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Descriptiveness check

Compare the ordinary meaning of each word in a mark with the goods or services it will be used on, and see where the mark likely falls on the distinctiveness spectrum.

The wording of the mark.
What will be sold or offered under the mark.

How the check works

AI reviews each word of the mark and the mark as a whole, as a consumer would see it on the goods or services you entered. It considers whether a word names the goods, or describes a quality, feature, function, ingredient, purpose, or user, and whether the combination creates a new or incongruous meaning that takes imagination to connect to the goods.

Each word's meaning is a short summary written for this check. It is not copied from any dictionary. Use the dictionary links on each word to read and cite the full entries, and the usage link to see how others use the term for similar goods.

The spectrum

  • Generic: the common name of the goods. Not registrable.
  • Descriptive: immediately describes the goods. Registrable on the Principal Register only with acquired distinctiveness (Section 2(f)), or on the Supplemental Register.
  • Suggestive: needs imagination or a mental step to connect to the goods. Inherently distinctive.
  • Arbitrary: a real word with no connection to the goods. Inherently distinctive.
  • Fanciful: a coined word. Inherently distinctive.

This is an AI-generated preliminary screen, not a legal opinion. The line between descriptive and suggestive is often close, and the USPTO decides based on the evidence in each application. Using this tool does not create an attorney-client relationship.