The first-time filer’s trademark checklist
A practical 14-step checklist designed to help first-time filers identify common ownership, class, description, and specimen issues before filing.
Most avoidable trademark problems are created before an application is ever submitted. This checklist walks through the questions worth answering first, written by a former USPTO Trademark Examining Attorney who has reviewed thousands of applications from the other side of the process.
Fourteen practical questions to answer before filing.
The checklist is organized into four groups of questions, matching the order most first-time filers actually need to work through them.
Ownership & filing basis
Confirming the correct legal owner and whether the application should be based on current use or a bona fide intent to use the mark.
Learn about clearance searchesClasses
Identifying which of the USPTO’s trademark classes actually match your goods or services, and why a website alone is not automatically Class 35.
Read the classes guideDescription
Drafting an accurate identification that matches the real goods or services and reduces avoidable wording or classification issues.
See how registration worksSpecimen
Gathering proof of use that actually satisfies USPTO specimen requirements, rather than a mockup or ornamental use that can be rejected.
Read the specimen guideA short, practical document, not a sales pitch.
After you submit the form below, the checklist is sent to your email. It is a plain, practical resource meant to help you catch common ownership, class, description, and specimen issues before you file, it will not turn you into a trademark lawyer, but it will help you avoid the mistakes that cause many preventable refusals.
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A practical 14-step checklist designed to help first-time filers identify common ownership, class, description, and specimen issues before filing.
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