# Search Trademark

> (Re)start the USPTO search

**Endpoint:** `POST /v1/applications/{application_id}/trademark/search`  
**Access:** Free (guest token or account)  
**MCP tool:** `search_trademark`

Budgeted for anonymous callers (429 with `details.reason = daily_budget_exhausted`).

## cURL example

```bash
curl -X POST "https://api.verifiedinbox.ai/v1/applications/0192a5e0-1234-7000-8000-000000000001/trademark/search" \
  -H "VI-Guest-Token: vi_guest_YOUR_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "mark_text": "string",
    "owner_name": "string"
  }'
```

## Parameters

| Parameter | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
| `application_id` (path, required) | `string (uuid)` | Application id. |
| `VI-Environment` (header) | `string` | `live` (default) or `test`. Used for anonymous callers and OAuth access tokens; API keys and web sessions carry their own environment. |

## Request body

| Field | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
| `mark_text` | `string` | Words in the mark to search for (defaults to the brand name). |
| `owner_name` | `string` | Legal owner name to search for (defaults to the company name). |

```json
{
  "mark_text": "string",
  "owner_name": "string"
}
```

## Responses

### 200 OK

Search started.

```json
{
  "candidates": [
    {
      "filing_date": "2026-10-31",
      "image_url": "https://verifiedinbox.ai/verify/0192a5e0-1234-7000-8000-000000000001/domain",
      "mark_text": "string",
      "mark_type": "word",
      "method": "string",
      "office": "string",
      "owner": "string",
      "registration_date": "2026-10-31",
      "registration_number": "string",
      "serial_number": "string",
      "similarity": 1,
      "source_url": "https://verifiedinbox.ai/verify/0192a5e0-1234-7000-8000-000000000001/domain",
      "status": "registered",
      "status_text": "string"
    }
  ],
  "checked_at": "2026-10-31T12:00:00Z",
  "match": {
    "filing_date": "2026-10-31",
    "image_url": "https://verifiedinbox.ai/verify/0192a5e0-1234-7000-8000-000000000001/domain",
    "mark_text": "string",
    "mark_type": "word",
    "method": "string",
    "office": "string",
    "owner": "string",
    "registration_date": "2026-10-31",
    "registration_number": "string",
    "serial_number": "string",
    "similarity": 1,
    "source_url": "https://verifiedinbox.ai/verify/0192a5e0-1234-7000-8000-000000000001/domain",
    "status": "registered",
    "status_text": "string"
  },
  "message": "Everything checks out.",
  "provider": "string",
  "status": "not_started",
  "trademark_service_email": "string"
}
```

### 400 (invalid_request)

`invalid_request` — the request is malformed.

```json
{
  "error": {
    "code": "invalid_request",
    "message": "Please provide a valid domain name."
  }
}
```

### 401 (unauthenticated)

`unauthenticated` — sign in / send a valid credential. `next_action.kind = sign_in`.

```json
{
  "error": {
    "code": "unauthenticated",
    "message": "Sign in or provide an API key to continue.",
    "next_action": {
      "kind": "sign_in",
      "title": "Sign in or create an account",
      "url": "/login"
    }
  }
}
```

### 404 (not_found)

`not_found` — doesn't exist or isn't accessible to you (never 403).

```json
{
  "error": {
    "code": "not_found",
    "message": "We couldn't find that resource."
  }
}
```

### 422 (unprocessable)

`unprocessable` / `blocked_provider` — understood but can't be done (plain-English reason).

```json
{
  "error": {
    "code": "unprocessable",
    "message": "Shared mailbox providers like gmail.com cannot be verified."
  }
}
```

### 429 (rate_limited)

`rate_limited` — retry after `Retry-After` seconds (`details.retry_after_seconds`). `limit_reached` — a quota is used up; `details.limit` names it and `next_action` offers support.

```json
{
  "error": {
    "code": "rate_limited",
    "message": "Too many requests. Please wait a moment and try again."
  }
}
```