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Trademark and WIPO: why it matters
Every entrepreneur planning to bring a new brand to the market faces an important question: is the chosen name free and can it be registered as a trademark? Using someone else's trademark can result in large fines and legal proceedings. At the international level, the most reliable tools for brand analysis are considered to be the services of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). Through wipo trademark search and wipo brand database, you can check the availability of a brand in dozens of countries, and with the help of the wipo madrid system, it is easy to register a brand in several jurisdictions at once. Thus, WIPO plays the role of a global center for information and brand protection.
What is WIPO's role in trademark registration?
WIPO (World Intellectual Property Organization) is an international organization dedicated to the protection of intellectual property. Its members are more than 190 countries that have agreed on uniform rules in the field of copyright, patents and, of course, trademarks. Wipo trademark register is a set of international registers that allow you to track who owns a specific name, logo or designation. The organization ensures legal transparency and allows companies to understand in advance whether their brand is free for use in the required countries.
WIPO Trademark Search
The first tool that usually starts the check is wipo trademark search. An online service that allows you to quickly find information about registered or filed for registration trademarks. The check is carried out by keywords: enter the brand name or part of it and the system shows all matches in international databases. You can refine the search by class of goods and services (for example, clothing, equipment, pharmaceuticals).
WIPO Brand Database
More in-depth and detailed information is provided by wipo brand database. This is the world's largest trademark database, which includes information on both international applications and national registrations integrated into the system. Through it, you can find out:
- whether the brand is registered;
- who is its owner;
- in which countries the registration is valid;
- what status the application is in (filed, rejected, extended).
For businesses, this is a real competitive intelligence tool, you can study the activity of competitors and notice potential conflicts in time.
Madrid System: Registration and Verification of Brands
Many companies are interested in: why do we need WIPO in the field of trademarks? The answer is in the wipo madrid system. This is an international mechanism that allows you to register a trademark in several countries at once with one package of documents. The basis is the madrid protocol wipo — an agreement that regulates the procedure for such registration. The main advantage: you do not need to file applications in each country separately.
One application through the national patent office, which is transferred to WIPO, is enough. In addition to registration, the wipo madrid system makes it possible to check whether a certain trademark is already valid in the required countries. This is convenient if the company plans to enter new markets and wants to make sure that the chosen name is available there. Thanks to the Madrid Protocol WIPO, the procedure is unified, and entrepreneurs get access to global information without complex bureaucratic processes.
Practical steps: how to check a trademark through WIPO
The step-by-step algorithm looks like this:
- Go to the WIPO Global Brand Database — this is the main tool for searching for brands.
- Enter a keyword — you can search by name, owner or even a logo image.
- Use filters — specify countries, product classes and registration time range.
- Analyze the results — pay attention to matches and similar options. Sometimes a small difference in spelling does not save from a legal conflict.
For example, if a company from Spain plans to release clothing under the SunWear brand, you can immediately check in the database whether there are already active applications or registrations with this name in the EU and the USA.
Benefits of using WIPO trademark register
Using international WIPO tools gives businesses many benefits:
- global coverage of over 190 countries;
- transparency and relevance of information;
- the ability to conduct competitor analysis;
- reduced risk of lawsuits;
- a single interface for searching and registering.
For startups, this is a real resource saving, because checking takes minutes, and the cost is incomparably lower than legal costs.
Limitations of searching through WIPO
However, the system has its own limitations. Not all national registries are integrated into WIPO. This means that sometimes it is useful to additionally check a trademark through local databases of the country where you plan to launch a business. Also, when checking on your own, it is easy to make a mistake in interpreting the data. Therefore, lawyers advise using the WIPO results as a basis for analysis, and then consulting with a patent attorney.
To conduct a thorough check, always start registering a brand with a check in the wipo brand database. For international projects, take advantage of the wipo madrid system. Do not limit yourself to an exact match of the name, check similar options as well. For large launches abroad, it is useful to combine an international search with a local examination.
Uniqueness of the check
Checking a trademark through WIPO is a mandatory step for any business that operates in the global market. Modern tools — wipo trademark search, wipo brand database, wipo madrid system and wipo trademark register allow you to find out everything about the status of the brand, its owners and availability in a few clicks. Thanks to the Madrid system, entrepreneurs have a unique opportunity to register a brand in dozens of countries at once and protect their business from unfair competition. In the era of the global digital economy, a brand is not just a name, but a strategic asset. And WIPO remains the main international instrument that helps preserve it.