Trademarks

Gmail's blue checkmark (a VMC) is only available for logos that are registered trademarks owned by your company. This is how the certificate issuer knows the logo is really yours.

Which trademark offices we support#

Our first release supports the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). If your trademark is registered elsewhere, contact us and we'll tell you what's possible.

The trademark must be registered (not just applied for), and it should be a design mark, or a design plus words, that matches the logo you want to show.

How we find your trademark#

1. When you add your logo, we automatically search the USPTO register for your company and your logo.
2. We compare your logo with the images of matching registrations, using AI image comparison with a backup visual-matching method.
3. You see the result: match found, no match, or needs review.

If you already know your registration or serial number, enter it and we'll check that exact record.

Manual review#

Sometimes a match isn't clear-cut (for example, a slightly different version of the logo, or the trademark is held by a parent company). A person at VerifiedInbox reviews these cases and records the decision. You'll see the outcome on your trademark step.

The logo must match#

The logo you show in the inbox should be the same as the registered design. Small differences (colors, a missing tagline) may be accepted or not; the certificate issuer has the final say. If yours differs, we'll tell you before you pay.

No trademark yet?#

You have two options, and you can do both:

• Logo only, now. If your logo has been in public use for at least 12 months, you can get a CMC: your logo in Gmail, without the checkmark. See VMC vs CMC.
• File a trademark. See below.

Trademark filing service#

We can help you register your logo as a trademark. Email trademark@getverifiedinbox.com with your company name and logo, and we'll explain the options, timing and cost. Registration usually takes several months. When it's registered, we can move you from a CMC to a VMC.

For developers#

• GET /v1/applications/{id}/trademark returns status (not_started, searching, match_found, no_match, needs_review, manually_verified, error), the chosen match (serial and registration numbers, owner, status, similarity, method) and candidates.
• POST /v1/applications/{id}/trademark/search restarts the search (optional owner_name, mark_text).
• POST /v1/applications/{id}/trademark/claim with serial_or_registration_number verifies a specific record.
• MCP: search_trademark, get_trademark_status.