Software companies live and die by naming defensibility. A name that looks clear in Google can collide with three live USPTO registrations in Class 9 (downloadable software) or Class 42 (SaaS, platform as a service, API products). Imperium IP screens proposed SaaS brand names against the full USPTO live and dead index in seconds, with a transparent 0 to 100 Similarity Index and a list of conflicting marks ranked by exact, contains, and phonetic similarity.
Targets USPTO Class 009, 042. Decision-support only. Attorney review required before filing.
Names that describe what the product does (CloudSync, DataPipe, TaskApp) face high refusal risk for being merely descriptive. The USPTO examiner can refuse registration under Section 2(e)(1). Suggestive or fanciful constructions are easier to defend.
A typical SaaS product needs protection in both classes. A conflicting mark in either class can block your filing. Many founders search only Class 9 and miss a Class 42 collision until the office action arrives.
Domains with .ai are heavily contested. WIPO domain disputes have transferred .ai domains to brand owners even after the holder rejected significant offers. If you plan a .ai domain, screen the underlying mark first.
A live mark held by a non-US entity may not appear in casual searches but still blocks USPTO registration. Imperium IP surfaces foreign-owner records that quick TESS searches miss.
Most SaaS products file in Class 9 (downloadable software) and Class 42 (software as a service, platform as a service). Some also file Class 35 if they include sales or marketing functionality. Imperium IP defaults SaaS searches to both Class 9 and 42.
It depends on how it functions in the mark. AI as a descriptive suffix in a primarily descriptive mark adds little protectability. AI bolted onto an otherwise arbitrary brand can be fine. The .ai domain is a separate concern; recent WIPO decisions have transferred valuable .ai domains to existing mark owners.
Generic terms cannot be exclusively appropriated for the product category they describe. "Cloud" for cloud storage is generic. "Cloud" for a furniture company is arbitrary and strong. Imperium IP scores both contextually.
When you set the industry filter to Technology & Software, the search runs a second pass weighted toward Class 9 and 42 hits, boosting marks in the same trade channels as the queried name. The combined score reflects same-class risk more accurately than a pure name match.