Fashion Law Journal Tools

Global trademark search directory

Official trade mark registers for the jurisdictions that matter most to fashion and apparel brands. Every link goes to the searchable database run by the national or regional office itself, not to a paid intermediary. Clearance searching starts here, before anyone files anything.

22

Official registers

6

Regions covered

Free

Every database listed

Search by jurisdiction

Filter by region or type a country name. Links open in a new tab.

North America

United States

United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO)Replaced the retired TESS system in 2023; covers live and dead US federal marks.Open the register →
North America

Canada

Canadian Intellectual Property Office (CIPO)Canadian Trademarks Database covers applications, registrations and Madrid Protocol designations of Canada.Open the register →
Europe

European Union

European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO)eSearch plus covers EU trade marks and EU designations of international registrations across 27 states.Open the register →
Europe

United Kingdom

UK Intellectual Property Office (UKIPO)Post-Brexit database includes cloned comparable UK marks derived from pre-2021 EU trade marks.Open the register →
Europe

Germany

German Patent and Trade Mark Office (DPMA)DPMAregister covers national marks plus international registrations designating Germany; beginner form is simplest.Open the register →
Europe

France

Institut national de la propriete industrielle (INPI France)Covers French national marks, EU trade marks and international registrations designating France.Open the register →
Europe

Italy

Italian Patent and Trademark Office (UIBM)Italian-language database of national marks; older pre-digitisation records can be incomplete.Open the register →
Europe

Spain

Spanish Patent and Trademark Office (OEPM)Localizador de Marcas covers Spanish national, EU and international marks effective in Spain.Open the register →
Europe

Switzerland

Swiss Federal Institute of Intellectual Property (IPI/IGE)Swissreg covers Swiss national marks and international registrations designating Switzerland; free full-text search.Open the register →
Asia Pacific

India

Office of the Controller General of Patents, Designs and Trade Marks (CGPDTM)Unregistered prior-use rights are recognised; you must pick wordmark, Vienna or phonetic search first.Open the register →
Asia Pacific

Japan

Japan Patent Office (JPO)J-PlatPat serves a strictly first-to-file register; switch to English via the language selector.Open the register →
Asia Pacific

South Korea

Korean Intellectual Property Office (KIPO), via KIPRISKIPRIS is KIPO's official search portal; first-to-file, with a mainly Korean-language interface.Open the register →
Asia Pacific

Singapore

Intellectual Property Office of Singapore (IPOS)Basic search accepts only one criterion at a time; use Advanced or Similar Mark search.Open the register →
Asia Pacific

Australia

IP AustraliaAustralian Trade Mark Search covers pending and registered marks plus international registrations designating Australia.Open the register →
Asia Pacific

New Zealand

Intellectual Property Office of New Zealand (IPONZ)Session-based search: each visit generates a new session, so result URLs cannot be bookmarked.Open the register →
Latin America

Mexico

Instituto Mexicano de la Propiedad Industrial (IMPI)MARCiA is the current Marcanet interface; Mexico is first-to-file with mandatory declarations of use.Open the register →
Latin America

Brazil

Instituto Nacional da Propriedade Industrial (INPI Brasil)pePI can be used without an account; choose the anonymous 'continuar' option to search marks.Open the register →
Middle East & Africa

United Arab Emirates

Ministry of Economy and Tourism, Trademarks DepartmentUAE is first-to-file and has accepted Madrid Protocol designations since December 2021.Open the register →
Middle East & Africa

South Africa

Companies and Intellectual Property Commission (CIPC)Free trade mark search sits behind a no-cost CIPC customer login on IPOnline.Open the register →
International

International

World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) - Global Brand DatabaseAggregates dozens of national and international collections, including Madrid, Lisbon and Article 6ter records.Open the register →
International

International

World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) - Madrid MonitorTracks international registrations and their national designations in real time; excludes national-only marks.Open the register →
Asia Pacific

China

China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA)Official search is frequently blocked outside mainland China; use the WIPO Global Brand Database instead.Open the register →

Trade mark databases are updated on each office's own schedule and a clear search result is not a guarantee of registrability. Unregistered rights, passing off, company names, domain names and prior use will not show up in a register search. Treat this directory as a starting point and instruct a qualified trade mark attorney before filing or launching a brand.

What a register search will not tell you

Common law rightsIn the United States, India and the United Kingdom, an unregistered mark in genuine use can still block a later filing. Registers only show what has been filed.
Similar, not identicalMost office search tools default to exact text. Phonetic and conceptual similarity is what actually defeats an application, so search variants and translations too.
Design and copyrightPrints, patterns, silhouettes and trade dress sit in separate registers or in copyright entirely. A clean trade mark search does not clear a print.