What to Log Each Week When You Monitor Trademark Filings Yourself

Why a log matters

Searching the USPTO database once a week is easy. Knowing what changed since last week is the hard part, and a plain log fixes it. This guide shows what to record each time you search. It is general information, not legal advice.

The columns to keep

Set up a spreadsheet with one row per filing you find:

1. Date searched. The day you ran the search.
2. Search term. The exact phrase, spelling variant or sound-alike you searched.
3. Serial number. The application number, so you can find the filing again.
4. Mark and owner. What the mark is and who filed it.
5. Goods and services. What the filing covers, and the class number.
6. Filing date and status. When it was filed and where it stands now.
7. Your note. Why it matters or does not, in one sentence.
8. Next date. The next day you need to look at this row again.

What to search

Log the terms you searched even when nothing turned up. Include your exact brand name, common misspellings, versions that sound the same and versions that combine your name with a descriptive word. A row that says "searched, no new filings" is useful, because it proves when you last checked.

Worked example

Say you run a coffee brand called Brightmill. In week one you search "Brightmill", "Bright Mill" and "Britemill" and find nothing new. In week two the search for "Bright Mill" shows a new application for coffee roasting equipment.

You log the serial number, the owner, the filing date, the class and the status. Your note says: "Different goods from ours but the name is nearly the same. Check again in two weeks." In the Next date column you enter the date two weeks out.

Two weeks later you open the row again and update the status. If the application has been published for opposition, you now know a deadline matters, and you can ask a trademark attorney about it with all the facts in one row.

Dates that matter

A published application opens a window, normally 30 days, during which others can oppose it, and that window can be extended. Because the clock starts at publication, log the publication date as soon as you see it. Do not rely on remembering it.

A common mistake

Do not log only the filings that worry you. If you skip the harmless ones, you cannot tell next month whether a filing was new or was there all along. Log every row, then sort by status.

Related guides

To set up the search itself, read how to monitor new trademark filings at the USPTO. To understand a status you find, see how to read a TSDR trademark status report.