Features
What you get
Merch on Demand's content policy rules out any design that uses intellectual property you have no right to use, trademarks included, and when it lists where to check registered marks, the first resource it names for the US is the USPTO. Its FAQ goes further than the law: asked about a brand with no trademark on apparel, Amazon answers that a design using trademarked content may be rejected, and it warns that its policies can be more conservative than your own lawyer would advise (Merch content policy and FAQ, read October 2026). So on Merch the useful question is wider than whether a phrase is registered for shirts. It is whether anyone holds a live mark on it at all. That is the question the lookup answers, for the phrase on the design and for the words you plan to put in the listing.
The register Amazon points to
Merch's content policy names the USPTO as the place to check registered marks in the US. The lookup reads that register, so you see what Amazon's reviewers can see.
Every class, not only clothing
Class 25 gets a red flag, and marks in every other class are listed too. On Merch a cosmetics or coffee mark is still a reason to stop and read.
Owner, status, goods and dates
For every mark you get the wording as filed, its owner, live or pending, the goods it claims, and its filing and registration dates: enough to judge how close your phrase sits.
Next to your Amazon research
Keyword Research on Amazon US gives every phrase a TM button. A check anyone already ran shows green or red without spending one of yours.
The listing words too
Words in a title or a bullet can break the content policy as surely as the print, so run the phrases you plan for the listing, not only the one on the shirt.
Clear about what it cannot see
It reads the US register. For Merch's other stores Amazon lists UKIPO, EUIPO, TMDN, DPMA and J-PlatPat, and no register covers copyright or someone else's artwork.
Inside the app
See it working
A clean-looking phrase can still be someone's mark
Keyword Research read the leading Amazon US designs for dad jokes and listed 21 phrases. We ran the USPTO check on four of them. Dad tax, dad jokes and dad joke shirt came back with no live mark on the exact wording. Eye roll came back red: it is a registered skin care brand, class 3, nothing to do with clothing. Under a law-only reading that might pass. Under Merch's FAQ it is exactly the case where a design may be rejected, so it is the phrase to rethink before the upload, not after.
Built-in trademark check
Check any phrase against the live USPTO register before you design
Type a phrase and Trendlytic looks it up in the live USPTO register and shows who owns it, its status and its filing date. Included in every plan.
And the designs that were never yours to print are marked
When a result leans on a known brand, a character or a famous person, it arrives with a TM or copyright badge on the card. You see it while you are choosing, not after a takedown. A first filter, not legal advice.
How it works
- 1
Take the phrase
From your idea, or from a Keyword Research on Amazon US for the niche you want to design for.
- 2
Read every mark
Live or pending, clothing or not, the lookup lists them all, with the class of goods beside each one.
- 3
Upload, or rethink the wording
With no live mark, the phrase can go on a design that is entirely yours. With one, find a new angle while the file is still on your computer.
Also in every plan
A mockup generator for the design you make next
When your own design for the niche is ready, drop the file in and see it on 500+ t-shirt photos in one go. Pick the shots that fit your shop, on a person or on its own, and save them at up to 2000 px with no watermark. A mockup takes 1 credit from your plan the first time and nothing after that.
Try the free set, no account neededPricing
Simple pricing
3-day free trial on any plan. Then from $19.99/month for 100 searches across all four marketplaces, with the USPTO check built in. Cancel anytime.
Starter
Perfect to get started
- 100 searches / month (= 10,000+ winning niches)
- Best Niches Today (first 12 a day)
- 50 trademark checks / month
- AI Listing Generator (2 credits each = up to 50 listings/mo)
Pro
For serious POD sellers
- 500 searches / month (= 50,000+ winning niches)
- Best Niches Today (every niche, hourly)
- 300 trademark checks / month
- AI Listing Generator (2 credits each = up to 250 listings/mo)
Business
For teams & agencies
- 2,000 searches / month
- Best Niches Today (every niche, hourly)
- Unlimited trademark checks
- AI Listing Generator (2 credits each = up to 1,000 listings/mo)
Included in every plan
- All 4 marketplaces
- Rising & Rising fast badges (new designs already selling)
- AI Niche Finder: niches for your interest, checked on 4 marketplaces
- Keyword Research
- Trending Now (updated hourly)
- Best Design Instant — top winning designs
- AI Studio: Slogan, Quote & Description generators
- POD Calendar with upload reminders
- Mockup Generator: 500+ t-shirt photos
- Save & organize winning niches
- Full search history
- 20+ free POD tools included
Who's behind this
Trendlytic is built and supported by one person, Karim. Write to support@trendlytic.io and he is the one who answers.
About the founder“I'm very satisfied with the way you handled the issue and with your prompt support. Thank you so much.”Jassmin, Pro plan
Frequently asked questions
How does the 3-day free trial work?
Every plan starts with 3 days free. Starting it charges $1 to check the card is real, and that $1 is not refunded. The plan price itself is only billed when the trial ends, and cancelling before then from Manage Plan means it is never charged.
I haven't sold anything yet. Is Trendlytic for me?
Yes. A search needs no shop and no sales history: type an idea and you see what already sells for it on Etsy, Redbubble, TeePublic and Amazon US, how crowded each one is, and a plain verdict. Start with the marketplace you plan to sell on. If you are not ready for a trial, the free tools at /tools need no account.
Does Merch by Amazon check designs for trademarks?
Yes. Every design sits in review before it goes live, and the content policy rules out intellectual property you have no right to use. Across its whole store, Amazon reports that its proactive controls blocked more than 99% of suspected infringing listings before a brand had to find and report them (Amazon 2024 Brand Protection Report).
What happens if my Merch design uses a trademark?
It may be rejected. The content policy lists the corrective actions Amazon can take for content that breaks it: suspending or terminating your Content Creator privileges, removing listings, ending the business relationship, or permanently withholding payments.
Can I use a phrase that is registered, but not for clothing?
On Merch, think twice. Asked about a brand with no trademark on apparel, Amazon's FAQ answers that a design using trademarked content may be rejected, and that its policies can be more conservative than a lawyer would advise. The lookup shows class 25 separately so you can see the difference, but on Merch any live mark is worth a new angle or a lawyer's view.
Is there a Merch by Amazon banned words list?
Amazon does not publish one, and its content policy says the list of what it disallows is not exhaustive. The policy does name the categories: other people's trademarks, copyrights, names and likenesses; offensive or hateful content; profanity on youth sizes; wording about the product, fulfillment or delivery; requests for reviews; and claims that proceeds go to charity. Words in those groups are the ones to keep out of both the design and the listing.
Which trademark registers does Amazon tell Merch sellers to use?
The content policy lists the USPTO for the US; UKIPO, EUIPO and TMDN for the UK; DPMA, EUIPO and TMDN for Germany; EUIPO and TMDN for France, Italy and Spain; and J-PlatPat and TMDN for Japan. Trendlytic reads the USPTO register, so for the European and Japanese stores check those registers as well.
Does the lookup cover copyright or copied artwork?
No. Copyright has no public register to look things up in. Amazon's FAQ allows designs with the same idea or concept but says copying another creator's artwork without permission leads to immediate suspension or termination of the account. Your own version for the same buyer is fine; a copy is not.
Is there a free Merch by Amazon trademark checker?
The USPTO runs a free search of its own. Ours, at /tools/pod-trademark-checker, answers three phrases a day without an account. Inside Trendlytic, every plan includes the lookup alongside Amazon US research, starting at $19.99 a month.
Related
Clear the phrase before it goes into review
Every live USPTO mark on your next Merch phrase, in any class, one click from your Amazon US research. Start with a 3-day trial, then $19.99 a month.
Start your 3-day free trialCancel anytime · From $19.99/month after the 3-day trial
Or try a free tool first, no account needed