Back in May 2020, we blogged that the UKIPO was testing an artificial intelligence driven tool to help the public apply for trade marks. The UKIPO has now announced a public beta test.
The UKIPO says the tool will allow users (1) to check if anyone already has a trade mark too similar to the one they want, (2) to check the proposed trade mark against basic trade mark rules and (3) to check estimated application costs.
The UKIPO’s blog post explains that use of the tool has been significantly simplified since April through reducing the steps involved and removing jargon. The UKIPO also says the tool does not give a definitive answer and “the advice provided by the tool is no substitute for professional advice from a trade mark attorney”.
The tool can be found here. Based on a quick test, the tool appears to set out general legal considerations and specific search results for the user to review and does not attempt to suggest or determine whether the considerations or search results present a problem for the proposed trade mark.
Matt Hervey
Matt Hervey is Head of Artificial Intelligence (UK) at Gowling WLG (UK) and advises on Artificial Intelligence (AI) and IP across all sectors, including automotive, life sciences, finance and retail. Find out more about Matt Hervey on the Gowling WLG website. He is co-editor of The Law of Artificial Intelligence (Sweet & Maxwell).