trade mark search
DESCRIPTION
guide to search TMTRANSCRIPT
Intellectual Property Department, Hong Kong SAR Government 1
Trade Mark Search Workshop
by Intellectual Property Department,
Hong Kong SAR Government
19 November 2004
Intellectual Property Department, Hong Kong SAR Government 2
Today’s search workshop
Today, we aim to show you:• How we set the criteria for making searches for earlier
marks with similarities• How to use our online search services
http://ipsearch.ipd.gov.hk
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Preliminary search service
Form T1:
• Search of records ($200)
• Preliminary advice on registrability ($200)
• Turnaround time for e-filed T1: 1 week
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Search and comparison of marks
• Search for earlier marks with similarities is a preliminary step to comparing the marks and assessing whether they are confusingly similar
• Similarity is assessed on first impressions of look, sound and idea
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Word elements - Device elements
We search for :• similarities in words, Chinese characters, letters and
numerals (word search)
• similarities in device elements (device search)
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Online trademark search
Our online search at http://ipsearch.ipd.gov.hk
offers you two search interfaces:
• Simple search• Advanced search
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Simple search interface
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Simple search - word elements (1)
Simple search offers a number of search options:
• ‘Contain word’ : finds marks with the identical ‘word(s)’ e.g. search for ‘Apple’ finds ‘Apple’,‘blue apple’
• ‘Contain word starting with’: finds marks starting with the ‘word(s)’ e.g. search for ‘Apple’ finds ‘Apple’,‘blue apple’, ‘applera’
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Simple search -word elements (2)
• ‘Contain word ending with’: finds marks ending with the ‘word(s)’ e.g. search for ‘Apple’ finds ‘apple’, ‘blue apple’, ‘pineapple’
• ‘Part word’: finds marks containing the ‘word(s)’ e.g. search for ‘apple’ finds ‘apple’, ‘blue apple’, ‘applera’, ‘pineapple’, “PineappleRepublic”
Click “Help” for more examples.
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Advanced search interface
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Advanced search vs Simple search
Comparing wildcard “%” with simple search
Advanced search - wildcard Simple search
apple = Contain word
apple% = Contain word starting with
%apple = Contain word ending with
%apple% = Part word
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Advanced search - word elements (1)
Advanced search offers wildcard and letter mark methods, to extend your search:
• Wildcard ‘%’ : substitutes one or more or nil characters e.g. Ci%er finds Ice Grape Cider, Citysuper, Cine-R, Me CIGARETTES Me Lavender, cier
• Wildcard ‘_’ : substitutes a single character e.g. Ci_er finds Ice Grape Cider, Cine-R
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Advanced search - word elements (2)
• Selecting ‘Letter Mark’ confines your search to marks comprising the identical letters e.g. Letter Mark search for ‘abc’ finds marks ABC, abc, abc and device
• Alternatively, ‘Letter Mark’ search for ‘a_c’ extends your search and finds ABC, abc, adc, amc, arc and device
Click “Help” for more examples.
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Search system behaviour
• Supports Roman letters and numerals: A-Z, a-z, 0-9
• Supports traditional and simplified Chinese characters
• Punctuation does not affect search (e.g. iou = i.o.u.)
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Searching Chinese characters - Indistinctive terms
• Example: ‘ 金發器械公司’
• Suggested search criterion:
“% 金 % AND % 發 %”
There is no need to search ‘ 器械公司’ as it is an
indistinctive term.
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Search for composite words
• Example : ‘Briefcase 花園’
‘Briefcase’ and ‘ 花園’ are searched as composite words
• Suggested search criteria:
%briefcase%
% 花園 %
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Word search - phonetically similar marks
• Example: ‘PELICAN’
‘PELIKAN’
Class: 16
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Using the advanced search interface - select search option ‘Wild card’ and enter ‘PELI%AN’
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Select the goods and services class number from the Classification List - and click ‘Add Selected Class(es)’
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If you select a class - the system automatically cross-searches related class(es)
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Results of your search ‘PELI%AN’ - finds marks ‘PELICAN’ and ‘PELIKAN’ in Class 16 and cross searched classes
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Device search
• Vienna Agreement• Vienna Classification• Principles of coding device marks• Search online
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Vienna Agreement
• The Vienna Agreement establishes an international system for classifying ‘figurative’ elements
• The Agreement concluded in 1973 and entered into force in 1985
• The Agreement is administered by WIPO
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Vienna Agreement
• 19 countries are parties to the Agreement: Austria, France, Netherlands, etc
• Used in more than 30 countries e.g. China, UK Canada and the USA
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Vienna Classification
• Available in English and French (IPD makes it available in Chinese through online search)
• A Committee of Experts amends and adds to the Classification from time to time
• An updated version is published approximately every 5 years (latest version: 2003)
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Vienna Classification
• ‘Figurative elements’ include devices, three-dimensional marks and ‘stylised’ words and letters
• The classification is a hierarchical system, arranging figurative elements into 29 categories, 144 divisions and 1,887 sections
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Coding system
• 3 -level coding system
• Examples:Code 2.1. 18 Men (man) drinking or eating
Code 2. 1. 19 Men (man) smoking
Code 1. 1. 2 One star
Code 1. 1. 4 Three stars
Code 1. 1. 5 More than three stars
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Coding - two alternative approaches
• Coding all elements:
the approach taken
by WIPO: for example
Nelson Mandela’s
portrait (Article 6ter)
In addition to the head and bust, the circle, and letters are coded
• Coding only significant/distinctive parts
for example, UK approach
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Hong Kong’s approach to coding
• Hong Kong codes
significant elements
• Simple borders and
underlining such as
circle, words in plain
form are not coded
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Hong Kong’s approach to coding
The same coding principles apply to 2D/3D marks
We do not code:• presentation of words, letters and numerals in standard
type-face or non-stylised lettering• borders of simple circles, ovals, squares or rectangles• non-stylized punctuation marks e.g full stop, comma• marks in colour unless a colour or colours claimed as the
trade mark or as an element or elements of the trade mark
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Hong Kong’s approach to coding
Example:The ampersand is a significant stylized feature of the mark and we set the following device codes:
24 17 1 (punctuation mark)24 17 25 (Other signs, notations or symbols )
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Hong Kong’s approach to coding
Example: ‘Jack & Jill’
• The ampersand ‘&’ in this example is not a significant stylized feature and is not coded
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Using device codes directly
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Using device description to get the appropriate device code(s)
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Device codes for each mark - Click the thumbnail of the mark to display the device codes
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Using device codes to search non-Roman letters or non-Chinese characters
Device code: 28. 3. 0.
Inscriptions in stylized (stylised) Chinese, Korean or Japanese characters
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Reference
• Information about search can also be found at http://www.ipd.gov.hk/eng/pub_press/speeches/points_
to_note_on_search_v1.pdf
• Click ‘Help’ on our online search system for more information on setting search criteria
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Reference
• Work Manual Chapters on– Search
– Scope of Searches - relative grounds for refusal
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Thank you
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Q & A