Trademark Searching Donna Hopkins Engineering Librarian Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Trademark Definition “any word, name, symbol or device which is used in trade with goods to indicate the source or origin of the goods and to distinguish them from the goods of others.” Used with services = servicemark Company name is not necessarily TM

Why Trademarks? Image Brand Recognition Consumer Loyalty Value in Marketplace Competitive Intelligence –Acquisition –New product release

Can You Name the Mark?

Types of US Trademarks ® Federal State Common Law

Federal Trademarks Interstate and/or International Commerce Statutory Grounds for refusal also include – –Does not function as a trademark –Flag/Coat of Arms/Insignia of state, country or municipality –Merely descriptive or deceptively misdescriptive –Confusingly similar to another mark

Trademark Search Tools CASSIS DVD (Trademarks BIB) TESS (USPTO Website) Trademark Assignment Disk (CASSIS) Trademark Home Page ( in/trademarks.htm) in/trademarks.htm Design Search Code Manual b/dscm/index.htm ) b/dscm/index.htm Madrid Express (WIPO) Trademarkscan (Dialog) Both use the “International Classification of the Figurative Elements of Marks under the Vienna Agreement” AKA Vienna classification in place of the Design Search Code

Trademark Search - Words Search for “unique” words Leave out the words that are descriptive of the product If necessary use IC (International Classification of Goods and Services) –Although US Class is listed, IC has been used since 1973

Trademark Search Screen

Results Screen

IC (Goods and Services) Registrant can describe G&S in their own words IC is used as the “subject heading” When searching use any IC that contains “confusingly similar” G&S AKA “Nice Classification” - complete information can be found at

Trademark Search Use “Design Search Code” for non-word marks –Example: Triangles made of geometric figures, objects, humans, plants or animals Arrows forming geometric figure (other than circle) More than one arrow Truncation ($) will result in a broader search –Example, Any type of bird (03.15) and any child (02.05), the search would be entered as 0315$[dc] and 0205$[dc] an eagle ( ) and a boy ( ). a swan ( ) and a baby ( ).

Design Search Code Manual

Vienna Classification

Searching Madrid Express

Merci! Any Questions? All slides available at