Add search operators to your search terms for a more targeted search or to search for terms with similar spellings. You can also limit the search to specific data fields. All search operators can be used in combination with each other.

• Using AND or NOT to refine your search
• Using “ ” to search for exact phrases
• Using * and ? to search for terms with variable characters
• Using ~ to search for similar terms
  
• Using [TO] to search within sections
• Searching within specific fields

If you search for several terms in the database, by default, these will be connected by ‘OR’. Each result will contain at least one of these terms.

If you combine search terms by using ‘AND’ (or ‘and’), you will find all IP rights that contain these search terms. You can also place a ‘+’ before the terms that must be included.

If you want to exclude search results containing specific terms, please combine the terms to be excluded by using ‘NOT’ (or ‘not’) or place a minus sign in front of them.

If you want to search for exact word/character sequences, please place them in quotation marks (e.g. “for you”). You will only obtain search results in which the word sequences match what you entered exactly. If you were to search without quotation marks, the results would show all IP rights that contain ‘for’ or ‘you’.

You can use placeholders to search for terms with variable characters. For example, a word with various endings (table, tables, tablecloth) or words with different spellings (colour, color). You can position the placeholders at the start of the word, at the end, in the middle or in several places.

The options are:

• ‘?’ for exactly one sign

• ‘*’ for any number of signs (including zero)

Place a tilde symbol (~) at the end of a word to perform a fuzzy search, in other words, to search for similar terms. “Similar” means that you will find character strings that vary from your term by up to two operations (insertion, deletion or replacement of a letter).

Example: a search for “spot” will find “spit” (o is replaced by i – varies by one operation) and pet (s deleted and o is replaced by e).  

Use ‘~1’ to allow terms to only differ by one operation (insertion, deletion or replacement of a letter) – and to obtain fewer results.  

Keyboard shortcuts for the tilde symbol: for US Windows ‘Shift’ and ‘~’, for Mac OS ‘Alt’ and ‘N’, for Linux ‘Alt Gr’ and ‘+’, each followed by a space.

You can use [TO] to search within a section, for example, within a number series.

By default, all trade mark titles, word elements of word/figurative marks, trade mark and application numbers, owner and representative addresses and goods and services will be searched. For example, if you search for “Sprüngli”, you will find all IP rights that contain “Sprüngli” in the title, as well as all IP rights belonging to the owner “Confiserie Sprüngli AG”.

For a more targeted search, you can limit your search to single data fields:

• after searching, via the results list

• or before searching, by inputting the field name in the search field

You can also input the fields you want to search directly into the search box. To do so, add the field name as a prefix before the search term (e.g. owner:migros).

The following fields are available:

The field search can also be combined with search operators such as placeholders or AND or NOT connectors.

Examples: