How to Search Indian Trademarks by Word, Phonetic, Vienna Code, Proprietor and Class

How-to · Trademark Search

Updated for 2026 · Claw Editorial

A trademark search that misses one similar mark can cost you a rejected application, an opposition, or an infringement suit later. The IP India public search gives you several ways to look for a mark, and each one finds some conflicts and misses others. This guide walks through every handle (word, phonetic, Vienna device code, proprietor and class), shows a worked example for each, and says plainly what it misses. Last verified October 2026.

01Why one search is never enough

The best way to search Indian trademarks is to run several searches, not one, because each search handle sees a different slice of the register.

Marks clash in more ways than spelling

Two marks can conflict because they look alike, sound alike, share the same device, or belong to the same owner in the same trade. A plain word search catches only the first. A clearance search that stops there can look clean and still be unsafe.

The register is large and uneven

Applications are filed across five Trade Marks Registry offices, in 45 classes, in English and in Indian language words written in Roman script. Spelling varies. Owners file under several names. Device marks may have no readable word at all.

A miss is expensive

A conflict found early costs you a name change. A conflict found after filing can mean an examination objection, an opposition, or a court case. The aim of searching is to find the risk while it is still cheap.

02The reference spine: 5 offices, 45 classes, 29 Vienna categories

Three fixed facts shape every Indian trademark search: the five registry offices, the 45 NICE classes and the 29 Vienna categories.

The 5 Trade Marks Registry offices

The Trade Marks Registry has its head office at Mumbai and branch offices at Ahmedabad, Chennai, Delhi and Kolkata. The office that handles a filing depends on where the applicant is based, as set out in IP India’s territorial jurisdiction list. IP India: territorial jurisdiction of Trade Marks Registry offices. The public search covers filings from all five offices, so you do not search office by office.

All 45 NICE classes

The NICE Classification divides goods and services into 45 classes. Classes 1 to 34 are goods. Classes 35 to 45 are services. India follows this system, and WIPO publishes the official list. WIPO: NICE Classification.

A mark in a different class can still conflict if the goods are related, so class is a filter to use with care. More on this below.

The 29 Vienna categories

The Vienna Classification sorts the figurative (picture and shape) parts of a mark into 29 categories, then into divisions and sections. The categories include celestial bodies, human beings, animals, plants, buildings, food, clothing, household items, tools, transport, containers, writing materials, sports and toys, arms, ornaments, geometric figures, letters and numbers, and colours. WIPO administers it under the Vienna Agreement. WIPO: Vienna Classification.

03Handle 1: Wordmark search

A wordmark search looks for marks whose text matches or contains your word, and it is the first search everyone runs.

How to run it

1. Open the IP India trademark public search (ipindiaonline.gov.in).
2. Choose the wordmark search type and enter your mark.
3. Start with the exact word, then try shorter roots and plural or spelling variants.

The exact menu names on the portal change from time to time, so treat the labels here as a guide.

Worked example

Say you plan the name “Sunrise Organics” for packaged foods. Search “Sunrise” alone, because the weak word “Organics” will not protect you. Then search “Sun rise” (two words) and “Sunrize”. Each spelling can show different results.

What it misses

• Marks that sound the same but are spelled differently.
• Marks written in Indian scripts, or transliterated in another way.
• Device marks where the words sit inside a picture.
• Translations. A mark meaning the same thing in Hindi can still conflict.

04Handle 2: Phonetic search

A phonetic search looks for marks that sound like yours, even when the spelling is different.

Why it matters in India

Sound is a main test of confusion in Indian practice, because many buyers ask for goods by ear and across languages. Names such as “Kay Kay” and “KK”, or “Zenith” and “Zeneth”, look different but are heard as the same.

Worked example

For “Nirmal”, a good phonetic pass should surface “Nirmall”, “Nirmaal” and “Nirmel”. A phonetic result list can be long, so read the top results by class first, then widen.

What it misses

• Matching rules are fixed and tuned mostly for English sounds. Indian language sounds may be matched poorly.
• Marks that are similar in meaning, not sound.
• Marks where only a part of the name is shared, such as a common prefix.
• Pictures. A phonetic search never sees a logo.

Word search finds what is spelled alike. Phonetic search finds what is heard alike. A safe clearance needs both.

05Handle 3: Vienna device code search

A Vienna code search finds marks by the picture or shape inside them, not by their words.

How it works

Each device mark can carry one or more Vienna codes. A code is a set of numbers in the form category, division, section. For example, a code beginning with 3 relates to animals (category 3 in the Vienna system), so a lion logo would sit in that area. You enter the code and the search returns marks tagged with it.

Worked example

You plan a logo of a peacock for a textile brand. Search the Vienna code for birds in your class and in related classes such as clothing and fabrics. Look at every peacock result, not only the ones with a similar name.

What it misses

• Marks that were never coded, or were coded differently by the examiner. Coding is done by people and can vary.
• Very new filings that are not yet coded.
• Similarity in style. Two peacocks drawn differently get the same code but may not be confusing, and two similar looking designs may get different codes.
• The words in the mark.

Because of these gaps, always search a nearby code too, and review the logos by eye.

06Handle 4: Proprietor search

A proprietor search finds every mark owned by one person or company, which shows a rival’s whole portfolio.

When to use it

• You found one close mark and want to see what else the same owner holds.
• You want to check a competitor’s filing pattern before launching in their space.
• You are doing due diligence on a brand you plan to buy or license.

Worked example

You find a conflicting mark owned by “ABC Foods Private Limited”. Search the proprietor name, then also “ABC Foods Pvt Ltd” and “ABC Foods”. Owners are often entered in more than one form, so each form can return different marks.

What it misses

• Marks held under a group company, a director, a former name or a trade name.
• Assignments not yet recorded, so the register still shows the old owner.
• Typos in the owner name.

Proprietor search shows who owns marks on the register. It does not show whether that owner is in a dispute. Court records are separate. If you also need to check an entity for litigation, see checking a borrower for litigation.

07Handle 5: Class search

A class search narrows results to one NICE class, which cuts noise but can hide real conflicts if used alone.

How to use it well

Search your class first. Then search every related class. Goods in one class are often sold next to goods in another. Clothing in Class 25 sits close to bags in Class 18 and to retail services in Class 35. A mark in the retail service class can conflict with your goods mark.

Worked example

You will sell protein bars. Class 29 or 30 may fit, depending on the product. Search both. Also check Class 5 if you make health claims, and Class 35 if you will run a store.

What it misses

• Well known marks, which can be protected across classes.
• Marks filed in a wrong or unusual class.
• Conflicts from unrelated classes that a court may still treat as related goods.

If you are new to classes, the walk-through in NICE classification in India covers how to pick them. Law students and junior advocates may also find our list of AI tools for law students and junior advocates useful for research.

08A repeatable search routine

A safe search combines all five handles in a fixed order and records what you checked.

1. Write down your mark, its root, likely spellings and translations.
2. Run steps 1 to 5 and save a dated note of each search term.
3. List every close mark with its class, status and owner.
4. Judge each one on look, sound, meaning and goods.
5. Repeat the search just before you file, since new applications appear every week.

This is a screening method. It is not legal advice. For a mark that matters, a trademark attorney should review the results.

09Where Claw fits

Claw is an all-in-one legaltech platform for Indian advocates, law firms, and corporate legal teams, combining AI-based case search, an AI legal assistant (Legal GPT), case management, and compliance automation across all Indian courts and tribunals.

A clearance search tells you what sits on the register, but whether two marks are too close is finally a question the courts decide. Claw lets you search and track cases, orders and hearings across 9,102 courts, benches and forums, with 30 crore+ judgments and results in under 5 seconds, so you can see how courts have treated similar word, phonetic or device marks, with Supreme Court judgments from 1950 and High Court judgments from 1990.

Claw does not use customer documents to train AI models. Create a FREE Claw account to research trademark disputes and track live matters by party or advocate name. To search the wider body of law, see case search across Indian courts.

10Sources and further reading

Primary sources used for this guide (last verified October 2026):

• IP India, Trade Marks Registry: ipindia.gov.in/trade-mark-registry
• IP India, territorial jurisdiction of offices: ipindia.gov.in/office-locations
• IP India public search portal: ipindiaonline.gov.in
• WIPO, NICE Classification: wipo.int/classifications/nice
• WIPO, Vienna Classification: wipo.int/classifications/vienna
• Claw: clawlaw.in

Portal menus and fees change. Confirm details on the official site before you act.

11Frequently asked questions