I spent 30+ hours verifying one brand name. So I automated it.

#ai #webdev #startup #javascript

I launched an unsafe brand name. Bought the domain, created the GitHub org, started the logo — then found an active trademark in my exact class. Three weeks of work, gone.

The second attempt? Name was clear on trademarks but a company in Brazil was using it in the same space. Google would surface them first. Technically available, not safe to build on.

The problem isn't checking — it's connecting the dots

A registrar checks domains. A trademark database checks marks. A social platform checks handles. None of them tell you: is this name actually safe to launch?

A taken TikTok handle is not the same severity as an active trademark. A tool that gives both a red dot isn't assessing risk — it's listing results.

What I built

Brandomica (https://www.brandomica.com) checks 19 sources in one search:

Domains — 6 TLDs with real pricing (Year 1, renewal, 3Y TCO — not the teaser rate)
Trademarks — ~850K USPTO marks via FTS5, plus EUIPO links
Social — GitHub, Twitter/X, TikTok, Instagram, LinkedIn
Package registries — npm, PyPI, crates.io, RubyGems, NuGet, Homebrew, Docker Hub
App stores — iOS automated, Google Play manual link
Safety score — 0-100, six signals including linguistic (7-language profanity) and phonetic conflict detection

The tech

Next.js 16 on Vercel. Trademark data is official USPTO bulk XML, parsed into SQLite FTS5 and hosted on Turso. Updated daily via launchd. Domain pricing from Vercel Domains API.

Phonetic screening uses double-metaphone + Levenshtein distance to catch names that sound like existing trademarks. Linguistic screening runs 7-language profanity detection via the cuss npm package plus Wiktionary meaning lookups.

Four interfaces

The web UI is for evaluation, but the real usage is agent-native:

CLI: npx brandomica check acme — lowest token overhead
MCP server: npx brandomica-mcp-server — 12 tools for Claude and MCP-compatible agents
REST API: JSON endpoints, OpenAPI spec for ChatGPT Custom GPTs
Web: Visual exploration and comparison mode