A trademark clearance search assesses whether there are similar trademarks that could block your registration. It is the recommended first step before filing an application with the INPI (Argentina’s National Institute of Industrial Property).
What to look for in the INPI database
The INPI’s public search tool lets you look up granted trademarks and pending applications. Typing in your name is not enough: you need to consider graphic variants, translations, phonetic roots, and adjacent classes.
- Identity — the same sign in the same class.
- Similarity — different signs that consumers could confuse.
- Well-known status — recognized trademarks whose protection extends beyond their original class.
Limits of the free search tool
An automated search does not assess subjective confusion criteria or detect all the unregistered uses that could be raised in an opposition based on prior use. A professional report includes strategy: coexistence, modification of the sign, or prior negotiation.
When to do it
Ideally before finalizing your visual identity and before signing distribution agreements. If you have already invested in a conflicting name, the cost of changing it grows exponentially.
At Eguía we carry out clearance searches with a registrability opinion. Request a report →
