Dear Colleague

Welcome to the first issue of Dialog Trademarks News. We are very pleased to offer this new resource designed especially for information professionals and knowledge workers who rely on trademarks and trademark-related information. In addition to bringing you product and content news, search tips and other information specific to the Dialog products, we will bring you other items of interest from industry experts and colleagues. Please take special note of the "call for contributors" section. Our goal is to make this newsletter relevant and valuable for you, so please send us your ideas and feedback. We look forward to hearing from you.

Mary Kay McDonald, M.S.M., J.D.
Dialog Knowledge Center

TRADEMARKSCAN - Mexico

TRADEMARKSCAN - Mexico (File 668) has been added to Dialog. File 668 contains more than 500,000 trademark applications and registrations from 1976 to the present, with more complete information available on published registrations from 1993 forward. Mexican trademarks join the TRADEMARKSCAN - CANADA, TRADEMARKSCAN - U.S. Federal and TRADEMARKSCAN - U.S. State to complete coverage of North American trademarks.

Additional Madrid Protocol Data Added to TRADEMARKSCAN - U.S. Federal

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) is now supplying additional Madrid Protocol records for the international applications that were filed by U.S. trademark owners and forwarded to the International Bureau of the World Property Intellectual Organisation by the USPTO. Approximately 2,000 new Madrid Protocol records—from April 1, 2005, forward—are being added to TRADEMARKSCAN - U.S. Federal (File 226). Previously, File 226 contained Madrid Protocol records, known as series 79, which contained international applications seeking protection in the United States.

What is the Madrid Protocol?

The Madrid Protocol makes it easy to file for trademark protection in many countries simultaneously. The Protocol—more formally, the Protocol Relating to the Madrid Agreement Concerning the International Registration of Marks—was adopted 15 years ago and went into effect in 1996. The United States became an active member on November 2, 2003, and the European Community became an active member on October 1, 2004. Before the Protocol took effect, U.S. trademark owners with an interest in registering marks on a global scale typically filed individual applications with the trademark office of each country in which protection was sought. Such a practice was costly, time-consuming and cumbersome. Although the Madrid Protocol now makes it easier and more cost-effective for U.S. trademark owners to obtain international trademark registrations, special considerations must be made with regard to searching. Sign up for my free Web training session which addresses special techniques for screening and watching using Madrid Protocol data.

European Trademark Databases Added

Dialog’s collection of European trademark databases now totals 22 with the addition of TRADEMARKSCAN - Ireland (File 683), TRADEMARKSCAN - Lithuania (File 685) and TRADEMARKSCAN - Slovak Republic (File 676). File 683 updates weekly and contains more than 124,000 trademark applications and registrations. File 685 updates monthly and includes more than 50,000 applications and registrations. File 676 updates weekly and includes nearly 50,000 applications and registrations.

English-Language Goods & Service Display in TRADEMARKSCAN

Most TRADEMARKSCAN databases include the “Goods & Services” description in both the native language and in English. Format 5 has been modified to display only the English-language text (usually a machine translation) for “Goods & Services.” Researchers in English-speaking countries will find this a handy shortcut for trademark knockout screening.

Call for Contributors

Participate in knowledge sharing with your colleagues interested in trademark-related topics. Share your story suggestions with us at support.dialog.com/enewsletters/contribute/.