Every year, the number of trademark filings rises. Last year nearly 440,000 trademark applications were filed in the United States and over 150,000 in the European Community.

The use and registration of a trademark without a preliminary search is not an option. Having to postpone or recall a trademark launch due to a conflicting trademark could prove a very costly mistake.

A thorough trademark search will help you decide which trademarks are available or how to clear potential hurdles and make your trademark available.

The Multisearch^® searches are a reliable and convenient way  in order to know whether your trademark(s) is available for use and registration in the countries of your interest. You receive a clear local opinion as well as our overall opinion and you know exactly what the chances are for success of  your trademark(s).

What are the advantages of using Multisearch^® over our own network of partners?

Multisearch^® saves you a large amount of time, efforts and money. You do no longer have to worry about the hassle with choosing and controlling agents, who to contact (one single point of contact for all queries), the formatting (all reports are presented in a uniform format), the delivery times (fixed and agreed turnaround times) and the costs (we have fixed prices and therefore no surprises).

What is the link between Multisearch^® and Knijff?

Multisearch^® is a service of Knijff Trademark Attorneys. Since 1989 Knijff is a leading provider of IP protection known for its quality and pragmatic and professional approach. Our client portfolio includes many of the top 100 worldwide companies but also small and medium sized ones.

All trademark attorneys are practitioners of daily trademark work, current issues and the latest case law are known securing you of the best legal and business advice.

Moreover, all trademarks attorneys have done hundreds of searches. They know how to clear you mark!

What is the overall difference between the services by other providers?

Our searches are managed by trademark attorneys, no data-analysts but trademark specialists with experience in daily trademark work.

First of all a local trademark attorney conducts the search and will report to Knijff. A trademark attorney of Knijff will check this search on practical value and legal quality. On the basis of all the searches in your relevant countries you get our overall legal opinion.

Our aim with Multisearch^® is to give you a clear view and helpful advice on the availability of your trademark. In order to do so, Multisearch^® has several characteristics:

Full information on cited trademarks

For each relevant mark cited in the report we provide you with the full text information. This consists of all information available on the trademark cited, including the name, class, products and services, application/registration number and date plus status information.

In all the countries searched, the national database is searched with on top a search in the international database (WIPO), as well as the European trademark database (EU), if applicable for the specific country.

The best trademark data

We use different sources depending the type of search requested. Our aim is to use the best source available in each country where we carry out searches. This means that the search reports can come from the local trademark office, a private database or one of the commercial service providers’ databases.

A clear search format

Our search report is designed in order to inform you on the most important conclusions of the search. With Multisearch^® you receive our overall legal opinion (and clearance suggestions), a summary of the most important obstacles (if any) with our comment and a summary of all local opinions, also commented by Knijff Trademark Attorneys. Besides the summary report you receive every local search report and even an overview chart of the countries searched if useful.

The Multisearch^® service includes searches developed to clear your trademarks on a step by step basis.

Comprehensive search: the Multisearch^® Pro

The Multisearch^® Pro is no doubt the most professional way to clear your marks. You know exactly which risks there are and what to do in order to clear your mark. The Multisearch^® Pro consist of full availability searches in the relevant countries carried out by local agents. You receive a local opinion with on top an overall advice by Knijff.

Alternative: The Multisearch^® Lite

The Multisearch^® Lite is a cost-efficient search solution which can eliminate trademarks from your clearance process at an early stage. The Multisearch^® Lite can include an identical search or a full availability search, both without an opinion of a local agent. An overall legal opinion is provided by one of our Knijff Trademark Attorneys.

The Multisearch^® Lite is a smart search, gives good insights and includes Knijff´s helpful overall opinion.

A good start: The Multisearch^® Screen

If you want to check the chances of one (or more) trademarks, a Screen search is recommended. This search includes both identical and similar trademarks. This search is not so comprehensive as a full availability search, but it does provide a broader picture than just an identical check.

What is the difference between a local opinion and an overall advice?

A local opinion is provided by an experienced local trademark agent who takes language, local laws on registrability and availability for use, as well as national and international case law into account when preparing his or her advice.

An overall advice is provided by one of the European trademark attorneys of Knijff Trademark Attorneys. It is a summary of all results of the different countries searched with a clear conclusion on registrability and availability for use.

Your own search report format

In the event you have different clearance needs or if you want to use your own report format, please contact us. One of the good features of the webplatform Eugeno^® is its flexibility, just to make sure that Knijff can solve your problem.

Knijff is very flexible, in the event you need different clearance formats or you wish to include additional services, please contact Knijff.

Company name and domain name checks

We do not automatically include company names and domain names in our searches. However, both services can be ordered separately at an additional cost.

Pharma-in-use names for searches in class 5 (pharmaceutical products and preparations)

In case we have to carry out a search in the international class 5 for pharmaceutical products, we also search the INN/WHO database (International Non-Proprietory Names), free of charge. Furthermore, we can offer a  search (subject to a small charge) of the Pharma-In-Use register, which is owned by IMS.

The Pharma-In-Use data provides you with market information for pharmaceutical products in over 70 countries worldwide, regardless of whether the mark has been registered or not. The database contains information with respect to the last sales of a pharmaceutical product bearing a certain trademark, the launch date, the therapeutic class and the owner/distributor. This should allow you to verify whether the mark is in use or not. The Pharma-In-Use search is available at an additional cost.

Verifying use of a pertinent mark on the internet

This is a standard service. For pertinent marks we automatically check the internet to verify whether the name is in use or not.

Linguistic check

As your trademark could have some negative connotations in a country, Multisearch^® has a linguistic check free of charge.

Do you provide searches as to the Arabic, Cyrillic and Chinese equivalents?

Yes, these aspects can be taken into account by our local trademark expert.

Device searches

The Multisearch^® service can also be used in the event you wish to check the availability of a (new) device / logo.

How does your price compare to other service providers that offer similar services?

First of all, the prices of Multisearch^® searches are very competitive. The prices are amongst others influenced by the turnaround time, type of searches and the amount of trademarks. A first step for Knijff is to find out which clearance needs you have, rest assured you will receive a business solution that precisely fits your requirements whilst still delivering value for money.

What is your delivery time?

We deliver our reports in standard delivery times that meet our clients’ needs. These depend on the products ordered. As an example, the turnaround time for a Pro is 8-10 working days.

How are reports delivered – on paper or electronically?

Reports are delivered via our Eugeno^® webplatform. Upon request we also can send the reports by electronic mail, by ordinary mail or by special courier.

Excellent network

We work with a network of trademark attorneys which have been carefully checked and trained for Multisearch^® and Eugeno^®. All these associates are trademark specialists. We constantly monitor the quality of the reports and associates work.

Your own associates

The quality, speed and competitive price of Multisearch^® comes from working with our carefully selected network of local associates. However, we are happy to customize our product to meet your specific requirements e.g. working with your preferred trademark associate(s).

Multisearch^® was originally designed for big companies, but is also suited for companies with a limited number of trademarks. Multisearch^® was developed by Knijff to clear trademarks worldwide, quickly and reliably. This unique service is used by a wide range of multinationals. Small and medium sized enterprises with clearance projects in a limited number of countries have equally benefitted from using Multisearch^®.