A comprehensive trademark search is one that is intended to discover conflicting and potentially conflicting trademarks of any kind, including both federally registered trademarks and common law trademarks. In includes both a USPTO search and a common law search. Sources searched include:
- USPTO database;
- State trademark databases;
- Business directories;
- Trade journals;
- Social media;
- The Internet (such as by performing a Google search).
A “comprehensive federal search” or “comprehensive USPTO search” checks the USPTO database using advanced search methods to detect potentially conflicting marks beyond what would be uncovered in a “knock-out” search.