IP Alerts

December 20, 2011

UPDATE of Dec. 16 alert: The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has introduced a new system for viewing the status and documents of trademark applications and registrations. The new system, known as the Trademark Status and Document Retrieval System (“TSDR”), can now be publicly accessed on the USPTO’s website here.

The TSDR system consolidates the functions currently performed by two other trademark databases with which users have become accustomed. TSDR enables users to access through one link the application and registration status information currently provided by the Trademark Applications and Registration Retrieval (TARR ) database and the file wrapper documents made available via the Trademark Document Retrieval (TDR) database. The current TARR and TDR databases eventually will go offline, but for now will remain available.  

Along with the consolidation of databases, the TSDR system includes many advanced features and capabilities. Users are now able to (1) download a PDF or the original form of the status content as an XML file, (2) view marks as stored within the Trademark Office mark image repository and enlarge the size of mark images with a mouse rollover feature, (3) collapse and expand sections of the data being viewed, and (4) preview and print trademark status content.

In the TSDR system, users should be able to move easily between status information and document content. TSDR also organizes and arranges the trademark data and content for users in new ways, including providing filing basis data at the case and class levels. In the existing TARR database, filing basis data is available only at the class level. In TSDR, links to related trademark properties may also be provided, where applicable. This should aid in trademark searching. TSDR should also decrease the time needed for the USPTO to update trademark status information.

Finally, in contrast to the current Patent Application Information Retrieval (PAIR) system for viewing the status of patent applications, TSDR has an Application Programming Interface (API). This API is intended to help programmers gain access to the trademark database and to easily obtain mark and status information.

If you have any questions regarding the new TSDR system, please contact Fitch Even attorney Alisa C. Simmons, the author of this alert.