USPTO Trademark APIs Reference

USPTO Trademark APIs Reference

Overview

USPTO provides two main APIs for trademark data:

1. Trademark Status & Document Retrieval (TSDR) - Retrieve trademark case status and documents
2. Trademark Assignment Search - Search trademark assignment records

1. Trademark Status & Document Retrieval (TSDR) API

Overview

TSDR enables programmatic retrieval of trademark case status documents and information.

API Version: v1.0

Base URL: https://tsdrapi.uspto.gov/ts/cd/

Authentication

Requires API key registration at: https://account.uspto.gov/api-manager/

Include API key in request header:

X-Api-Key: YOUR_API_KEY

Endpoints

Get Trademark Status by Serial Number

GET /ts/cd/casedocs/sn{serial_number}/info.json

Example:

curl -H "X-Api-Key: YOUR_KEY" \
  "https://tsdrapi.uspto.gov/ts/cd/casedocs/sn87654321/info.json"

Get Trademark Status by Registration Number

GET /ts/cd/casedocs/rn{registration_number}/info.json

Response Format

Returns JSON with comprehensive trademark information:

{
  "TradeMarkAppln": {
    "ApplicationNumber": "87654321",
    "ApplicationDate": "2017-10-15",
    "RegistrationNumber": "5678901",
    "RegistrationDate": "2019-03-12",
    "MarkVerbalElementText": "EXAMPLE MARK",
    "MarkCurrentStatusExternalDescriptionText": "REGISTERED",
    "MarkCurrentStatusDate": "2019-03-12",
    "GoodsAndServices": [...],
    "Owners": [...],
    "Correspondents": [...]
  }
}

Key Data Fields

• Application Information:

  • ApplicationNumber - Serial number
  • ApplicationDate - Filing date
  • ApplicationType - Type (TEAS Plus, TEAS Standard, etc.)

• Registration Information:

  • RegistrationNumber - Registration number (if registered)
  • RegistrationDate - Registration date

• Mark Information:

  • MarkVerbalElementText - Text of the mark
  • MarkCurrentStatusExternalDescriptionText - Current status
  • MarkCurrentStatusDate - Status date
  • MarkDrawingCode - Type of mark (words, design, etc.)

• Classification:

  • GoodsAndServices - Array of goods/services with classes

• Owner Information:

  • Owners - Array of trademark owners/applicants

• Prosecution History:

  • ProsecutionHistoryEntry - Array of events in prosecution

Common Status Values

• REGISTERED - Mark is registered and active
• PENDING - Application under examination
• ABANDONED - Application/registration abandoned
• CANCELLED - Registration cancelled
• SUSPENDED - Examination suspended
• PUBLISHED FOR OPPOSITION - Published, in opposition period
• REGISTERED AND RENEWED - Registration renewed

Python Example

import requests

def get_trademark_status(serial_number, api_key):
    """Retrieve trademark status by serial number."""
    url = f"https://tsdrapi.uspto.gov/ts/cd/casedocs/sn{serial_number}/info.json"
    headers = {"X-Api-Key": api_key}

    response = requests.get(url, headers=headers)
    if response.status_code == 200:
        return response.json()
    else:
        raise Exception(f"API error: {response.status_code}")

# Usage
data = get_trademark_status("87654321", "YOUR_API_KEY")
trademark = data['TradeMarkAppln']

print(f"Mark: {trademark['MarkVerbalElementText']}")
print(f"Status: {trademark['MarkCurrentStatusExternalDescriptionText']}")
print(f"Application Date: {trademark['ApplicationDate']}")
if 'RegistrationNumber' in trademark:
    print(f"Registration #: {trademark['RegistrationNumber']}")

2. Trademark Assignment Search API

Overview

Retrieves trademark assignment records from the USPTO assignment database. Shows ownership transfers and security interests.

API Version: v1.4

Base URL: https://assignment-api.uspto.gov/trademark/

Authentication

Requires API key in header:

X-Api-Key: YOUR_API_KEY

Search Methods

By Registration Number

GET /v1.4/assignment/application/{registration_number}

By Serial Number

GET /v1.4/assignment/application/{serial_number}

By Assignee Name

POST /v1.4/assignment/search

Request body:

{
  "criteria": {
    "assigneeName": "Company Name"
  }
}

Response Format

Returns XML containing assignment records:

<assignments>
  <assignment>
    <reelFrame>12345/0678</reelFrame>
    <conveyanceText>ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST</conveyanceText>
    <recordedDate>2020-01-15</recordedDate>
    <executionDate>2020-01-10</executionDate>
    <assignors>
      <assignor>
        <name>Original Owner LLC</name>
      </assignor>
    </assignors>
    <assignees>
      <assignee>
        <name>New Owner Corporation</name>
      </assignee>
    </assignees>
  </assignment>
</assignments>

Key Fields

• reelFrame - USPTO reel and frame number
• conveyanceText - Type of transaction
• recordedDate - Date recorded at USPTO
• executionDate - Date document was executed
• assignors - Original owners
• assignees - New owners
• propertyNumbers - Affected serial/registration numbers

Common Conveyance Types

• ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST - Ownership transfer
• SECURITY AGREEMENT - Collateral/security interest
• MERGER - Corporate merger
• CHANGE OF NAME - Name change
• ASSIGNMENT OF PARTIAL INTEREST - Partial ownership transfer

Python Example

import requests
import xml.etree.ElementTree as ET

def search_trademark_assignments(registration_number, api_key):
    """Search assignments for a trademark registration."""
    url = f"https://assignment-api.uspto.gov/trademark/v1.4/assignment/application/{registration_number}"
    headers = {"X-Api-Key": api_key}

    response = requests.get(url, headers=headers)
    if response.status_code == 200:
        return response.text  # Returns XML
    else:
        raise Exception(f"API error: {response.status_code}")

# Usage
xml_data = search_trademark_assignments("5678901", "YOUR_API_KEY")
root = ET.fromstring(xml_data)

for assignment in root.findall('.//assignment'):
    reel_frame = assignment.find('reelFrame').text
    recorded_date = assignment.find('recordedDate').text
    conveyance = assignment.find('conveyanceText').text

    assignor = assignment.find('.//assignor/name').text
    assignee = assignment.find('.//assignee/name').text

    print(f"{recorded_date}: {assignor} -> {assignee}")
    print(f"  Type: {conveyance}")
    print(f"  Reel/Frame: {reel_frame}\n")

Use Cases

1. Monitor Trademark Status

Check status of pending applications or registrations:

def check_trademark_health(serial_number, api_key):
    """Check if trademark needs attention."""
    data = get_trademark_status(serial_number, api_key)
    tm = data['TradeMarkAppln']

    status = tm['MarkCurrentStatusExternalDescriptionText']
    alerts = []

    if 'ABANDON' in status:
        alerts.append("⚠️ ABANDONED")
    elif 'PUBLISHED' in status:
        alerts.append("📢 In opposition period")
    elif 'SUSPENDED' in status:
        alerts.append("⏸️ Examination suspended")
    elif 'REGISTERED' in status:
        alerts.append("✅ Active")

    return alerts

2. Track Ownership Changes

Monitor assignment records for ownership changes:

def get_current_owner(registration_number, api_key):
    """Find current trademark owner from assignment records."""
    xml_data = search_trademark_assignments(registration_number, api_key)
    root = ET.fromstring(xml_data)

    assignments = []
    for assignment in root.findall('.//assignment'):
        date = assignment.find('recordedDate').text
        assignee = assignment.find('.//assignee/name').text
        assignments.append((date, assignee))

    # Most recent assignment
    if assignments:
        assignments.sort(reverse=True)
        return assignments[0][1]
    return None

3. Portfolio Management

Analyze trademark portfolio:

def analyze_portfolio(serial_numbers, api_key):
    """Analyze status of multiple trademarks."""
    results = {
        'active': 0,
        'pending': 0,
        'abandoned': 0,
        'expired': 0
    }

    for sn in serial_numbers:
        data = get_trademark_status(sn, api_key)
        status = data['TradeMarkAppln']['MarkCurrentStatusExternalDescriptionText']

        if 'REGISTERED' in status:
            results['active'] += 1
        elif 'PENDING' in status or 'PUBLISHED' in status:
            results['pending'] += 1
        elif 'ABANDON' in status:
            results['abandoned'] += 1
        elif 'EXPIRED' in status or 'CANCELLED' in status:
            results['expired'] += 1

    return results

Rate Limits and Best Practices

1. Respect rate limits - Implement retry logic with exponential backoff
2. Cache responses - Trademark data changes infrequently
3. Batch processing - Spread requests over time for large portfolios
4. Error handling - Handle missing data gracefully (not all marks have all fields)
5. Data validation - Verify serial/registration numbers before API calls

Integration with Other Data

Combine trademark data with other sources:

• TSDR + Assignment - Current status + ownership history
• Multiple marks - Analyze related marks in a family
• Patent data - Cross-reference IP portfolio

Resources

• TSDR API: https://developer.uspto.gov/api-catalog/tsdr-data-api
• Assignment API: https://developer.uspto.gov/api-catalog/trademark-assignment-search-data-api
• API Key Registration: https://account.uspto.gov/api-manager/
• Trademark Search: https://tmsearch.uspto.gov/
• Swagger Documentation: https://developer.uspto.gov/swagger/tsdr-api-v1