Global Brand Database is the new online tool launched by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) on 8 March 2011, which aims at facilitating the search in the databases of over 640,000 registrations of international brands, appellations of origin, escutcheons, flags and other protected state emblems, including names, abbreviations and emblems of intergovernmental organizations. Access is free and allows simultaneous search for brands in multiple collections.

“Global Brand Database is a centralized search engine, which will greatly facilitate the search for hundreds of thousands of registrations that contain information about brands”, said Director General of the World Intellectual Property Organization, Mr. Francis Gurry. “It is an important aspect of WIPO’s efforts to facilitate access to such valuable assets and reflects the Organization’s commitment on reducing global information gaps by improving access to information in the field of intellectual property and its use” Mr. Gurry has also expressed his hope that in the future national collections will also be included in this database.

Currently, the Global Brand search interface allows users’ access to three databases of the WIPO through a simple and easy to use display: i) international trademarks registered under the Madrid System for the international registration of marks; ii) appellations of origin registered under the Lisbon System for the international registration of appellations of origin and iii) escutcheons, flags and other state emblems, as well as names, abbreviations and emblems of intergovernmental organizations, protected in accordance with Article 6ter of the Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property.

Global Brand Database is built on search resources in the field of brands and makes available to the public a unique multiple sources consulting center. The novelty consists in adding an advanced function that allows searching by similar and phonetic terms.

This service will be integrated into WIPO GOLD, which provides an easy and fast online access to a large collection of information and tools in the field of intellectual property. For example, this information refers to technologies, brands, design, statistical data, WIPO standards and international classification systems.

Global Brand Database can be accessed at the following address: http://www.wipo.int/branddb/en/index.jsp

(Information taken from the WIPO website)