The USPTO API for trademark search
Access 14.7M United States Patent and Trademark Office records via API. Normalized data, sub-second response, and daily sync — all through Signa's unified trademark API.
Search USPTO in one POST request.
One REST endpoint. Filter by offices: ['USPTO'] to scope to ~14.7M USPTO records, or drop the filter to search every office.
Sub-300ms p95 on USPTO queries
Exact, phonetic, fuzzy, and prefix strategies in one request.
Canonical status & raw code preserved
status.primary for filtering, status.raw_code if you need it.
Verifiable freshness
Every record includes updated_at.
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14.7M records
USPTO register indexed and queryable through one endpoint.
Daily sync
Database synced regularly with USPTO's source publication.
100% field accuracy
Validated against USPTO source data across a 4,800-field spot-check audit.
Normalized schema
168 raw USPTO status codes mapped to a canonical status object — same shape across every office.
What is USPTO?
The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) is the federal agency responsible for examining and registering trademarks in the United States. Operating under the U.S. Department of Commerce, it maintains the largest single-country trademark database in the world with over 14.7M records dating back to 1884.
The USPTO receives approximately 680,000 trademark applications annually, making it one of the busiest IP offices globally. Unlike most trademark offices worldwide, the USPTO requires applicants to demonstrate actual use of their mark in interstate commerce — a fundamental distinction that affects filing strategy, examination timelines, and maintenance obligations.
All USPTO trademark data is publicly available through bulk XML downloads (ST.96 format) via the Open Data Portal. Signa ingests new data shortly after publication, normalizing the source fields into a unified schema that includes the full prosecution history, owner entity resolution, attorney records, and computed maintenance deadlines.
Unique features
- Use-in-commerce requirement — marks must be used in interstate commerce to register (unlike most other offices)
- Intent-to-Use (ITU) applications — file before actual use with a 3-year window to submit proof
- Section 8 & 15 maintenance — 5–6 year declaration of use requirement (most offices only require 10-year renewals)
- Supplemental Register — secondary register for descriptive marks that lack distinctiveness
- TTAB proceedings — Trademark Trial and Appeal Board handles oppositions, cancellations, and appeals
- Acquired distinctiveness (Section 2(f)) — marks can become registrable through extensive use
- Continuous trademark records — filings dating back to 1884
USPTO ODP API vs Signa.
USPTO's ODP API is free and authoritative. It's also raw XML with 168 status codes, 95 entity types, and 734 event descriptions to map yourself. Here's what changes when you use Signa instead.
| Dimension | USPTO ODP API | Signa |
|---|---|---|
| Setup | Register for ODP key (hours), parse DTD v2.0 XML, build daily-file watcher | Sign up, copy API key, curl the endpoint |
| Data shape | Raw XML with 168 status codes, 734 event descriptions, 95 entity types | Normalized JSON with canonical status object and unified schema across every office |
| Search | Bulk download only — you build search yourself (Elasticsearch, etc.) | Full-text, fuzzy, phonetic, and image search out of the box |
| Freshness | Daily bulk file, you write the ingestion + diff pipeline | Pre-ingested by Signa; records queryable within minutes of publication |
| Coverage | USPTO only — add EUIPO, WIPO, UKIPO separately, each with different format | USPTO + 20 other offices through the same endpoint |
Building on the raw USPTO API is the right call when you only need US data and you have engineering time to build the ingestion + normalization pipeline yourself. Signa exists for the case where neither of those is true.
USPTO API — Frequently asked questions
Everything developers ask before integrating USPTO data
Need something else? See our documentation
USPTO API basics
Coverage & freshness
Need something else? See our documentation
Ready to search 14.7M USPTO trademarks via API?
Start with 1,000 free USPTO requests/month. 14.7M records indexed, normalized data across 20+ offices through the same endpoint.
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