Initial skills documentation — 25 categories, all SKILL.md + references + scripts
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---
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name: brand-name-availability-research
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description: "Research the availability of a brand/game/product name across USPTO trademarks, domain WHOIS, app stores, game platforms, and general web — produce a structured conflict assessment with actionable recommendations."
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platforms: [linux, macos]
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---
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# Brand / Name Availability Research
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## When to use
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When asked to check if a name (game title, brand, product, SaaS name) is available for use — covering:
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- **Trademark conflicts** — USPTO registration status for the name in relevant classes
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- **Domain availability** — WHOIS lookup on `.com` and alternatives
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- **Platform conflicts** — Steam, App Store, Google Play, Meta Quest, itch.io, etc.
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- **Existing products** — Board games, tabletop, mobile apps, VR experiences using the same name
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- **Name variants** — Multiple spellings (two-word, one-word, hyphenated, combined)
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## Core workflow
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### 1. Parallel initial sweep (batch all independent searches)
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Fire off all discovery searches simultaneously — they don't depend on each other:
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```
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- web_search: USPTO trademark query for "name" game class 9 class 41
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- web_search: "Name" game Steam PC
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- web_search: "Name" mobile game App Store Google Play
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- web_search: "Name" trademark
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- web_search: "Name" game board game card game
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```
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### 2. USPTO trademark deep-dive
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Two complementary approaches:
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**Approach A: TSDR direct lookup** (if you have a serial/registration number from step 1)
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- Navigate to `https://tsdr.uspto.gov/#caseNumber=<SN>&caseSearchType=US_APPLICATION&caseType=DEFAULT&searchType=statusSearch`
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- Key fields to extract: Mark, Serial/Registration Number, Filing/Registration Date, Status (Live/Dead/Cancelled), Status Date, Goods/Services description, Class
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- **DEAD/Cancelled** marks pose no conflict. Focus on **LIVE/Registered** marks in Classes 9 (software/games) and 41 (entertainment services).
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**Approach B: USPTO Trademark Search system** (for names without known serial numbers)
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- Navigate to `https://www.uspto.gov/trademarks/search`
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- Click the "Trademark Search system" link (ref @e43 in the snapshot)
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- Select "Wordmark" from the search refinement dropdown
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- Type the name into the search combobox and click search
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- Use the LIVE filter (default) to see active marks; the DEAD count shows total historical filings
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- Filter by class: Class 9 (Electrical and Scientific Apparatus — includes game software) and Class 41 (Education and Entertainment — includes game services)
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- Click result lines to expand details
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**Approach C: Justia Trademarks** (alternative, often easier)
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- Search `site:trademarks.justia.com "Name" class 009 OR class 041`
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- Or browse by serial number if you have one
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### 3. Domain WHOIS check
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Run WHOIS on multiple name variants:
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```bash
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# Check primary name and alternatives
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for domain in name.com namegame.com playname.com names.io; do
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whois "$domain" 2>/dev/null | head -20
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echo "--- $domain ---"
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done
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```
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Key info to extract: Registrar, Create Date, Expiry Date, Status (taken/available), Nameservers.
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**Pricing reference for domain recommendations:**
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| Registrar | .com price | Notes |
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|-----------|-----------|-------|
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| **Cloudflare** | ~$10.46/yr | At-cost, no markup, recommended |
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| **Namecheap** | ~$10.69/yr | Includes free WhoisGuard privacy |
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| **GoDaddy** | ~$12.17/yr | Markup + upsells, avoid if possible |
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| **Porkbun** | ~$9.67/yr | Cheapest, good API, rising in popularity |
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- Domains registered through Cloudflare can't be transferred out for 60 days, but renewals are always at cost
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- All registrars above include free WHOIS privacy
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- Premium domains (short, dictionary words) are priced independently by the registry and can be $100-$10,000+ — always verify pricing on the checkout page before recommending
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### 4. Platform-specific searches
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For each relevant platform, search for the name:
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- **Steam**: `site:store.steampowered.com "Name" game`
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- **SteamDB**: `site:steamdb.info "Name"`
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- **Google Play**: `site:play.google.com "Name" app`
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- **App Store**: Search via web search (no direct site: query works well)
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- **Meta Quest / VR**: Search for "Name VR" or "Name Quest"
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- **Itch.io / Game Jolt**: General web search including the indie platforms
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- **BoardGameGeek**: `site:boardgamegeek.com "Name"`
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### 5. General web conflict assessment
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Search for the name as a standalone product/entity:
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```
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- "Name" game (general existence)
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- "Name" trademark (additional filings)
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- "Name" trademark live active entertainment services
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```
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Also search for related name variants (one-word, two-word, hyphenated, "captain name", etc.)
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### 6. Compile structured report
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Organize findings into these sections:
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#### Trademark Summary
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Table with: Mark, Serial Number, Classes, Status (Live/Dead), Goods description, Key conflict assessment.
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Add a **Trademark Risk Assessment** line:
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- **LOW** — No live marks in relevant classes
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- **MEDIUM** — Live marks in adjacent classes or similar names exist
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- **HIGH** — Live marks in same class for the exact name
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#### Existing Products / Conflicts
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Table with: Name variant, Platform, Developer, Type, Similarity, Risk level.
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#### Domain Availability
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Table with: Domain, Available? (Yes/No), Status details, Notes.
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#### Recommendations
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- **Domain priority list** — order by desirability, with registration cost estimates
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- **Trademark recommendations** — whether to file, which classes, when
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- **Name risk summary** — assess each name variant against the main conflict
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### Verdict patterns
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| Finding | Recommended action |
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|---|---|
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| No trademarks, no conflicts, domains available | Go ahead, register domains + file trademark |
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| No trademarks, but existing product with same name | Consider a distinctive variant or adjust name |
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| No trademarks, domains taken | Try alternative TLDs (.io, .gg, .games) or modify name |
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| Dead trademark in unrelated class | No conflict — proceed |
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| Live trademark in same class | High risk — change name or get legal opinion |
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## Example output structure
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See `references/sharkbait-domain-research-report.md` for a complete worked example.
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## Pitfalls
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- **Dead trademarks still show in search results** always check the Status field for "DEAD/REGISTRATION/Cancelled/Invalidated" — a dead mark poses no obstacle
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- **Don't mistake USPTO offline publication PDFs** for current status — the PDFs listed in search results (like `tmog/20030401_OG.pdf`) are historical opposition publications, not current registration status. Always check TSDR directly.
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- **Multiple class filters matter** — a trademark in Class 25 (clothing) does NOT block use in Class 9/41 (games). Filter by relevant classes.
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- **Domain squatters hide availability** — some domains show as "taken" but are parked/squatted. Check the nameservers: `PDNS*.DOMAINCONTROL.COM` is typically GoDaddy parking.
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- **Beware "Shark Bait" as a generic phrase** — many games use it as a level/achievement/item name, not a game title. Distinguish standalone game titles from in-game content.
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- **WHOIS rate limiting** — some registrars throttle multi-domain WHOIS queries. Space out checks or run them in parallel.
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- **USPTO search system is JS-heavy** — use the browser rather than curl/web_extract for the search interface. The TSDR status page (static content after search) can be read with browser_snapshot.
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## Verification
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For each data point in your report, verify:
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1. Trademark status is current (not historical PDF)
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2. Domain WHOIS data is recent (check "Last update" timestamp)
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3. Existing products are real (not placeholder/abandoned)
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4. Platform listings are current (not removed/taken down)
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## Reference material
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- `references/sharkbait-domain-research-report.md` — Complete worked example: researching "Shark Bait" / "Sharkbait" as a game name and domain
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