How to check if a brand name is available before ordering a logo

The sign is printed and the page promoted – and the name already belongs to another company. Where and what to check before putting money into a logo and advertising.

A name is the first thing a business puts money into: a sign, packaging, a website, advertising. If it later turns out that someone else has registered the same name in the same field, all of it has to be redone. A check before the start takes an evening and costs far less.

A word about limits straight away. This article and our tool are not legal advice. They help to weed out names that are obviously taken. The final opinion and the filing are the work of a trademark attorney.

How-toHow to check a name: 4 steps

1. Enter the nameOpen the Brand name check tool and enter the name and your line of business.
2. Look at the reviewThe tool shows the length and warns if the name is descriptive – such names are hard to register.
3. Open the registersThe buttons lead to the official search with your name already entered: TMview for the EU and other offices, the WIPO database, USPTO, the Ukrainian register.
4. Check the domain and social mediaThe tool shows whether common domains look available and gives links to profiles with that handle.

Why links and not a ready answer: the registers restrict automated queries, so we do not search them for you. This way you see the primary source, not a retelling.

RegisterWhat to look for in a trademark register

Trademarks are registered by national intellectual property offices; the European Union has a common office, EUIPO. Their databases are open and free, and TMview searches many of them at once.

An exact match. Search for the name in every spelling you plan to use.

Similarity. For an examiner, names that look or sound almost the same are similar signs. A name that sounds nearly identical in the same class can be grounds for refusal.

Applications. Look not only at registered marks but also at filed applications: they have priority by filing date.

Status. A mark may be invalid or expired. That is already a question for an attorney.

ClassesWhat classes of goods and services are

A trademark is not protected “in general” but for a list of goods and services. They are divided into the 45 classes of the Nice Classification: 1–34 are goods, 35–45 are services.

The same name in distant classes can coexist: a coffee shop and a brick maker will not confuse a buyer. The tool suggests classes for 28 kinds of business, but the exact list is defined by an attorney.

DomainDomain and social media

Domain. The tool checks whether a domain is connected: “looks available” means there is nothing at that address right now. A domain registrar shows the final availability.

Social media. The same handle on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok makes you easier to find. If the exact handle is taken, people add a city or a field.

Search engine. Enter the name in quotation marks. If the first page is already taken by a company with that name, breaking through will be hard even without legal problems.

ReviewWhat makes a good name

1. ShortUp to 10–12 characters, two or three syllables. Easier to remember and to type.
2. Easy to spell by earIf the name has to be dictated letter by letter, customers will make mistakes when searching.
3. Not descriptive“Tasty Coffee” or “Building Materials” describe the product; they do not set you apart. Such names are usually not registered as trademarks.
4. Works in Latin lettersFor a domain, social media and clients abroad.
5. No borrowed brandsDo not play on well-known names – not even as a joke.

AttorneyWhen you need a trademark attorney

A check of your own weeds out the obvious. An attorney is needed when you plan to register the mark, enter other countries, put serious money into advertising, or have found a similar name and cannot tell whether it is an obstacle. They run a full search, assess similarity, choose the classes and file the application.

HonestlyWe do not invent names. We design the logo for one

Our studio does not offer naming or legal services. The tool helps to check a name you have already chosen.

When you have a name and are confident in it, we will design a logo and brand identity for it: logo design.

Check the name before the logo, not after. Changing one letter in a name means a new logo, a new sign and a new domain.

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