Searching for trademarks online is a highly valued skill in the marketplace for avoiding trademark infringement liability. Trademarks are closely associated with brands, and such trademarks can be stylized corporate names (the red script of Coca-Cola) or even the bite out of an apple that denotes Apple products. Be sure that you have viewed the Trademarks and Avoiding Consumer Confusion video assigned in this session's Reading and Viewing assignment before completing this assignment.

For this assignment, you will need to demonstrate an ability to navigate the United States Patent and Trademarks Office (USPTO) website to research trademarks. Go to the USPTO site, hover over "Trademarks" in the top banner, and select "Searching Trademarks" under the "Application Process" heading. Scroll down and select "Search Trademarks" to search the Trademark Electronic Search System (TESS). Review the Tess Tips provided to gain a clear understanding of how to search the database and how to interpret the results.

Then use the "Basic Word Mark Search" to research "Death Ride" in California. Answer the following based on your trademark research:

1. Who owns it, when did they receive the trademark, what is its trademark registration number, and what exactly is the product or service?
2. Find another application of a similar trademark using "Death Ride" in its product or service name from someone in Colorado. Who owns it, when did he apply, and when did he decide not to pursue the trademark registration? Why do you think he abandoned his application? (Hint: See Jennings, 2016, pp. 346-347 for the legal principle involved.)