Q&A about our products

1. What should I do with a combined mark (in which there is both a word and image element)?  
2. Can foreign characters (e.g. Chinese) be watched or searched?
3. Why must I sometimes submit the goods and services if I already have the classes?
4. When is it best to search the International Register and the Community Trademarks?
5. Is a search of Community trademarks sufficient to find out whether a mark is still free within the European Union?
6. Does Thomson CompuMark offer search packages?
7. A Status Watch is offered for which countries?
8. For which countries is it possible to obtain information concerning the national publication of international trademarks?
9. Is an Identical Screening Search (ISS) into a device mark possible?
10. Can I base my decision whether or not to register a trademark on an Identical Screening Search (ISS)?
11. Does Thomson CompuMark also offer translations of goods lists?
12. Will Thomson CompuMark give me legal advice?

 1. What should I do with a combined mark (in which there is both a word and image element)? The mutual importance of the separate elements plays a crucial role in this. Do you not want to see only device marks but also similar or identical word marks? Then we recommend searching or watching both word and device. However, is it sufficient, for example, only to see logos when these are registered in combination with an identical or similar word? In that case, a word search or -watch would be adequate.

Top

 2. Can foreign characters (e.g. Chinese) be watched or searched? In view of the increasing interest in the strongly growing Chinese economy and the complexity of the Chinese language, Thomson CompuMark offers special searching and watching services for China which include Chinese characters.
For other foreign characters, it is possible to have transliterations watched or searched.

Top

 3. Why must I sometimes submit the goods and services if I already have the classes? Not all countries follow the international classification of Nice. This additional information is consequently essential for those countries. A Common Law search also requires a list of goods.

Top

 4. When is it best to search the International Register and the Community Trademarks? If the country you want to search is a member of the Madrid Agreement or Protocol and/or is a member state of the European Union, you should certainly not ignore the International Register and the Register of Community Trademarks. Only then will the report include all marks valid in that country.

Top

 5. Is a search of Community trademarks sufficient to find out whether a mark is still free within the European Union? No, eventhough the Community trademarks are protected throughout the European Union, there are also national registrations that were not registered as Community trademarks. We created our EU-packages to search these marks in one go. You will find an overview of these packages on our order form.

Top

 6. Does Thomson CompuMark offer search packages? Yes. A number of countries form a region of economic or political importance. We created search packages for this, which are naturally cheaper than the sum of the individual countries. You will find an overview of these packages on our order form.

Top

 7. A Status Watch is offered for which countries? A Status Watch informs you of a change in the status of your mark. We offer this watching in approximately 15 countries. You will find an overview of these countries on our order form.

Top

 8. For which countries is it possible to obtain information concerning the national publication of international trademarks? In some countries the opposition period for international trademarks only begins after publication in the national trademark journal. You may be kept informed of these publications for a number of countries on request. You will find an overview of these countries on our order form.

Top

 9. Is an Identical Screening Search (ISS) into a device mark possible? No. An ISS into device marks is not yet possible. However, an ISS into word marks may be complemented with the logos of marks found with a device element.

Top

 10. Can I base my decision whether or not to register a trademark on an Identical Screening Search (ISS)? No. An Identical Screening Search is a screening tool and only gives a picture of identical marks since 1976. We recommend an availability search to find out the availability of your mark.

Top

 11. Does Thomson CompuMark also offer translations of goods lists? Yes. Not only in the framework of our watching and search reports but also for marks of your choice. Please contact our customer support department for further details and prices.

Top

 12. Will Thomson CompuMark give me legal advice? No. Thomson CompuMark specialises in searches and watches. For legal advice we recommend that you contact one of our partners. These trademark lawyers or experts will undoubtedly be able to assist you further in your enquiries.

Top  

Our offer - related searches compared

1. What is the difference between an owner search and an Identical screening search (ISS) by applicant?
2. What is the difference between an Identical Screening Search (ISS) and an identical search?
3. What is the difference between an identical Search and a full availability search?
4. What is the difference in word searches between an analysis with reproductions and a computer list?
5. What is the difference between a reproduction and a status report?
6. What is the difference between an in use search and a pharma in use-similarity search?

 1. What is the difference between an owner search and an Identical screening search (ISS) by applicant? An owner search reports all marks in the name of a specific owner. Moreover, you will receive a status report of all trademarks found.
An ISS by applicant name reports all first publications of the marks registered by a specific owner since 1976. The list of marks found indicates the situation at the time of first publication. If you also require a current status of a mark, you can request a status report.

Top

 2. What is the difference between an Identical Screening Search (ISS) and an identical search? Our analysts report identical and phonetically identical marks in both types of searches. An Identical Screening Search covers all marks published for the first time since 1976. The list of marks found indicates the situation at the time of first publication. Of you also require a current status of a mark; you can request a status report. An identical search covers all active marks and unpublished filings (for most countries). We automatically add a status report with all marks selected.

Top

 3. What is the difference between an identical search and an availability search? Our analysts look for identical and phonetically identical marks in an identical search. You can use it to locate the existence of a specific mark.
If you want to file a proposed name as a trademark, we recommend an availability search. Here our analysts now only search for identical and phonetically identical marks but also for similar marks. The similarity may be visual, auditory or conceptual.

Top

 4. What is the difference in word searches between 'analysed' and a 'computer list'? In a computer list-search you will only receive a list with the marks found by our computer. However, the analysed search also gives you the most pertinent trademarks in our opinion. You will receive a status report with the official publication for each mark selected.

Top

 5. What is the difference between a reproduction and a status report? A reproduction is a copy of a mark as published in the official trademark journal. A status report goes further. It gives the current status of a mark; the current owner and the classes and goods list in addition to a copy of the mark as published at the time in the official trademark journal.

Top

 6. What is the difference between an in use search and a pharma in use-similarity search? An in use search checks the use of a particular registered trademark. This search is carried out by a specialised company. They collect and compare information from various sources such as trade journals, distributors, consumer associations and all manner of databases.
A pharma in use-similarity search checks whether a pharmaceutical trademark is used according to the IMS-database. This database is considered the most accurate and authoritative source for market information in the pharmaceutical industry.

Top