Brand Name Monitoring Run Checklist
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A printable checklist for one complete brand name monitoring run, from refreshing the variant list to logging what was found and what was decided.

[ ] Confirm the list of names being watched is current: company name, every product name still on sale, and any tagline you use as a brand.
[ ] Refresh the variant list for each name: exact spelling, common misspellings, phonetic equivalents, with and without spaces or hyphens, and letter-for-number swaps.
[ ] Write down the date of this run and the date of the previous run so you know exactly which window you are covering.
[ ] Search the USPTO database for each name and its closest variants and record any application or registration that is new since the last run.
[ ] Check the status of every pending application you are already tracking and note whether it has been published for opposition.
[ ] For any newly published application that conflicts with your name, work out the opposition deadline and put it on the calendar the same day.
[ ] Run a plain web search for each name and its top variants, and look past the first page for new businesses rather than stopping at your own listings.
[ ] If you ship software, check the app stores that matter for your product for new apps under the same or a similar name.
[ ] If you sell physical goods, search the marketplaces where you sell for new sellers or listings using your name or a close variant.
[ ] Check the major social platforms for new accounts using your name or a lookalike handle, and note whether the account is selling anything.
[ ] Look up domain registrations for the obvious variants of your primary name, including alternate endings, hyphenated forms, and misspellings.
[ ] Check the state trademark register and business filings for the states where you operate or where most of your customers are.
[ ] For every match, record the exact name, the source, the date found, and what goods or services the other party actually offers.
[ ] Sort each match into low, medium, or high priority based on how close the name is and how much the goods, customers, and sales channels overlap.
[ ] For every medium-priority match, set a follow-up date and write down what would move it to high priority.
[ ] For every high-priority match, capture dated screenshots of the other party's site, listings, and any filing before you do anything visible.
[ ] Pull together your own proof of first use for any name involved in a high-priority match: launch date, first sale, early marketing, press.
[ ] Decide the next step for each high-priority match (polite letter, opposition, coexistence, attorney call, or rebrand planning) and assign it a date.
[ ] Write the results in the shared monitoring log, including the matches you dismissed and the reason you dismissed them.
[ ] Post a short summary where the whole team can see it, even when nothing was found, so the record shows the check actually happened.
[ ] Confirm the next run is on the calendar and that a named person owns it.
[ ] Once a quarter, review whether any names should be added (new products, new categories) or retired from the watch list.
[ ] Once a quarter, check the upcoming maintenance deadlines for any federal registration you own and confirm they are on the calendar.