IP Australia enables image trademark search

IP Australia will enable image search in its trademark search tool for the first time today, making it easier to find potential logo clashes.

The agency said it would use algorithmic technology developed by a Queensland image recognition start-up, TrademarkVision. The start-up’s other clients include law firms.

Until now, businesses searching for similar existing trademarks “had to undertake complex searches using written descriptions of a logo image”, IP Australia’s director general Patricia Kelly said in a statement.

“The ability to find similar trade mark images is an essential part of the application process,” she said.

“We anticipate that providing an effective, easy-to-use search tool will lead to better quality trade mark applications that are more likely to succeed.”