AI trademark: start with a free, honest check

That’s the only thing CharacterGuard helps with. If you’re looking to trademark a general business name, we’re not the right place, and we’d rather tell you that now.

Why creators look into this

You made a character with AI tools. You gave it a name. You started posting, and people started following the character. At some point the question shows up: is that name actually mine? What if someone else starts using it?

It’s a fair question, and the honest answer depends on details: whether the character actually brands a live channel, how distinctive the name is, and whether something similar is already on the USPTO’s records.

Trademark vs. the image itself

• The character’s image. AI-generated images may have limited copyright protection. That’s a separate, evolving area, and we don’t make promises about it.
• The character’s name and mark. A trademark is about a name, logo or other mark that identifies the source of goods or services: here, the channel the character brands. That’s the part we focus on.

More on that split in copyright vs. trademark.

Start with the free examination

The free check needs two things: the character’s name and the link to its channel. It reads five rows, one at a time:

1. Name clearance. A search of the USPTO’s live trademark records for the same name, names that contain it, and one-letter-off spellings.
2. Channel live and branded. Is the channel public and posting?
3. Name on the profile. Does the channel page show the name branding the show?
4. Mark on the profile. Is the character’s mark in the profile image or header, not only inside clips?
5. Generator terms. A dated copy of your image tool’s commercial-use terms.

You get one of three answers: File now, Intent to use (the name looks clear but the channel isn’t live yet), or Do not file yet, with the row that held it and what to fix.

The answer can be “do not file.” That’s on purpose. You get the row that held it and what to fix, not a sales pitch. Sometimes the right move is to wait, rename, or get the channel running first. See a real do-not-file check.

The check doesn’t grade how distinctive a name is. That’s a judgment for an attorney and, in the end, the USPTO. As general information: made-up or unexpected names are usually stronger candidates than names that just describe the content.

If the result is fileable

If the result is “File now” or “Intent to use”, here’s what exists and what it costs:

• Lock kit · $249 once. Your simplified mark, the channel header as your specimen, a first-use log and a generator-terms note, plus an attorney packet. Prepared for attorney review, not a filing.
• Attorney review · $199. We send your built kit to our attorney for trademark consideration. The attorney’s own fee, if any, is paid to them directly. Attorney joining soon; it isn’t available yet.
• USPTO fee. $350 per class, paid separately when an application is filed.
• PromptPatrol · $39/month. A weekly note on new USPTO filings for the name, names that contain it, and close spellings, even when nothing turns up. Face watch is coming soon. Cancel online any time.

Step by step: trademark an AI character. Running a persona? See AI influencer trademark.

What we don’t do

We don’t file trademarks, we’re not a law firm, and we don’t give legal advice. Nobody can promise a registration; the USPTO decides. What we can give you is a clear, honest starting point.

Who this is for

Creators whose AI character already has a name and a channel, or is about to. If you’re still experimenting with looks and names, come back once the character posts under its name; the check will be more useful then.