The USPTO Trademark Case Files Dataset: Descriptions, Lessons, and Insights

71 Pages Posted: 3 Feb 2013

See all articles by Stuart J.H. Graham

Stuart J.H. Graham

Georgia Institute of Technology - Scheller College of Business

Galen Hancock

University of California, Berkeley

Alan C. Marco

Georgia Institute of Technology - School of Public Policy

Amanda Myers

United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO)

Date Written: January 31, 2013

Abstract

This paper describes the “USPTO Trademark Case Files Dataset” (dataset) a new dataset of trademark applications and registrations derived from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) main database for administering trademark case files. The USPTO is releasing these data for the first time in a form convenient for public use and academic research, consistent with the agency’s responsibility to make patent and trademark information available to the public. The dataset provides detailed information on 6.7 million trademark applications filed with or registrations issued by the USPTO between January 1870 and January 2012, including ownership, mark characteristics, classification, prosecution events, and renewal history. This paper provides a comprehensive description of the dataset, including discussions of the legal framework affecting and the administrative processes generating these data. We provide a “first look” at the information the dataset captures and present key trends in trademark applications, registrations, and renewals. We highlight data elements valuable to researchers and the general public, and discuss issues that may arise in using these data. In releasing these data, we aim to encourage new streams of research on trademarks and what they indicate about their users, the strategies for employing them, and the wider economic impacts that these data will help uncover.

Keywords: Trademarks, Intellectual Property, Innovation, Brands, Data

JEL Classification: O34

Suggested Citation

Graham, Stuart J.H. and Hancock, Galen and Marco, Alan C. and Myers, Amanda, The USPTO Trademark Case Files Dataset: Descriptions, Lessons, and Insights (January 31, 2013). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2188621 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2188621

Stuart J.H. Graham (Contact Author)

Georgia Institute of Technology - Scheller College of Business ( email )

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HOME PAGE: http://https://www.scheller.gatech.edu/graham

Galen Hancock

University of California, Berkeley ( email )

310 Barrows Hall
Berkeley, CA 94720
United States

Alan C. Marco

Georgia Institute of Technology - School of Public Policy ( email )

685 Cherry St.
Atlanta, GA 30332-0345
United States

Amanda Myers

United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) ( email )

Alexandria
VA 22313-1451
United States

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