Dear Rich: I have a question. Last week, you talked about trademark logos. How do you search the USPTO database to find conflicting design logos? I'm so glad you asked. You can search design logos as follows:
- go to the USPTO website
- under Trademarks (on the left), click "Search TM Database"
- then click "Free Form Search (Advanced)"
- enter a word or words in the search box that signify what you're looking for followed by [DE] (which stands for "design element").
So, for example, if you were looking for design logos that included a meerkat (no not this meerkat) you would type: meerkat[DE]. Cute, huh?
For more on trademarks, check out Attorney Stephen Elias' book Trademark: Legal Care for Your Business & Product Name (Nolo), now in its 8th edition.
