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Search IP

The following provides direct access to the major Canadian and international intellectual property databases. These tools are publicly accessible and maintained by CIPO, the USPTO, WIPO, and other IP offices. They are a reasonable starting point for preliminary research.

A word of caution: database search results reflect the state of the registry at the time of search and are not a substitute for a professional search and opinion. Trademark databases do not capture unregistered rights that may nonetheless be enforceable at common law. Patent databases require careful claim analysis that goes well beyond keyword searching. If you require a formal patentability assessment, trademark clearance search, or freedom to operate analysis, please contact us.

Canadian Databases

Canadian Patents Database — Search issued Canadian patents and published Canadian patent applications. Maintained by the Canadian Intellectual Property Office. Accessible at opic.ic.gc.ca/cpd.

Canadian Trademarks Database — Search registered Canadian trademarks and pending applications. The database is updated regularly but may not reflect the most recent filings or office actions. Accessible at opic.ic.gc.ca/trdmrks.

Canadian Copyright Database — Search registered Canadian copyrights. Copyright registration in Canada is voluntary — the absence of a record does not mean copyright does not subsist in a work. Accessible at opic.ic.gc.ca/cpyrghts.

Canadian Industrial Designs Database — Search registered Canadian industrial designs. Accessible at opic.ic.gc.ca/id.

United States Databases

USPTO Patent Full-Text Database — Search issued U.S. patents and published U.S. patent applications by keyword, inventor, assignee, classification, and other parameters. Accessible at patents.uspto.gov.

Google Patents — A convenient interface for searching across multiple patent databases simultaneously, including USPTO, EPO, WIPO, and others. Useful for broad international prior art searching. Accessible at patents.google.com.

USPTO Trademark Electronic Search System (TESS) — Search registered U.S. trademarks and pending U.S. trademark applications. Accessible at tmsearch.uspto.gov.

International Databases

WIPO PATENTSCOPE — Search international PCT applications and patent documents from participating national and regional offices. Essential for international prior art searching. Accessible at patentscope.wipo.int.

WIPO Global Brand Database — Search trademark records from multiple national and international offices in a single interface. Coverage varies by jurisdiction. Accessible at branddb.wipo.int.

WIPO Hague Express — Search international industrial design registrations filed under the Hague System. Accessible at hague.wipo.int.

European Patent Register — Search European patent applications and granted European patents examined by the European Patent Office. Accessible at register.epo.org.