Clearing and searching a new trademark, amongst similar trademarks and tradenames, is a must. It helps you to exclude or limit the risks for conflicts with earlier marks before you register it and start to use it.

Researching the availability of a new trademark is best done at the earliest possible stage in the development of your brand. Does it make sense to invest time and money in a trademark if it conflicts with an older trademark?

Moreover, infringing third parties’ rights can lead to the payment of damages, loss of income, damage to your reputation in the eyes of your customers, investments for a new trademark, etc.

Conducting timely research thus avoids wasting useless time and money.

The internet is a source of a lot of information. By using search engines one can sometimes get some idea about whether your new trademark already exists.

However, this is far from sufficient. The use of a trademark cannot always be retrieved on the internet. Moreover, confusingly similar trademarks are very difficult to detect through such research. Finally, pertinent trademarks may also have been registered that have not yet been used.

brantsandpatents has the necessary tools and expertise to conduct such searches, ranging from simple identical screenings to more advanced searches amongst similar trademarks. Costs will mainly depend on the territories and on the number of product or service categories for which the trademark is intended.