Trademark Search: How to Check if a Name Is Already Trademarked

You can check if a name is already trademarked by running a layered clearance search. Start with each country’s official database for your target markets, then search WIPO’s Global Brand Database for Madrid registrations, and widen your net with TMview. Look for identical and similar marks in the right classes.

What should I search first?

Search the official database in every market you plan to enter. That way, you catch earlier national and regional rights before you invest in branding.

• United States: use the USPTO’s search portal and follow its guidance to look for similar marks and in the relevant classes of goods and services (source: USPTO – Search our trademark database).
• European Union: use EUIPO’s eSearch plus, which also shows International Registrations that designate the EU (source: EUIPO – eSearch plus).
• United Kingdom: use the UK Intellectual Property Office’s official search (source: UK IPO – Search for a trade mark).

For other countries, start with the national office’s database. Some offices even point users to WIPO for international searches. For example, Cyprus directs searchers to WIPO’s Global Brand Database for international trademark lookups (source: Cyprus IP Office guidance).

{{IMAGE: Process flow diagram from local office searches to WIPO Global Brand Database to TMview, ending in a go/no‑go decision | A layered search workflow}}

How do I look beyond exact matches?

Start with the official approach: the USPTO tells applicants to search for similar marks, not only identical ones, and to search within the relevant goods and services classes (source: USPTO guidance). Apply that logic everywhere.

Practical tips we use in client searches:

• Variants and lookalikes: remove spaces and punctuation, try plural and singular, swap common letters, and test sound-alikes. Example: K, C, and Q swaps, or F vs PH.
• Word pieces: search each word, its stem, and key fragments. If your mark is RIVERGLASS, search RIVER, GLASS, and RIVER*.
• Translations and transliterations: if your brand is CITY SUN, search CIUDAD SOL or SHI TAI in relevant scripts where you plan to operate.
• Classes and goods: identify the right Nice classes and the real goods or services you will sell. Then search within those classes and review descriptions for close-by items. If you need help picking classes, see our guide, Nice Classification: How to Choose the Right Trademark Classes.
• Confusion risk: very similar names on related products are the top reason for refusals. Our explainer, Likelihood of Confusion: The #1 Reason Trademarks Get Refused, outlines how examiners compare marks and goods.

Do I also need to search WIPO’s Global Brand Database?

Yes. WIPO’s Global Brand Database lets you search international registrations filed through the Madrid System and many participating national and regional datasets in one place (source: WIPO – Global Brand Database). Madrid allows a single international application to seek protection in multiple countries, and those registrations are searchable in the Global Brand Database (source: WIPO – Madrid System). EU designations also appear in EUIPO eSearch plus.

Why this matters: an international registration can extend to several of your target markets at once. If you only search one country’s database, you can miss a Madrid registration that blocks you in several places.

{{IMAGE: Side-by-side comparison showing coverage of national office databases vs WIPO Global Brand Database vs TMview | The three tools catch different sets of records}}

When should I use TMview?

Use TMview to broaden your sweep across many IP offices in a single interface. It aggregates applications and registrations from participating offices worldwide (source: EUIPO – TMview). TMview is excellent for scouting conflicts across multiple jurisdictions quickly.

That said, do not treat TMview as a substitute for the official national or regional search. Always confirm key results in the office of interest, then pull the full record.

What blind spots should I plan for?

Even a careful search has limits. Under the Paris Convention, an applicant has a six-month priority window from the first filing date (source: WIPO – Paris Convention summary). During that period, related foreign filings may not yet appear across all databases, especially outside the first-filed country. A prior right can still mature from those filings and block you later.

Practical steps to reduce risk:

• Re-run key searches just before filing.
• Search both national tools and WIPO’s Global Brand Database for Madrid filings that may have posted after your first pass.
• If timing is tight, consider adjusting the mark or goods scope to lower collision risk.

{{IMAGE: Timeline sketch marking Day 0 first filing, Day 1 to Day 180 Paris priority window, and visibility lag across foreign databases | Paris priority can delay visibility of foreign filings}}

What does a reliable global clearance workflow look like?

Here is the approach we use with clients launching in two or more markets. It is fast, organized, and aligns with official guidance.

1) Map your markets and goods or services.

• List the countries or regions where you will use or sell in the next 12 to 24 months.
• Draft your goods and services in plain language. Then match them to likely Nice classes.

2) Search official national or regional databases.

• Use the USPTO, EUIPO eSearch plus, UK IPO, and the relevant national tools in your short list.
• Follow the USPTO’s method everywhere: search for similar marks and in the relevant classes.

3) Search WIPO’s Global Brand Database.

• Capture Madrid registrations and participating national or regional data.
• Pay attention to designations that match your target countries.

4) Sweep with TMview.

• Scan for conflicts across many offices, then drill into any hits at the source office.

5) Evaluate risk and document your findings.

• Group hits into identical, highly similar, and somewhat similar, and note classes and goods proximity.
• Use refusal logic to score risk. Our primer on Likelihood of Confusion can anchor your calls.

6) Decide your path.

• Green light: no material conflicts. File now, then monitor. Our team can set up Trademark Monitoring and Enforcement: Protecting Your Brand After Registration.
• Yellow light: similar marks in close classes. Consider a modest tweak, narrower goods, or a co-existence dialogue.
• Red light: identical or near-identical marks on the same goods. Choose a new brand. It is cheaper than a refusal or opposition.

A real example from our files: a consumer tech brand cleared in the US and EU, then we re-ran checks a month later and caught a new Madrid international registration designating the UK. It was filed within five months of a first filing abroad. It did not appear in one regional tool yet, but it was live in WIPO’s Global Brand Database. That early catch saved a rebrand in the UK.

Can I get help using the official tools?

Yes. In the US, Patent and Trademark Resource Centers provide public assistance for USPTO trademark searches and tools (source: PTRCA – Trademark resources). If you want a single coordinated read across markets, we are happy to run it and give you a clear yes or no with evidence.

We are an attorney-led firm founded in 2016, with five offices and 11 in-house lawyers. We run trademark searches and file marks across 107 jurisdictions. If you are ready for a professional clearance report and filing plan, start here.

Related reading:

• Trademark Searches: Beyond Google – Comprehensive Tools and Best Practices
• US vs EU Trademark: Which Should Your Business File First?
• How to Trademark a Name: The 2026 Step-by-Step Guide