FREE ONLINE TRADEMARK SEARCH
Our online trademark search tool allows you to quickly discover if there are any similar or identical registered trademarks and pending trademark applications in the Moldovan Patent Office. This search utilizes Moldovan trademark databases and it is updated regularly. Using our trademark search engine, you can identify wordmarks that might oppose your trademark application during the examination.
Check your trademark for free using the trademark search tool below.
Frequently asked questions
-
When a trademark search should be conducted?
A trademark search may be conducted both before filing a trademark application and during the validity term of a registered mark. The preliminary trademark search is of high importance before filing as it helps to reveal other marks, which may be opposed to yours. Besides, a trademark search also makes sense during the validity term of a mark, since it helps to monitor potential infringement of a trademark and prevent possible threats to the business.
-
What is a preliminary trademark search?
A preliminary search of the mark is a significant step that should be taken before spending time and money on the trademark registration and business development. It will determine whether:
— the trademark of interest is registered by someone else or not;
— there are any identical or confusingly similar registered and/or pending trademarks that may be opposed to the trademark of interest. -
Why a preliminary search should be conducted if it doesn’t guarantee registration of a mark?
The main purpose of a preliminary search is estimating registration chances, as well as risks of cancellation of a mark. Conducting a preliminary trademark search allows to:
— avoid unintentional infringement on another person’s mark, which may lead to requirement to stop using it, as well as to pay compensation for misuse of the mark;
— prevent senseless waste of time and money on the mark that cannot be used;
— change the designation totally or revise it in such a way that confusion probability is minimal just before filing a trademark application or investing in brand building.
A preliminary search may be conducted by a nonprofessional using our free online trademark search tool, as well as by specialists which implies a deeper search using professional instruments. -
Is a nonprofessional search sufficient for a trademark registration?
A nonprofessional search using our online tool is reasonable for purposes of development of a trademark, choosing one designation among several variants or estimating chances for registration. Still, the search results of this tool are not comprehensive and, thus, a nonprofessional search doesn’t guarantee the exclusivity of a designation or possibility of its registration. In order to conduct the search as widely as possible and estimate registration chances more accurately, please refer to specialists of our company for a service of professional trademark search.
-
What kind of marks are not included in search results of the free online trademark search tool?
Our online search tool allows to reveal similar or identical registered trademarks and marks filed for registration, which may be opposed to the trademark of interest at the examination stage. Still, this search tool does not include unpublished pending trademarks, that’s why it is advisable to conduct a professional search, which will also include estimation of chances and possible risks.
-
How the online trademark search tool should be used?
First of all, the list of produced goods and/or provided services should be defined according to the Nice Classification. Now the search may be conducted by entering a mark name and class number. When checking the mark name:
— different variants of spelling of the word should be checked (HERMES – ERMES, HERMEZ, etc);
— parts of the mark should be checked together and separately (MAXINORM – MAX, NORM);
— spelling of the word should be checked both in Latin and Cyrillic (Poker - Покер);
— meaning of the word should be checked in other languages (Dream – Мечта in Russian);
— synonyms and semantically similar words should also be checked (Big father – Big dad). -
What are the criteria to consider marks confusingly similar?
The similarity of marks is defined both by designation itself and class(es) which the goods or services refer to. When searching for similar trademarks the following criteria are to be taken into account: similar appearance, sounding, meaning, color combinations, stylization, font, etc. It is also necessary to check not only the class(es) which the goods or services refer to, but also all those classes that may be related. In practice the trademark search is more difficult than it may seem. Thus, in case of nonprofessional search it will be up to the searcher to determine marks that may be regarded as confusingly similar and estimate possible risks.
-
What happens if a trademark search reveals identical or similar marks?
In case a trademark search reveals identical/similar registrations or pending applications it means that there is a very high probability of total or partial refusal in registration of the mark. Still, in case the goods/services of the mark of interest are different to goods/services of found marks, it may be possible for trademarks to coexist on the market, since the risk of confusion is rather low. Thus, even if the Trademark Office issues the Provisional Refusal at the examination stage, it will be possible to overcome it by filing corresponding response.
-
What is a professional trademark search?
Our company provides a service of a full availability trademark search, which shows most accurate results including a list of identical or confusingly similar registered and/or pending trademarks that may be opposed to the trademark of interest, as well as comments based on the current practice of the Trademark Office. A trademark search is usually performed within 8-10 working days. In case you need to receive search results in a shorter period, it is possible to do it within 5-6 days, but the cost for accelerated search will be higher.
-
How much does as a professional trademark search cost?
The cost of a professional trademark search depends on several factors, namely number of classes according to the Nice Classification of goods and services, type of trademark (wordmark, figurative mark, combined mark), is it an ordinary or an accelerated trademark search. Please contact us for more detailed information.