Our process
What actually happens, and when
Six stages from first enquiry to registration certificate. No black box, no portal you have to log into to find out nothing has changed.
- 01Day 0 · same or next business day
Free knock-out search
You send the mark and a sentence about what you sell. We check the federal register for identical and closely similar marks in the classes that would cover your goods, and tell you plainly what we find.
- No card, no account, no obligation
- A straight answer: clear, borderline, or blocked
- If it is blocked we say so, and why
- 02Days 1–5
Clearance and class selection
On Professional and Complete this becomes a full clearance across federal, state and common-law sources, with a written risk report. On every package we identify the correct Nice class and draft your description of goods and services.
- Federal, state and common-law sources searched
- Every hit graded high, medium or low risk
- Honest advice about whether a second class is really needed
- 03Before anything is filed
You approve the wording
You see the exact mark, the exact class and the exact description of goods that will be submitted. Nothing goes to the USPTO until you have signed off on it, because this wording is what your registration will be worth.
- The full application shown to you first
- Changes made until you are satisfied
- Filing basis confirmed — Section 1(a) or 1(b)
- 04Within two to five business days
Filing
We file electronically with the USPTO and send you the filing receipt and serial number the same day. Your priority date is now locked in from this moment.
- Government fee paid at filing, shown separately
- Filing receipt and serial number sent to you
- Your priority date established
- 05Roughly months 6–9
Examination
An examining attorney reviews the application. They may issue an office action raising a requirement or a refusal. We read it, tell you what it actually means and what the realistic options are.
- Office action assessed within one business day
- Honest read on the odds before you spend on a response
- One non-substantive response included with Complete
- 06Roughly months 9–14
Publication and registration
Your mark publishes in the Official Gazette for a fixed opposition window. If nobody opposes, the registration certificate issues — or, on an intent-to-use application, a Notice of Allowance and then your Statement of Use.
- Publication and opposition window tracked
- Statement of Use handled where the mark was filed 1(b)
- Renewal deadlines docketed for the next ten years
Questions
About the process
Preparation typically takes two to five business days, and Professional and Complete are prioritised to two. The bottleneck is almost never us — it is how quickly you can confirm what you sell and approve the wording.
You get an email at every milestone: filing receipt, examiner assigned, publication, and any office action. You will not have to log into anything or guess.
A likelihood-of-confusion refusal against a mark that was already sitting on the register. Which is exactly why the search happens before the filing, not after.
You can. We invoice for the work done and hand over everything we have prepared. The one thing that cannot be undone is the government fee once an application is filed.
Protect your brand before someone else does
Start with a free knock-out search. Send us the name and what you sell, and Trademark Certus will tell you plainly whether it is worth filing.