check-a-trademark

name	check-a-trademark
title	Check a Trademark
description	Quickly check if a name is free to use as a trademark. I search the official US trademark database for exact, sound-alike, and look-alike hits, then rate the risk Low / Medium / High and tell you what to do next. Heads up: this is a quick check, not a full legal clearance — for that you need a real trademark lawyer.
author	gethouston
author_url	https://github.com/gethouston/houston/tree/main/store/agents/legal/.agents/skills/check-a-trademark
license	MIT
version	0.1.0
execution_mode	open
jurisdiction	us
practice	ip
language	en

Check a Trademark

Not clearance opinion - knockout. Knockout answer "obvious blocker?" Not "safe to register?" Second question need TM counsel.

When to use

• "Run knockout on {mark}."
• "Is {name} available as trademark?"
• Before any spend on branding, domain, logomark.
• Before filing 1(b) intent-to-use application.

Steps

1. Read shared context. Read context/legal-context.md. If missing or empty, ask the user in plain language: "I need to know a few basics about your company first. Want to set those up now?" Then run set-up-my-legal-info if yes. Stop until that's done.

2. Confirm mark + classes. Founder give:

   • Proposed word mark (design element / logo separate if relevant - design marks need own search).
   • Nice classes they want. Most SaaS founders = Class 9 (software / downloadable apps) + Class 42 (SaaS / platform-as-a-service). Branded consumer hardware add Class 35 (retail services) or product class. Founder unsure → propose 9 + 42, confirm.

   Write config/trademark-prefs.json with { classes, lastSearchedAt } if first-time.

3. Run knockout vs USPTO Trademark Center. Run composio search uspto or composio search trademark for tool slug; USPTO Trademark Center (launched Jan 2025) = canonical system. No connected tool → run composio search web-scrape and query https://tmsearch.uspto.gov/ direct.

   Four passes per class:

   • Exact-word pass - mark as wordmark.
   • Phonetic pass - phonetic equivalents (Kandi vs Candy, Fone vs Phone, Noot vs Newt, etc.).
   • Visual pass - letter-swap / transliteration (Lyft vs Lift, Tumblr vs Tumbler).
   • Root-word pass - search root if mark compound (e.g. "BrightCloud" → search "Bright" and "Cloud").

4. Classify each hit. Per result capture: serial number, full mark, owner, goods/services description, class, filing date, status (LIVE / PENDING / ABANDONED / DEAD). LIVE or PENDING hit in overlapping class = blocker. ABANDONED or DEAD = informational (still possible common-law mark issue, not registration blocker).