SearchIntellectual Property

Trademark Clearance Search

Trademark clearance search that scores each candidate name against each conflicting mark on sight, sound, meaning and goods, and drafts a cited opinion for counsel to sign.

Watch it work Book a walkthrough

Follow LUMERA, MEILAN and VELLORA through nine screens ↓

Watch with transcript →

The problem

Clearance lands after the packaging is printed, and the misses are quiet

A paralegal orders a search report that can run to a hundred pages, works through the hits one at a time, checks a few websites by hand and passes a short list to the attorney. Most hits are waved off with nothing written down about why.

The marks behind a refusal are rarely the close spellings. A name that sounds the same, or means the same in Spanish, turns up only if someone thinks to look, and a seller trading online without a registration seldom shows in a register report. Meanwhile the brand team waits days, or prints the packaging first.

Built forTrademark attorneysTrademark paralegalsIP practice chairsBrand teams

The Problem Today

A name can pass a spelling search and still sound like, or mean the same as, a registered mark.

824,000+: trademark classes filed at one national office, fiscal 2025 published
4–7: business days from brief to a clearance opinion today published

Worked through page by page

Reports
Hits
Websites
Languages

Dismissals without reasonsHundreds of hits waved away with nothing in writing
Fees lost on a bad nameOfficial fees, packaging and launch spend gone with a refusal

The Solution

Registers and the webRegister hits and web uses screened; each dismissed hit gets a written reason
Sounds and meanings checkedSound-alikes, plus meanings in Spanish, French and Chinese pinyin
Scored on four dimensionsSight, sound, meaning and goods for each name against each conflict
Cited opinion, signedCounsel approves each verdict and signs; nothing goes out unsigned

Built-in controls

Client names never sent to public search engines
Each score opens the record behind it
Paralegal dismisses, counsel decides

What You Get

Brand teams get an answer while the name is still a choice, with the reasons in writing.

1 hour: of paralegal review per name, down from about 4 our estimate

Sound-alikes caught earlyNames that sound alike are scored before anything is filed
Meanings in five languagesSpanish, French, Chinese pinyin, Italian and Portuguese
A filing plan per marketThe first filing, then one international application inside six months

From brief to opinion

A trademark clearance search in nine screens, from brief to signed opinion

Each feature below handles one piece of the clearance, from reading the naming brief to filing the name that cleared.

01Candidates and goods
The naming brief, read for what each name is meant to mean
How it works
- Each candidate gets a card: wordmark, pronunciation, register hits and web uses
- The meaning the client gives a name in the brief is kept as evidence
- Goods wording taken from the office's standard descriptions, so no $200-per-class surcharge
- Related classes searched beside each class: 5, 21 and 44 for skin care
Trademark paralegalBuilds the search on the brief itself, with the goods confirmed and the meaning the client intended written down where the scoring can use it.
02Dismissed register hits
A written reason beside every register hit set aside
How it works
- 1,140 register hits narrowed to 236 in related classes, 47 close, and 10 on the scorecard
- Each dismissed hit shows its record, class, status and the name it was checked against
- Reasons read like a paralegal's note: identical word, but live plants and seeds
- The paralegal approves the dismissals, and the approval goes in the matter's log
Trademark paralegalStops fearing the one mark nobody thought to look for, because each hit is kept or dropped, and the reason is on file.
03Web and common-law uses
Unregistered sellers found online, each use captured with its date
How it works
- Web, marketplaces, domains and social handles searched for each candidate
- 260 uses narrowed to 31 in skin care, beauty or related goods, and 2 kept
- A candle shop selling a cedar body oil since March 2024 stays on the scorecard
- Domains and handles checked for each name, with the ones still free to hold
Trademark paralegalCovers the common-law rights a register report misses, with a dated capture that shows when the seller was trading.
04Sound and meaning
Sound-alikes and meanings in five languages, each with a dictionary source
How it works
- Syllables and stress laid side by side, LUMERA against its nearest sound-alike LUMIRA
- 214 spellings generated and searched for the three names
- Each name read in Spanish, French, Chinese pinyin, Italian and Portuguese
- LUMERA in Spanish reads era of light, which a registered skin care mark already says
Trademark counselSees the sound-alike and the translation that a report ranked on spelling leaves out, before the client prints anything.
05Clearance scorecard
One scorecard with each candidate name against each conflicting mark
How it works
- Each cell scores sight, sound, meaning and goods overlap from 0 to 100
- Risk is goods overlap times the strongest of the other three
- 65 or more is high, 40 to 64 medium, and a dead record carries no weight
- LUMERA at 87 and MEILAN at 77 read high risk; VELLORA reads clear at 37
Trademark counselWorks one matrix in place of a hundred-page report, and sees which name to recommend and which conflicts decide it.
06Reasons behind a score
Four scores in each cell, each with its reason and its record
How it works
- LUMIRA against LUMERA: sight 82, sound 91, meaning 30, goods 96
- Each score carries a line on why: same three syllables, one vowel apart
- The arithmetic in full: goods 96% times sound 91 gives 87, high
- Counsel agrees with the scores or adjusts one, and an adjustment needs a reason
Trademark counselCan defend each likelihood of confusion score to the client or a partner, because the record and the reasoning sit beside the number.
07Approved verdict
Verdicts the scorer proposes and counsel approves, one name at a time
How it works
- Each name's panel lists its conflicts, highest risk first
- VELLORA has no live mark above 37; BELLORA sells cosmetic brushes, worth a watch
- Approving the three verdicts lets the opinion be drafted with all 12 conflicts cited
Trademark counselKeeps the call on each name with counsel, while the agents do the reading of 1,400 register hits and web uses.
08Signed opinion
A trademark clearance opinion with a citation beside each conflict
How it works
- Drafted from the approved verdicts: the advice first, then what was searched, then each name
- Each conflict links to its record, and each meaning to its dictionary entry
- Five checks before signing, from 12 of 12 conflicts cited to the search date and limits
- Only counsel signs; the paralegal who built the file is blocked from signing
Trademark counselSigns on the day the search ran, with the record behind each no the client reads, and the limits of the search stated.
09Filing plan
A filing plan for the cleared name: fees, domains and a watch
How it works
- The first filing in classes 3 and 35 on intent to use, $700 in official fees
- The other three markets designated on one international application inside the priority window
- Free domains and a social handle listed to secure before launch
- A watch on BELLORA and on new filings ending in -ORA in related classes
Brand directorLearns which name can go on the jar, what will be filed where, the fees, and which addresses to hold.

A Spanish meaning and a pinyin reading sank two of the three names

Four finds from one brief that a spelling search alone would not have shown.

LUMIRA, one vowel away

Registered for serums and facial creams, it shares the three syllables and the stress of LUMERA. Sound 91 against goods 96 puts it at 87, high.

The brief's own meaning, already registered

The client describes LUMERA as a new era of light. ERA DE LUZ says exactly that in Spanish and is registered for the same goods, at 79.

Beautiful orchid, in Chinese pinyin

MEILAN reads měi lán, beautiful orchid, for a line built on orchid extract. BELLA ORCHID is registered for orchid skin creams, at 77.

B and V that sound alike

B and V sound alike to a Spanish speaker, so BELLORA's sound score rises to 70. Its cosmetic brushes keep VELLORA at 37, low, with a watch.

Around the scorecard

Six more screens behind the LUMERA, MEILAN and VELLORA matter

The lenses, checks and records opened around the matrix.

Scorecard limited to a spelling search: LUMERA medium at 61, VELLORA at 12 and only five conflicts left, with a note that seven are missing — **What spelling alone would show**One switch hides the sound-alikes, the translations and the web uses. LUMERA drops to 61, medium, and 7 of the 12 conflicts disappear.

Translation table for MEILAN: Chinese pinyin reads beautiful orchid and matches BELLA ORCHID in class 3, rated high; four other languages find no meaning — **MEILAN in Chinese pinyin**měi lán means beautiful orchid, and BELLA ORCHID is registered for orchid skin creams. The other four languages find no meaning for the name.

Scorecard on the meaning lens with ERA DE LUZ selected: meaning 84 against LUMERA, goods 94, risk 79 high, with citations to the brief and a dictionary — **The matrix on meaning alone**Switched to the meaning lens, ERA DE LUZ stands out at 84 against LUMERA, cited to the record, the naming brief and a dictionary.

Adjust-a-score window for LUMERA against ERA DE LUZ: sight 20, sound 15, meaning 84 and goods 94, with a reason box that must be filled to save — **A score moves only with a reason**Counsel can change any of the four proposed scores. No change saves until counsel writes why; the trail then shows the old score beside the new one.

Matter log listing 12 events: goods wording confirmed, the register search, the dismissals, the verdicts and the signed opinion — **The matter's audit trail**Each search, score, dismissal, approval and signature in order, agents and people side by side, retained 7 years past the close of the matter.

Practice settings: registers and sources switched on, languages including Chinese pinyin, the high-risk line at 65, and who may approve what — **Set once for the practice**Registers, languages, the line at 65 for high risk and who may approve what. Nobody approves their own work.

Of 1,400 records screened for three names, 12 reached the scorecard

Where each name's hits went, and the conflict that decided it.

Candidate	Screened	Highest live conflict	Verdict
LUMERA	486 register hits, 118 web uses	LUMIRA, sound-alike, 87	High risk
MEILAN	402 register hits, 97 web uses	BELLA ORCHID, translation, 77	High risk
VELLORA	252 register hits, 45 web uses	BELLORA, cosmetic brushes, 37	Clear
All three	1,140 register hits, 260 web uses	12 conflicts scored, 1,388 dismissed with a reason	2 high risk, 1 clear

Six agents, one matter

Agents read the registers and the web; counsel rules on each name

Each reads or drafts one part of the matter and hands off the moment a legal judgment is needed.

Register searcher

Searches the national, international and state registers for word and design marks in the classes and their related goods.

Never drops a hit without a written reason

Web and common-law scout

Searches the web, marketplaces, app stores, domains, social handles and state business filings, and captures each use with its date.

Never treats a web use as prior use without a dated capture

Sound and translation agent

Generates sound-alikes and spelling variants, and translates each name into Spanish, French, Chinese pinyin, Italian and Portuguese.

Never claims a meaning without a dictionary citation

Status reader

Reads each conflicting record's owner, status, filing basis, renewals and signs of non-use.

Never calls a mark abandoned: it says possible non-use

Confusion scorer

Scores sight, sound, meaning and goods overlap for each pair, with a reason per score, and proposes a risk for each name.

Never gives the final verdict: it proposes

Opinion drafter

Drafts the clearance opinion and the filing plan from the approved verdicts, with each conflict cited.

Never contacts the client on its own
A go-ahead on a high-risk name waits for the managing partner

Trademark clearance search: sound-alikes, translations and who signs

What is a trademark clearance search?

A trademark clearance search checks whether a new name can be used and registered for the client's goods without a likely conflict. This solution searches the registers and the web, adds sound-alikes and translations, scores each name against each conflict on sight, sound, meaning and goods, and drafts a cited opinion that counsel signs.

How do I check if a trademark is available for my goods?

A trademark availability search starts with the registers but cannot stop there: a sound-alike, a translation or an unregistered web seller can block a name too. Counsel approves a verdict for each name and signs an opinion saying which to file.

How is this different from a knockout search?

A trademark knockout search looks for identical or near-identical marks and stops there. This one goes on to sound-alikes, meanings in five languages and unregistered use online, and each score carries its reason.

Does it apply the doctrine of foreign equivalents?

Yes. Each name is translated into Spanish, French, Chinese pinyin, Italian and Portuguese, each meaning backed by a dictionary citation, and a registered mark with the same meaning is scored on meaning.

Who signs the clearance opinion?

Counsel approves the verdicts and signs. The paralegal who assembled the search may not sign, and a go-ahead on a high-risk name needs the managing partner's co-signature. Nothing reaches the client unsigned.

Are the candidate names kept confidential?

Yes. The agents search without naming the client, no candidate name goes into a public search engine under the client's name, and client briefs train no model.

Intellectual Property