About
Overview
Copyrights, trademarks and patents are three different registries run by two federal agencies, and all three are public and free to search. The United States Copyright Office, part of the Library of Congress, records registrations and transfers of copyright. The United States Patent and Trademark Office runs the trademark register and the patent register. None of the three tells you whether a work, a name or an invention is protected in every case, because copyright exists without registration and trademark rights can arise from use, but the registries are where a search has to start and where an application is examined, while disputes go to the courts and to the boards attached to the agencies, the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board, the Patent Trial and Appeal Board and the Copyright Claims Board.
The tools changed in the last few years. The Copyright Office moved its post 1978 records to a new Copyright Public Records System, the Patent and Trademark Office retired its old TESS trademark search in 2023 in favor of Trademark Search, and it replaced the PatFT and AppFT patent databases with Patent Public Search.
Official sources on this page were checked on September 25, 2026.
About
Copyright Records, U.S. Copyright Office
- Copyright Public Records PortalOfficial online search of U.S. copyright registrations and records
- Public Catalog SearchSearch the U.S. Copyright Office public catalog of registered works
- Virtual Card CatalogIndex to copyright registrations and ownership records
- U.S. Copyright Office, HomeRegistration, fees, circulars, and the DMCA Designated Agent Directory
About
Patent Search, USPTO & International
- USPTO Patent Public SearchOfficial web-based search for U.S. patents and applications
- Google PatentsFull-text search of U.S. and international patents plus non-patent literature
- Google Patents Advanced SearchFilter by inventor, assignee, date, classification, and jurisdiction
- USPTO Patents HubApply, maintain, fees, classifications and patent basics
Guide
Copyright records
Registrations and recorded transfers from 1978 onward are in the Copyright Public Records System, searchable by title, author, claimant and registration number. Earlier registrations, back to 1870, are in the scanned Catalog of Copyright Entries, and the Copyright Office's Virtual Card Catalog covers 1870 to 1977. A registration record shows the claimant, the date, the type of work and whether it was published, and recorded documents show assignments and licenses. The office will search its records for a fee when a self search is not enough.
- Copyright Public Records SystemRegistrations and recorded documents since 1978, checked September 25, 2026
- Virtual Card CatalogScanned copyright records from 1870 to 1977, checked September 25, 2026
- United States Copyright Office public recordsAll copyright search tools and the paid search service, checked September 25, 2026
Guide
Trademark and patent records
Trademark Search at the Patent and Trademark Office shows the live and dead federal applications and registrations, with the owner, the goods and services, the filing and registration dates and the status, and the Trademark Status and Document Retrieval system shows the full file for any serial number. State trademark registrations are separate and are searched through each secretary of state. Patent Public Search covers granted patents back to 1790 and applications published since 2001, with full text from 1976, and Google Patents and the World Intellectual Property Organization's Patentscope cover foreign filings.
- Trademark SearchFederal trademark applications and registrations, checked September 25, 2026
- Patent Public SearchGranted patents and published applications, checked September 25, 2026
- WIPO PatentscopeInternational patent applications and national collections, checked September 25, 2026
- Business RecordsState corporate registries where state trademarks and business names are searched
Straight answers
Copyright, Trademark & Patent Search, questions
How do I check if something is copyrighted?
Search the Copyright Public Records System for registrations since 1978 and the Virtual Card Catalog for earlier ones. A work can be copyrighted without registration, so an empty search does not mean the work is free to use.
How do I search for a trademark?
Use Trademark Search at the Patent and Trademark Office, which shows live and dead federal applications and registrations with the owner and status. State trademarks are searched through each secretary of state.
Are patents free to search?
Yes. Patent Public Search at the Patent and Trademark Office covers granted patents back to 1790 and published applications since 2001, and Google Patents and WIPO Patentscope cover foreign filings.