TSDR: Traversing the Sea of Documents and Registrations

When you're first starting out in trademarks, even looking up a Serial Number or Registration Number on the Trademark Status and Document Retrieval (TSDR) can be confusing.

Sure, you can type it in, but what does all that information mean on the screen? How do you find what you're looking for? Is anything due on the application? If so, when?

As you search a mark, you're going to get results and will likely want to look at some of them more closely. But how do you do that if you don't know how to understand what you're seeing? Or, what if you have a potential client whose mark is already filed? How do figure out what to tell them?

Indeed, it can feel like a sea of documents that don't make sense at first glance. This guide will take you through all the different parts of TSDR, so you'll be an expert on the database in no time. It comes complete with screenshots and explanations, too!