Patent Information Users Group, Inc.

Note: Below is information of Aug.4, 2020 and other Global Brand Database webinars, a map of GBD coverage/timeliness; information on classifications used in GBD (including new Vienna Classification Assistant), and a research with use of image search on a findability of TMs designated in international registration in countries covered in GBD.

WIPO offers a webinar: Global Brand Database Practical Cases, August 4, 2020 11:30 AM to 12:00 PM ET | 17:30 - 18:00 CET     

Registration Link [There would be no recording for this event]                       

WIPO Global Brand Database includes information on trademarks, appellations of origin, International Nonproprietary Names (INNs) , etc.

Global Brand Database Practical Cases is the one of recurring series of several webinars on Global Brand Database held monthly, normally at [11:30 AM to 12:00 PM ET| 17:30 - 18:00 Geneva time CET]

1. Global Brand Database : An Introduction: next webinars September 22, 2020 and December 4, 2020). The last recording June 12, 2020;  copy of slides (58 slides) May 2017) ((see also a video tutorial “Finding a similar brand”(1:47) [search functionality at 0:05-0:55] at GBD Tutorials web page)

2. Global Brand Database. How to Search October 15, 2020  (see a copy of a presntation (67 slides, Aug. 2017)

3. Global Brand Database : Practical Cases (this one August 4, 2020; next one November 19, 2020)

4. Image Search in the Global Brand Database (the last recording April 30, 2020 + copy of slides (47 p., Apr. 7, 2020)

WIPO Launched Image search function to search visually similar trademark (by  shape, colors, texture or composite) in 2014  (see an an image search demonstration in video “Overview of Global Brand Database” (from 1:48-3:57). In 2019 an image search was enhanced by introducing “concept search” based on “leveraging deep neural networks and figurative elements classification data from the Madrid System for the International Registration of Marks and from large trademark offices.”(2019 WIPO press release)  

5. Global Brand Database: How to Read, Save and Share Your Results (the last recording March 6, 2020) (see also a video tutorial “How to save, share and download”(1:22) at GBD Tutorials web page”, note a Link to Searches feature at 01:02)

5. INNs search in the Global Brand Database (the last webinar November 19, 2019, no recording) (See GBD News (Feb.11, 2019))

6. [AI-based] The Vienna Classification Assistant: an overview webinar Aug. 12, 10:30 AM (registration) (see a brief info below)

Source: Global Brand Database Webinars

Notes: 1.  Global Database Coverage is listed in help documentation. It includes name of the country, international organizations(WIPO International Trademarks (Madrid), WIPO Appellations of Origin (Lisbon), EUIPO, WHO/INN, WIPO Emblems (Article 6ter)), number of recors, dates from to. 

An attach map illustrate coverage of national collections  [without with indication of timeliness (based on data as of 8/1/2020). The map is created at mapchat.net, an image could be zoom in to see individual countries if open in New Tab [also attached at text file with a "script" for  this map to convert it into editable]

As of today, Global Database Coverage, is far from to be complete, but the collection has been growing. Some of large countries notable missing here (CN, IN, UK, RU, etc.) could be found in a free database TMView of EUIP Network.

2. Classifications used in Global Brand Database

The Nice Classification (NCL), established by the Nice Agreement (1957), is an international classification of goods and services applied for the registration of marks. [GBD: Brand Tab- Goods/Services Field]

The Vienna Classification (VCL), established by the Vienna Agreement (1973), is an international classification of the figurative elements of marks. (VCL notes) [GBD: Brand Tab- Image Class Field, for non-US trademark, if available]

Update: WIPO has recently launched AI-based Vienna Classification Assistant which helps to identify VCL classes  based on TM image. WIPO offers a webinar on this tool Aug. 12, 2020 at 11:30 ET (registration)

USPTO Design Search Code Manual used for searching U.S. national collection in Global Brand Database (as well as USPTO TESS trademark search system) [GBD: Brand Tab- Image Class Field, for US trademarks, only]

3. Research on completeness of coverage of a random pharmaceuticals TM. (NLC 5)

VCL 19.13.21 Phials, capsules, pills, tablets, suppositories (Search term: IC:VC.19.13.21, 7793 records, IC - Image Class field

USDSC 10.09.01 Medicines and nonmedical products in tablet, capsule or powder form; suppositories (Search term: US.10.09.01, 1946 record)

Combination: IC:VC.19.13.21 OR US.10.09.01 9739 results

Limit by Sanofi as a Holder in Name tab HOL:sanofi =r> 115 results.

Search strategy so far: (VCS:19.13.21 OR USC:10.09.01) AND HOL:sanofi (recorded in any [interim] search report, activated in the lower right conrer of the search/result screen).

It could be re-run using: "link to search" url, retrievable under searches tab in the upper right corner.

A link to interim search results: https://www3.wipo.int/branddb/en/?q={"searches":[{"cs":[{"te":"19.13.21","fi":"VCS"},{"te":"10.09.01","fi":"USC","co":"OR"}],"dt":"VC.19.13.21 OR US.10.09.01"},{"te":"sanofi","fi":"HOL"}]}

(one could easily recognize encoded search strategy (VCS:19.13.21 OR USC:10.09.01) AND HOL:sanofi), this url string is modifiable)

The top result of these 115 TM set sorted by relevance (with  a rank 21) is inactive Mongolian trademark 40M0981733. This application have  an image (below) with a purple tablets with "5 mg" on it.

There are 8 identical images and 3 similat images in 115 member results set ((MN, IS, MX* (brown), SZ*, BW*, NA*, KE*, WO* (darker), US (grey, w/o "5g"), PH (purple), FR (darker),  "*" indicates an "'active" status)

Now let's run image search in ther whole GBR database (removing IC and HOL limitations).[42,001,358 records] An image could be drugged from result list ti image sesrch template licated under image tab in Filer area.  The search strategy "Concept" chosen, the search produce 72,846 [<- a link to results] results, 13 tablets similar to the  image query are in the top of ranked list: (MN,SZ*,BW*,NA*,KE*,AU, BT, IS, SG, FR (darker),US(grey),MX*(brown))

An image search identified three TM registration Australia, Singapour and Bhutan, which does not have image clasess used in the first searh. A record for Bhutan has "Dummy" instead of Sanofi as  a holder, and NCL 45 (legal services) in instead of NCL 5 (but serial number  BT/M/981733 in in proper format). For some reasons, WO recors is missing from an image search.

The last step is in examination of WO record  981733 -5mg. It links to a record 981733 -5mg in Madrid Monitor (former ROMARIN) database. This records lists countries at which international registration has been requested. This includes 15 countries (incl. EUIPO) which covered in the Global Brand Database, but no record has been found:  Algerian, Bahrain, Botswana, Egypt, EUIPO, Georgia, Kazakhstan, North Macedonia, Moroccan, Serbia, Republic of Korea, Switzerland, Sudan, Ukraine, Zimbabwe.  The country specific research may be needed to clarify, if refused TM  is not publishable in a particular country, or there are gaps in some national database collections in  the Global Brand Database.