EU trademark search: the free route, done right
You can search EU trademarks free, and the right tools are the official ones: EUIPO's eSearch plus for every EU trade mark filed centrally, and TMview for the wider sweep across national European registers. This page shows how to run that search properly, sound-alikes and classes included. The automated alternative on this site is the paid check, which screens the US (USPTO) and EU (EUIPO) registers together; the free check here covers the US register only.
The two official tools, and what each covers
An EU trade mark is a single registration that applies across every member state, examined and maintained by the EUIPO. eSearch plus is the EUIPO's own interface onto that register, free and authoritative: every centrally filed EU mark, live or historical, with status, classes, owner, and the goods and services it protects. If your question is “does an EU-level mark already hold this name”, eSearch plus is the primary source.
TMview answers the wider question. National trademarks did not disappear when the EU system arrived: a German, French, or Italian national mark can block you in that market even when the EU register is clear. TMview, run through the EUIPO, aggregates the EU register plus the national registers of participating offices into one search. A careful European screen runs both: eSearch plus for depth on the central register, TMview for breadth across the national ones. The EUIPO search walkthrough covers the interfaces click by click.
How to run the search properly
The register blocks names that are confusingly similar to an existing mark, not only names spelled identically, so a single exact query is a start rather than a search. The pattern that works, per candidate name:
- Exact first. The literal spelling. A live identical mark in your class ends the inquiry cheaply.
- Then sound-alikes. Spellings that produce the same name out loud: C against K, F against PH, I against Y endings. Confusion is judged by ear as well as by eye.
- Then near-spellings. One or two characters off, plurals, common prefixes and suffixes. Short names deserve the most suspicion here.
- Read hits by class. Identify the Nice classes you would file in before you search (software is typically 9, 42, and 35) and weigh a hit inside them entirely differently from one three categories away.
- Check status. A live registration blocks; a pending application warns; an expired or withdrawn mark is a weaker signal worth noting, not a wall.
Done honestly, that is a dozen queries per name per register. For one favorite name it is a focused half hour. For a shortlist of eight candidates it is a full day of repetitive, error-prone queries, and the error mode is silent: the variant you did not think to type is the one that files an opposition against you in year two.
The automated alternative is the paid check
The Trademark Check on this site automates that grid. One submission runs exact, phonetic, and fuzzy matching, weighted by Nice class, and reports the closest live marks with status, owner, covered goods, and deep links to the official records. On the paid check it screens the US (USPTO) and EU (EUIPO) registers together; to be plain about the split, the EU register is not part of the free tier. A 10-check top-up is $19, the 40-check Launch Pack is $49 one time, and the pricing page lists the monthly tiers. The free check screens the US register only, so if the EU is your market and your budget is zero, the official route above is the honest recommendation, and it is a good one: the same primary sources the paid check queries, traded against your time. The full mechanism, thresholds and caching included, is documented on the methodology page.
What no EU search can tell you
A register search, manual or automated, has hard limits worth stating. It does not surface unregistered use: a company trading under a name without a filed mark still accrues rights in several member states. It does not check company registers or domain ownership, which are separate systems with separate rules, mapped on the trademark versus domain versus company name page. It compares words, not logos. And it does not run the legal analysis: likelihood of confusion in the EU is a global assessment weighing similarity, the goods, the channels, and the relevant public, which is examiner and attorney territory. A search, here or at the EUIPO directly, surfaces potential conflicts; it does not certify their absence. If Europe is a real market for you, the filing decision and the final clearance belong with a trademark attorney, and what a trademark costs covers the fees you would be budgeting for.
Questions, answered
How do I search EU trademarks for free?
Use EUIPO's own tools, which are free and authoritative: eSearch plus searches every EU trade mark filed centrally with the EUIPO, and TMview extends the sweep to national marks across participating European offices. Search the exact spelling, then sound-alikes and near-spellings, and read hits inside the Nice classes you would file in. On this site the EU (EUIPO) register is part of the paid check; the free check covers the US (USPTO) register only.
What is the difference between eSearch plus and TMview?
eSearch plus is EUIPO's register interface: it covers EU trade marks, which apply across all member states from a single registration. TMview is a broader aggregator run through the EUIPO that also pulls national registers of participating offices, so a name clear at the EU level but blocked nationally in, say, Germany or France shows up there. A careful EU screen uses both.
Does a US trademark protect me in the EU?
No. US and EU registrations are separate systems, and each protects the mark only in its own territory. A startup selling on both sides needs the name to survive both registers, which is why checking only one gives false confidence. The same logic runs in reverse: an EU trade mark gives you nothing in the United States.
Is the EU trademark check on this site free?
No. The free check here screens the US (USPTO) register only. The EU (EUIPO) register is the paid upgrade: every paid check screens the US and EU registers together with exact, phonetic, and fuzzy matching weighted by Nice class, starting at $19 for a 10-check top-up or $49 for the 40-check Launch Pack. The free do-it-yourself route through EUIPO's own tools is described on this page precisely so you can choose either.
Is an EUIPO search legal clearance?
No. A register search, manual or automated, surfaces existing registrations and applications. It does not cover unregistered rights, company names, or the full likelihood-of-confusion analysis an examiner or court applies, and it never certifies a name as available. Screen early to eliminate blocked names, then have a trademark attorney run full clearance before filing.
Related: the free US trademark search, how the check works, and checking a startup name start to finish.
Trademark results are an automated database search against the USPTO and EUIPO registries, not legal advice and not a clearance opinion. Registries change daily; results are dated. Before filing, have counsel run full clearance.