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 ty

pe-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