1 in 3
Applications objected
Search first to stay out of that third
1 in 3 applications gets objected — search first
Trademark Search — Know If Your Brand Name Is Safe Before You Spend a Rupee
A trademark search is the systematic check of the Trade Marks Registry and market sources for identical or deceptively similar marks — the single step that most reduces the risk of a Section 11 objection or a costly rebrand.
- Phonetic, visual and common-law screening
- Adjacent-class spillover scan
- Risk-graded file / modify / avoid verdict
- Report in 1–2 working days
- Class & filing strategy included
TRUSTED BY GROWING BRANDS
Names cleared before filing for founders across India
45
Classes to scan
Conflicts hide in adjacent classes too
S.11
The conflict section
Relative-grounds refusals a search pre-empts
₹0
Cost of searching
Against months lost to an objection
What a real trademark search covers
A trademark search is the systematic check of the Trade Marks Registry database and market sources to find identical or deceptively similar existing marks before filing — the single step that most reduces the risk of a Section 11 objection or a costly rebrand. Done properly, it is not one query but a layered investigation across every dimension on which a mark can clash.
A professional search runs five screens, not one. The wordmark screen checks the literal name; the phonetic screen catches names that merely sound alike, including creative misspellings; the visual screen compares logos and device elements; the class-spillover screen looks beyond your primary class into adjacent classes where confusion can still arise; and the common-law screen sweeps the market for unregistered prior users who can block you through passing-off. A conflict can live in any one of these layers while the others look completely clear.
The output is a risk-graded report, not a raw list. Each proposed name is graded against what the search found and tagged with a clear verdict — file as-is, modify the mark or specification, or avoid the name entirely — so you walk into the filing with an informed decision instead of a hopeful guess. That is the difference between a free database lookup and a search you can actually build a brand on.
WHEN TO SEARCH
The moments a search saves you
A search pays for itself at exactly these points — before money, design, or reputation is on the line.
When
Naming a startup
The issue
A shortlist of names but no idea which are actually ownable
We do
Names risk-graded so you build on a clear one
When
Rebranding
The issue
Investing in a new identity that must not collide with an existing mark
We do
Conflicts surfaced before the new name goes live
When
Marketplace brand registry prep
The issue
Need a registrable mark to gate Amazon or Flipkart listings
We do
A clean name confirmed before the filing that unlocks it
When
Received a cease-and-desist
The issue
A rival claims your name conflicts with theirs
We do
A search clarifies the real risk and your options
WHY THE FREE SEARCH ISN'T ENOUGH
What the free public search misses
The IP-India public search is a useful first look — but it checks one dimension. These are the conflicts it routinely fails to surface, and any one of them can sink your application.
Phonetics & misspellings
The public search matches text, not sound. Names that are pronounced almost identically — or are deliberate creative misspellings of an existing brand — slip straight past it, then collide at examination where examiners weigh phonetic similarity heavily.
Regional-language transliterations
A mark can conflict with its own transliteration into Hindi or another Indian language, or with an existing regional-script mark. The free search will not bridge scripts, so a clash that an examiner or opponent will see remains invisible to you.
Logo similarity via Vienna codes
If you are registering a logo, the figurative elements matter as much as any text. A proper search uses Vienna codes to find visually similar device marks; the public text search cannot compare images, so a near-identical logo can go entirely undetected.
Unregistered prior users
A business that has used a name in the market without registering it still holds common-law rights and can block you or sue for passing off. Because it never filed, it appears nowhere in the Registry — only a market sweep catches it.
HOW WE SEARCH
From brief to a verdict you can file on
Five steps that turn a name into a graded, defensible filing decision.
- 1
Brief
Step 1We capture your proposed names or logos, your goods or services, and your target markets — the inputs that define which classes and dimensions the search must cover.
- 2
Registry deep-search
Step 2We search the Trade Marks Registry for identical and similar marks across the relevant classes, recording their status and owners — live, abandoned, opposed or registered.
- 3
Phonetic & visual screen
Step 3We test the name for phonetic clashes and creative misspellings, and — for logos — run a Vienna-code visual comparison to catch device marks the text search cannot.
- 4
Risk-graded report
Step 4We compile the findings into a report that grades each name and returns a clear verdict: file as-is, modify the mark or specification, or avoid the name.
- 5
Class & filing strategy
Step 5For names cleared to file, we recommend the right class or classes and the strongest specification, so the search flows straight into a confident TM-A filing.
WHAT WE NEED FROM YOU
A short brief is all it takes
- Shortlist of proposed brand names
- Logo or device files (if registering a logo)
- Any tagline or slogan to be searched
- Preferred spelling and stylisation
- What you sell or the services you offer
- Industry and product categories
- Goods/services to map to classes
- Planned future product lines
- States or regions you operate in
- Online marketplaces you sell on
- Export or overseas markets, if any
- Languages your brand appears in
There is no government filing at the search stage, so no statutory documents are required — just a clear brief. We turn it into a risk-graded report that tells you whether to file, modify or avoid each name before any money goes to the Registry.
Transparent pricing
Trademark search pricing
A clear starting price for a professional trademark search. There is no government fee for a search.
Trademark Search
A Registry search with phonetic and visual similarity screening and a risk-graded file, modify, or avoid verdict.
₹499onwards
No government fee.
- Registry search in your primary class
- Phonetic & visual similarity screen
- Risk-graded file/modify/avoid verdict
- Report within 1–2 working days
WHERE SEARCHES GO WRONG — HANDLED
The three ways a thin search fails you
Most self-done searches fail in one of these three ways. Here is how a real search closes each gap.
The risk
Searching for identical marks only
A text-only, identical-match search misses phonetic clashes that surface at examination and refuse the mark under Section 11.
How we handle it
We run a multi-dimension screen — phonetic, visual and textual — so sound-alike conflicts are caught before filing.
The risk
Searching the wrong class
Checking only your primary class lets a conflict hide in an adjacent class where confusion is still likely.
How we handle it
We run a spillover scan across related classes so no clash hides in plain sight.
The risk
Skipping the common-law check
Ignoring unregistered prior users invites a passing-off suit even after your mark is registered.
How we handle it
We sweep market sources for established unregistered users so you know the real-world risk, not just the Registry one.
FAQ
Trademark Search FAQs
Clear answers on free vs professional search, deceptive and phonetic similarity, Vienna codes, common-law rights, report contents, and searching across classes.
Fast answersExpert support
- No, a search is not legally required, but skipping it is the single biggest avoidable risk in the whole process. Roughly one in three applications gets objected, and a Section 11 conflict found after filing means lost fees, lost time, and sometimes a forced rebrand — all of which a search before filing is designed to prevent.
- The free IP-India public search checks for identical and obviously similar marks in the exact class you query. A professional search adds phonetic similarity, regional-language transliterations, logo similarity via Vienna codes, adjacent-class spillover, and unregistered common-law marks — the dimensions where most real conflicts actually hide.
- Two marks are deceptively similar when an average consumer with imperfect recollection could confuse one for the other — in sound, appearance, or meaning. A mark does not have to be identical to be refused under Section 11; it only has to be close enough to cause confusion among the relevant public.
- Phonetic similarity is when two marks sound alike even if spelled differently — for example a name and its creative misspelling, or two words that are pronounced almost the same. Examiners and courts weigh how a mark sounds heavily, so a phonetic clash can sink an application that looks unique on paper.
- It depends on how close the mark is, whether it is live or abandoned, and whether it covers your goods or services. Our risk-graded report tells you whether to file as-is, modify the mark or specification to clear the conflict, or avoid the name entirely — so you make an informed call before spending on government fees.
- Yes. Running a wordmark and concept search before you invest in logo design and packaging saves you from building a visual identity around a name you cannot own. It is far cheaper to discover a conflict at the naming stage than after you have printed labels and built recognition.
- Vienna codes are an international classification of the figurative (image) elements in logos — shapes, animals, objects and symbols. A professional logo search uses them to find visually similar device marks that a plain text search would never surface, which is essential when you are registering a logo rather than just a name.
- Common-law rights belong to a business that has used a mark in the market without registering it. Such an unregistered prior user can still block your registration or sue you for passing off, which is why a thorough search sweeps market sources — not just the Registry — for established but unregistered users.
- A focused single-name search and report is typically delivered within one to two working days. A more complex multi-name or multi-class search, or one involving detailed logo and common-law analysis, may take a little longer — but it is always far quicker than the months lost to an avoidable objection.
- A professional report lists the conflicting and near-conflicting marks found across each dimension — identical, phonetic, visual, adjacent-class and common-law — with their status and owners, and concludes with a clear risk grade and a file, modify or avoid recommendation for each proposed name and class.
- No search can guarantee registration, because examination also tests absolute grounds under Section 9 and new marks are filed every day. What a thorough search does is dramatically cut the most common cause of refusal — a Section 11 conflict — and let you file with confidence rather than hope.
- Yes, where your goods or services touch more than one class, or where a conflict in an adjacent class could still cause confusion. Searching only your primary class is how a clash hides in plain sight and surfaces at examination — a spillover scan across related classes closes that gap.
RELATED SERVICES
From a clean search to a registered mark
Search first. File once.
A multi-dimensional search with a clear file, modify or avoid verdict — so you build your brand on a name you can actually own.
Phonetic · visual · spillover · common-law — all screened