTDL), authorized by 35 U.S.C. 13 to disseminate patent and trademark information and support the diverse intellectual property needs of the public.

A PTDL offers hardcopy materials as well as a CD-ROM product called CASSIS (Classification and Search Support Information System) to assist you in doing a search of registered trademarks. The facilities and technical assistance in using them are provided for free. You can usually obtain photocopies or printouts for a nominal fee.

The Dallas Public Library is the nearest PTDL to those in the University of North Texas community.  For more information, call (214) 670-1461.