EUIPO Trademark Search: eSearch plus vs. TMview
How to search the EU trademark register with EUIPO's official tools — and where each one stops.
Founder & Developer of markencheck.ai
EUIPO and the EU Trademark Register
To search the EU trademark register, EUIPO gives you two free official tools: use eSearch plus for the full register and case details of a specific EU trademark, and TMview for a broad search across offices for identical and similar marks. Knowing which tool fits which task is the key to an effective search. The European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) is the EU agency responsible for trademarks, designs and geographical indications — more than 3.2 million EU trade marks have been applied for since the system launched in 1996. Its register contains every registered EU trademark with detailed information: status, owner, goods and services, Nice classes and case history. Both eSearch plus and TMview are free and require no registration.
eSearch plus: Register and Case Details
Direct link to the official search: open eSearch plus. eSearch plus (via “Search IP databases” on the EUIPO website) is built for looking up specific applications and their details — status, owner, goods/services, Nice classes, renewals, oppositions and case history. You can search by trademark name, owner or representative and filter by class, year or status. • Word marks: EUIPO indexes the character string regardless of font or colour, so a word-mark search covers common typefaces. For word/figurative marks the system typically reads the text component. • Multilingual: an EU trademark applies in all EU official languages, so search translations of key terms too (e.g. “Auto” and “Car”). • Best used for: confirming the exact status of a known mark, checking an owner's portfolio, or reading an opposition file — not for broad similarity screening.
TMview: Searching for Identical and Similar Marks
For clearance — checking whether a name is already taken — EUIPO itself recommends TMview, its free search tool (open TMview). TMview searches far beyond the EU register: it covers the EUIPO, the national trademark offices of the EU member states, and many non-EU offices in a single query. That makes it the right starting point when you want to see identical and similar marks across Europe, including national marks that never appear in eSearch plus. TMview offers filters for word, figurative and combined marks, by class and by status, and supports basic similarity options such as wildcards and “contains” searches. It also runs an AI-powered image search that compares a logo against millions of figurative marks across offices, and is the broad-coverage companion to eSearch plus's deep register detail.
eSearch plus vs. TMview at a Glance
• Purpose — eSearch plus: detailed register and case data for a specific mark. TMview: broad search for identical and similar marks before you file. • Coverage — eSearch plus: EU trademarks (EUTMs) only. TMview: EUIPO + EU national offices + many non-EU offices. • Similarity logic — both are rule-based: they match on spelling, wildcards and filters. Neither scores phonetic closeness, visual similarity, or overlapping goods/services the way a dedicated similarity tool does. • Best use — eSearch plus to inspect a known mark; TMview for a first clearance sweep across offices.
Why an Exact Match Isn't Legal Clearance
If a search only surfaces exact-spelling hits, that does not mean no conflicting mark exists. EUIPO explicitly advises checking for identical and similar signs before applying — because a likelihood of confusion can arise from near-identical spellings, similar-sounding names, transliterations, or overlapping goods and services, not just from an identical string. This is where the official tools reach their limit by design: eSearch plus and TMview list what matches your query, but they do not rank how relevant each result is to your specific filing. markencheck.ai adds that layer — it analyses phonetic and visual similarity, factors in Nice-class and goods/services overlap, and returns a reproducible similarity score, so you see in seconds which marks are actually worth a closer look. It complements the official register search; it does not replace it, and it is not legal advice. To see what that looks like in practice, try the AI-powered EUIPO trademark search with similarity scores against the EU register.
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Tips for an Effective Search
• Search variants: not only your exact name but individual words within it, abbreviations, known misspellings, special characters and transliterations. • Set your classes first: decide which goods/services your mark should cover and filter accordingly (see Nice classes explained). A software service, for example, usually touches Class 9 and Class 42. • Search by owner: EUIPO shows owner and representative data — useful for mapping a competitor's portfolio or gauging conflict level. • Combine tools: use TMview for the broad identical/similar sweep across offices, then eSearch plus to read the full record of anything relevant it turns up.
Conclusion
The EUIPO tools give you an authoritative, official foundation: eSearch plus for register detail, TMview for broad identical-and-similar screening across Europe. Keep their shared limit in mind — they list matches but do not rank relevance, and legal assessment remains your (or an expert's) responsibility. A guided similarity check picks up where they stop. Put it to the test: start the trademark check now and see which similar entries are actually relevant to your name.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the direct link to the official EUIPO trademark search (eSearch plus)?
You will find the official EUIPO detail search at eSearch plus. For clearance across many registers, EUIPO recommends its tool TMview. Both are free. They show you register entries, but they do not assess how similar a hit actually is to your name.
What is the difference between eSearch plus and TMview?
eSearch plus is the EUIPO’s official database for EU trademarks with full case details such as owner, procedural status, and opposition history. TMview additionally aggregates the national registers of many countries and suits broad searches for identical and similar signs across Europe. For a pre-filing search, it is best to combine both.
Is the EUIPO trademark search free?
Yes. eSearch plus and TMview are free to use and require no registration. Costs only arise when you file: according to the EUIPO, the online basic fee is €850 for one class, €50 for the second, and €150 for each additional class (full EU trademark fees for 2026). The search before filing only costs time.
What does the EUIPO search not find?
The official search only shows what you actively type in: it does not suggest sound-alike names, spelling variants, or signs with a similar meaning, and it does not rank results by risk. National trademarks are also missing from eSearch plus — for those you need TMview or the national registers. For the similarity comparison, use your own systematic approach or an AI tool like markencheck.ai.
Do I have to search before filing an EU trademark?
There is no obligation — the EUIPO does not examine at filing whether earlier similar trademarks exist. That is exactly why the pre-filing search matters: owners of earlier marks can file an opposition, and the filing fee is not refunded if your application fails. When in doubt, have critical hits reviewed by a lawyer.
What is eSearch plus?
eSearch plus is the EUIPO's official trademark database. For every EU trade mark it shows register and case details such as status, Nice classes, owner and pending proceedings. However, the search mainly finds exact or very close spellings – for a real similarity search you have to try variants and phonetic modifications yourself.
What is in the EU trademark register?
The EU trademark register is maintained by the EUIPO and contains all filed and registered EU trade marks – with filing date, Nice classes, list of goods and services, owner and legal status. It is public and free to search via eSearch plus; national trademarks (e.g. German DPMA marks) are not included – they live in the national registers or, collectively, in TMview. See EUIPO vs. DPMA for when each register matters.
How does trademark research with TMview work?
TMview bundles the registers of around 80 IP offices with over 130 million trade marks, including the EUIPO and the DPMA. You search for a name and can filter by country, Nice class and trademark status. Important: TMview also primarily finds identical and near-identical spellings – phonetically or conceptually similar signs that can create a likelihood of confusion need variant searches or AI-assisted tools.
Is your name still free in the EU register?
Run it live against the EU trademark register — 3 free checks per day, no sign-up.
What markencheck.ai adds to eSearch plus and TMview
Ranks phonetically and visually similar marks by relevance — not just a flat list of query matches
Factors Nice-class and goods/services overlap into a reproducible similarity score
Turns a raw register search into a structured, repeatable preliminary check in seconds
Related Guides
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