Trademark Searching on the Web

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Trademark Searching on the Web

• Anne OlsonVice President
• Advanced Research Strategies and Operations
• May 22, 2007

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Role of a Trademark Research Firm
Common Law Research
Agenda
Web Challenge
Solutions for a Complex Problem
Focus on the Future
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Role of a Trademark Research Firm

• Create and define the process of locating
  confusingly similar trademarks
• Content
• System Development
• Create and define strategies and parameters for
  Trademark Research
• Screening
• Clearance
• Dilution

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Common Law Research

• Common Law countries like the U.S. require
  trademark searching to reach beyond registered
  trademark data
• Search other sources for brand names and business
  names
• Common Law searching is about making choices and
  decisions
• Relevant sources
• Scope

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Common Law Research
25 Year Perspective
1980s 10s of Thousands
Present Billions
1990s 100s of Thousands

• Trade Journals/Books
• Phone Directories
• Magazines
• Card Files
• Microfiche

• Business Name Databases
• Electronic Formats
• CD ROM
• Online

• World Wide Web

Defined Structured
Undefined Unstructured
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Web Challenge

• Endless source of Common Law information with
  infinite possibilities

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Solutions for a Complex Problem

• Foundational Strategy
• People
• Tools
• Techniques

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People

• Information Expertise
• Masters of Library and Information Science Degree
• Understand what is on the web and how it is
  organized
• Technology Expertise
• Follow search engine evolution
• Industry Knowledge
• Trademark Expertise
• Understand dynamics of trademark research

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Tools

• Evaluation Standards
• Google and Yahoo!
• Dominate web universe
• Largest indexes
• Widely recognized to have most reliable algorithms

Will it have the page? Can I find it?
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Techniques

• Research Techniques
• Consistency of approach
• Consider trademark characteristic with how the
  engines work
• Precision of Results Hit the target
• Efficiency of Process Eliminate the noise
• Reporting hits in context

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Focus on the Future

• Build on Foundational Strategy
• Expect Change
• Iterative approach
• Emerging content and technology
• Industry developments

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Focus on the Future

• Create Solutions for Trademark Professionals
• Unique research challenge
• Identity most significant problems
• Dictionary terms vs. trademark
• Ranking
• Robust querying

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Thank You