Need Help?
Email Course Coordinator

Conducting a Preliminary Screening Trademark Search:
Searching the Text of a Trademark

Summary

In Lesson 2, we performed a preliminary screening search for a trademark using the Rotated Index (TR=) in TRADEMARKSCAN—U.S. Federal (File 226). Using the Rotated Index provides the most comprehensive trademark search.

In summary, just keep these tips in mind when conducting a preliminary screening search:

1. Use dominant or distinctive word(s) as the primary search term(s).
2. Always use a question mark (?) after each search term when using the Rotated Index (e.g., s tr=<term?>).
3. SELECT the character strings in the Rotated Index to retrieve occurrences as complete words, beginning strings, mid-word strings, or ending strings.
   

   Sample:	s tr=(power? and vision?)

   		Sample Hits
   Whole word	power vision	vision power
   Prefix	power vision	vision power powerful visionary
   Suffix	power vision	powervision power television
   Mid-word string	power vision	powervision visionpower new visionpower empowered-visionary

4. Use equivalents as required (e.g., s sun? or tr=sun@? or sola? or tr=solar@?). Don't forget the @ sign at the end of the term to retrieve suffixes only.

Go on to Lesson 3 to learn about searching for owners of trademarks.