hermes-skills/skills/research/brand-name-availability-research/SKILL.md

---
name: brand-name-availability-research
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."
platforms: [linux, macos]
---

# Brand / Name Availability Research

## When to use

When asked to check if a name (game title, brand, product, SaaS name) is available for use — covering:

- **Trademark conflicts** — USPTO registration status for the name in relevant classes
- **Domain availability** — WHOIS lookup on `.com` and alternatives
- **Platform conflicts** — Steam, App Store, Google Play, Meta Quest, itch.io, etc.
- **Existing products** — Board games, tabletop, mobile apps, VR experiences using the same name
- **Name variants** — Multiple spellings (two-word, one-word, hyphenated, combined)

## Core workflow

### 1. Parallel initial sweep (batch all independent searches)

Fire off all discovery searches simultaneously — they don't depend on each other:

```
- web_search: USPTO trademark query for "name" game class 9 class 41
- web_search: "Name" game Steam PC
- web_search: "Name" mobile game App Store Google Play
- web_search: "Name" trademark
- web_search: "Name" game board game card game
```

### 2. USPTO trademark deep-dive

Two complementary approaches:

**Approach A: TSDR direct lookup** (if you have a serial/registration number from step 1)
- Navigate to `https://tsdr.uspto.gov/#caseNumber=<SN>&caseSearchType=US_APPLICATION&caseType=DEFAULT&searchType=statusSearch`
- Key fields to extract: Mark, Serial/Registration Number, Filing/Registration Date, Status (Live/Dead/Cancelled), Status Date, Goods/Services description, Class
- **DEAD/Cancelled** marks pose no conflict. Focus on **LIVE/Registered** marks in Classes 9 (software/games) and 41 (entertainment services).

**Approach B: USPTO Trademark Search system** (for names without known serial numbers)
- Navigate to `https://www.uspto.gov/trademarks/search`
- Click the "Trademark Search system" link (ref @e43 in the snapshot)
- Select "Wordmark" from the search refinement dropdown
- Type the name into the search combobox and click search
- Use the LIVE filter (default) to see active marks; the DEAD count shows total historical filings
- Filter by class: Class 9 (Electrical and Scientific Apparatus — includes game software) and Class 41 (Education and Entertainment — includes game services)
- Click result lines to expand details

**Approach C: Justia Trademarks** (alternative, often easier)
- Search `site:trademarks.justia.com "Name" class 009 OR class 041`
- Or browse by serial number if you have one

### 3. Domain WHOIS check

Run WHOIS on multiple name variants:

```bash
# Check primary name and alternatives
for domain in name.com namegame.com playname.com names.io; do
  whois "$domain" 2>/dev/null | head -20
  echo "--- $domain ---"
done
```

Key info to extract: Registrar, Create Date, Expiry Date, Status (taken/available), Nameservers.

**Pricing reference for domain recommendations:**

| Registrar | .com price | Notes |
|-----------|-----------|-------|
| **Cloudflare** | ~$10.46/yr | At-cost, no markup, recommended |
| **Namecheap** | ~$10.69/yr | Includes free WhoisGuard privacy |
| **GoDaddy** | ~$12.17/yr | Markup + upsells, avoid if possible |
| **Porkbun** | ~$9.67/yr | Cheapest, good API, rising in popularity |

- Domains registered through Cloudflare can't be transferred out for 60 days, but renewals are always at cost
- All registrars above include free WHOIS privacy
- 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

### 4. Platform-specific searches

For each relevant platform, search for the name:

- **Steam**: `site:store.steampowered.com "Name" game`
- **SteamDB**: `site:steamdb.info "Name"`
- **Google Play**: `site:play.google.com "Name" app`
- **App Store**: Search via web search (no direct site: query works well)
- **Meta Quest / VR**: Search for "Name VR" or "Name Quest"
- **Itch.io / Game Jolt**: General web search including the indie platforms
- **BoardGameGeek**: `site:boardgamegeek.com "Name"`

### 5. General web conflict assessment

Search for the name as a standalone product/entity:

```
- "Name" game (general existence)
- "Name" trademark (additional filings)
- "Name" trademark live active entertainment services
```

Also search for related name variants (one-word, two-word, hyphenated, "captain name", etc.)

### 6. Compile structured report

Organize findings into these sections:

#### Trademark Summary
Table with: Mark, Serial Number, Classes, Status (Live/Dead), Goods description, Key conflict assessment.

Add a **Trademark Risk Assessment** line:
- **LOW** — No live marks in relevant classes
- **MEDIUM** — Live marks in adjacent classes or similar names exist
- **HIGH** — Live marks in same class for the exact name

#### Existing Products / Conflicts
Table with: Name variant, Platform, Developer, Type, Similarity, Risk level.

#### Domain Availability
Table with: Domain, Available? (Yes/No), Status details, Notes.

#### Recommendations
- **Domain priority list** — order by desirability, with registration cost estimates
- **Trademark recommendations** — whether to file, which classes, when
- **Name risk summary** — assess each name variant against the main conflict

### Verdict patterns

| Finding | Recommended action |
|---|---|
| No trademarks, no conflicts, domains available | Go ahead, register domains + file trademark |
| No trademarks, but existing product with same name | Consider a distinctive variant or adjust name |
| No trademarks, domains taken | Try alternative TLDs (.io, .gg, .games) or modify name |
| Dead trademark in unrelated class | No conflict — proceed |
| Live trademark in same class | High risk — change name or get legal opinion |

## Example output structure

See `references/sharkbait-domain-research-report.md` for a complete worked example.

## Pitfalls

- **Dead trademarks still show in search results** always check the Status field for "DEAD/REGISTRATION/Cancelled/Invalidated" — a dead mark poses no obstacle
- **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.
- **Multiple class filters matter** — a trademark in Class 25 (clothing) does NOT block use in Class 9/41 (games). Filter by relevant classes.
- **Domain squatters hide availability** — some domains show as "taken" but are parked/squatted. Check the nameservers: `PDNS*.DOMAINCONTROL.COM` is typically GoDaddy parking.
- **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.
- **WHOIS rate limiting** — some registrars throttle multi-domain WHOIS queries. Space out checks or run them in parallel.
- **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.

## Verification

For each data point in your report, verify:
1. Trademark status is current (not historical PDF)
2. Domain WHOIS data is recent (check "Last update" timestamp)
3. Existing products are real (not placeholder/abandoned)
4. Platform listings are current (not removed/taken down)

## Reference material

- `references/sharkbait-domain-research-report.md` — Complete worked example: researching "Shark Bait" / "Sharkbait" as a game name and domain