Trademark Watch Search Specifications form the parameters for each watch. The search specification helps to only capture the most relevant findings by selecting what to monitor, where to monitor, which NICE classes to cover, and how to filter the results. Please see the different components below:
Related Trademarks
Description:
Related trademark is what’s tying your portfolio and watch services together. By linking relevant trademarks from your portfolio to the watch specification, the trademarks can be used when reviewing findings. For more on this, please see our article How to Review Trademark Watch Findings .
Why It’s Important:
Associating relevant trademarks ensures that any overlap between the incoming trademark applications and your portfolio’s jurisdictions, classes, and goods and services are accurately identified.
Jurisdictions
Description:
Trademark Watch covers all jurisdictions by default, but you can de-scope this to match the countries and regions present on your related trademarks.
Why It’s Important:
Targeting specific jurisdictions helps to reduce “noise” in your watch service, but watching globally might work better for the ‘better safe than sorry’ principle.
NICE Classes
Description:
NICE classes define the goods or services associated with your trademark. You can choose to monitor all 45 NICE classes or limit your watch to only the classes related to your trademark.
Why It’s Important:
Focusing on the relevant NICE classes ensures you are only monitoring for conflicts within the categories where your trademark applies, reducing noise and irrelevant findings. If you business needs change, you can easily add extra classes to your monitoring - without enduring any extra costs.
Additional Filters
Description:
You can add filters to exclude irrelevant results. For example, you can opt to exclude any hits that include your own brand name or the names of your legal representatives.
Why It’s Important:
Adding filters refines your search results, reducing false positives and helping you focus only on genuine conflicts.
Other Metrics in a Trademark Watch Specification
In addition to the core components, other useful metrics include:
- Status: Whether the search is active, on a trial, or expired.
- Responsible: The user receiving weekly notifications when new applications are detected.
- Auto renew: Determines if the watch should renew once the Next billing date is met.
Conclusion
Trademark Watch Search Specifications are crucial for monitoring trademark applications effectively. By configuring your search specifications carefully—selecting what to watch, defining related trademarks, and applying filters—you can ensure that your brand is protected globally across jurisdictions and NICE classes.
For more information on reviewing findings from Trademark Watch, refer to our guide: How to Review Trademark Watch Findings.