Trademark search report before you file.
Registering a company name at the Companies and Intellectual Property Commission (CIPC) does not make it your trademark. Someone else may already own the name, or one close enough to block you. For R290 we search the three registers that matter, check the close variants, and give you a one-page written report with a plain English risk rating within 2 business days. If you file with us, the R290 comes off the price.
What you get
- A search of the CIPC trademark register, the WIPO Global Brand Database (World Intellectual Property Organization) and TMview for your word mark
- Close variants searched too: alternative spellings, marks that sound the same when said aloud, plurals and the word with common prefixes or suffixes
- Searched in the classes your business actually trades in, and the neighbouring classes an examiner would look at
- A one-page written report: identical marks found, confusingly similar marks found, and a class analysis of where the risk sits
- A plain English risk rating, low, medium or high, and a clear recommendation: file as is, adjust the mark, change class, or choose another name
- Delivered to your client portal within 2 business days, with the search date recorded so you know exactly what was covered
How ordering works
- Order online with the button below and pay by card or instant EFT (PayFast), or wait for the EFT invoice.
- In your portal form, tell us the word mark, what you sell, and any spellings or names you are also considering. If you do not know your classes, we work them out from what you sell.
- Your one-page report lands in your portal within 2 business days, with the risk rating and our recommendation in writing.
- Decide with the facts in hand. File within 30 days and the R290 is credited against the R1 990 trademark filing.
Not sure this is the right one for you? Ask us first and you get a written answer within one business day.
Frequently asked questions
My company name is registered at CIPC. Is that not my trademark?
No. A company name at CIPC only stops someone registering another company with the same name. It gives you no right to stop a competitor using that name on their products, shop front or website. A registered trademark does. Plenty of businesses trade for years under a company name that someone else already owns as a trademark, and only find out when the letter of demand arrives. For a quick free look at names, try the company name checker; this report is the proper search behind it.
Why search before filing? CIPC checks anyway.
CIPC examines your application, but that takes many months, and if it is refused you lose the R590 per class filing fee and the time. An earlier owner can also oppose your mark after it is advertised, or object years later. Searching first for R290 tells you now whether to file, change the name slightly, or pick a different class. If you go ahead with our R1 990 filing within 30 days, the R290 is taken off the price.
What does confusingly similar mean?
A trademark can be refused or attacked even if it is not identical to an existing one. What matters is whether an ordinary customer could confuse the two: similar spelling, similar sound when said aloud, the same word with an extra letter or a plural, or the same idea in another language. That is why we search close variants and not just the exact word, and why the report explains each match in plain English instead of listing register numbers.
Does a clear search guarantee registration?
No, and anyone who promises that is guessing. A clear search means we found no identical or close mark in your classes on the three registers on the day we searched. CIPC can still refuse a mark for being descriptive, for example Fresh Bread for a bakery, and applications filed after our search date are not visible yet. The report tells you the risk level honestly, and if a name is weak we say so before you spend R1 990 on it.
Ready to file?
Trademark application support is R1 990 plus the CIPC fee of R590 per class, filed within 5 business days. Your R290 search report is credited if you file within 30 days.
Trademark filingA search report, not legal advice. Registers change daily and a clear search does not guarantee registration; contested marks and oppositions need a trademark attorney, and we say so plainly.