Trademark searches are indispensable when choosing a right brand/logo or other type of sign as a key element for distinguishing goods, services or company in the market.
A trademark search allows to determine whether there are earlier trademarks colliding with the chosen sign, i.e. trademarks which may give rise to opposition and constitute an obstacle in obtaining registration or to the use of the sign in the market.
We offer services in the field of trademark availability searches, including:
identical trademark searches
The trademark identity search is focused on the verbal layer of the searched trademark.
This is the least expensive and quickest way to determine the possible existence of applications/registrations of colliding trademarks identical with the searched trademark.
This type of search allows for the elimination of evidently risky signs already in the early stages in the developing of protection strategy. However, it does not provide full information on the chances of obtaining protection for the searched trademark, as it does not include the search for similar trademarks which may also constitute obstacles to having protection granted for the searched trademark or to its use on the market.
trademark availability searches (similarity searches), including searches of graphic signs (logos) and three-dimensional signs.
A trademark availability search makes it possible to establish the existence of earlier applications or registrations of trademarks identical or similar to the searched trademark and intended to mark similar goods and/or services. Earlier colliding trademarks may constitute obstacles in having protection granted for the searched trademark or to its use on the market.
A verbal trademark availability search is focused on a verbal trademark or a verbal layer of a trademark of a mixed type, e.g. a verbal/figurative one. It makes it possible to establish the existence of earlier colliding trademarks with respect to phonetic, visual, semantic or conceptual identity or similarity of the searched trademark and its use for designating identical or similar goods and services.
The figurative trademark availability search is focused on a graphic sign or a graphic layer of a trademark of a mixed type, e.g. a verbal/figurative one or a three-dimensional one, classified according to the Vienna Classification (International Classification of the Figurative Elements of Marks). It allows the determination of existence of earlier colliding trademarks with respect to their visual similarity to the searched trademark. Such searches are usually much more time-intensive than verbal trademark availability searches.
The three-dimensional trademark availability search, similarly as the figurative trademark availability search, is carried out on the basis of the classification of graphic elements according to the Vienna Classification. It allows for finding earlier trademarks (three-dimensional or figurative) that are colliding on the visual level with the searched three-dimensional trademark.
In the case of figurative and three-dimensional marks, it is also advisable to carry out an additional separate industrial design search since industrial designs may be protected under the categories of “graphic symbols” and “logos”, and thus they may constitute an obstacle to have protection granted for the searched trademark or to its use on the market.
The standard territorial scope of search includes trademarks protected in the territory of Poland, applied for or registered under national, Community and international procedures, with designation of Poland or the European Union.
We offer services tailored to our Clients’ needs and requirements, including searches supplemented with the analysis of data available on the Internet which is helpful in determining whether a given sign, although not applied for registration or registered as a trademark, has been used on the market which might well lead to a serious conflict in trade.
We offer also internet domain searches.
Our search reports present full details of the colliding trademarks, conclusions resulting from the search and our assessment of the chances of obtaining protection for the searched trademark.
We guarantee excellent quality and reliability of our searches characterized by:
precise definition of search criteria,
the use of specialist databases, including commercial databases,
the use of our in-house developed software to select the most relevant, results and
search reports carefully adjusted to various needs and preferences of our Clients.
Our professional expertise and vast experience are appreciated not only by individual customers and domestic and foreign companies, but also by renown foreign companies specializing in comprehensive multi-market trademark searches.
Furthermore, we provide full service with regard to searches of industrial property rights abroad with the help of well-proven foreign companies which specialize in conducting multi-market searches and which offer preferential fees for our Clients.