IP / 01
Trademarks
A trademark helps distinguish the commercial origin of goods or services. Choosing a name, searching for earlier rights and defining intended markets are connected decisions.
Start with the actual offering
Write down what customers will buy under the name. The scope of a trademark is linked to specified goods and services and to the relevant territory; a domain or company registration answers a different question.
Search beyond an exact match
An initial search can include spelling variants, similar sounds, translations and relevant logos. TMview and official registers are useful starting points, but an empty results page is not a clearance opinion.
Keep a decision record
Save the searches, dates, territories and goods or services considered. A short record helps explain why a candidate name was retained, changed or referred for professional assessment.
Check the official source
Official answers about trademarks, inventions, designs and procedures before the Polish Patent Office.
Official guidance on preparing an EU trademark application, defining protection and searching earlier marks.
European Patent Office information about technical inventions and the basic requirements for patent protection.
WIPO's introduction to copyright, patents, trademarks, designs and trade secrets.
Rekel Patent — an intellectual-property information website. Publisher: Vadym Rekel.
Continue reading
Before you launch a brand: a practical name check
A domain search is one small part of choosing a name. Build a useful brief around the offering, territory and earlier signs before committing to the launch.
Read the articleTrademark opposition: deadlines, evidence and genuine use
How to structure an opposition file, identify the relevant five-year period and distinguish registered rights from evidence of actual trading.
Read the article