Trademark Matters

Since 1984, we have been renowned for our hands-on work, in the U.S. and globally—the company does all the research ourselves, including direct contact (i.e., phone calls) with subjects if necessary. When important decisions weigh upon your clients, accurate research is paramount. From identifying first-use dates to identifying counterfeit goods, Investigative Network, Inc. should be your first call.

When you call contact us, we’ll be happy to provide a free consultation and conflict check, and provide an investigative proposal and budget at no cost.

Here’s a look at some of our areas of intellectual property specialization.

Trademark Use Investigations:  Our expert research team knows how to discover to what extent a trademark has been used by a specific company, either through federal registration or common law.  From public records to obscure databases, and from industry trade publications to extensive internet and social media searches—if a trademark has been used in any way we’ll find it and provide an in depth report on when and how.

Patent Research:  Similar to our work on trademarks, we are well versed in discovering matters relating to patent use and infringement, including tracking down patent owners.  Our research will document to what extent a target company is infringing on a patent, and the players behind the company. We can also discover whether specific products have been imported to the United States or exported to other countries.

Counterfeit Goods Identification, Tracking, and Purchase:  Proving trademark infringement sometimes requires obtaining tangible evidence. If a suspected counterfeit product is obtainable in any way, we can procure it.  We’re adept at finding such goods and obtaining them as an anonymous third party, and we are well experienced in gray market identification.  Once we have obtained such items, we can implement our expert system of proving chain of custody—this entails marking, documenting, and photographing packages and items. This will prove chain of custody and enable identification in court should the need arise. If desired, we can also stow the items in our secure storage facility to prove control.

Anonymous Domain & Trademark Assignment Acquisitions:  As a business grows and changes, it often alters names and establishes new brands—only to find that the name, trademark, or website domain are already held by another company.  We have a deep specialty in helping businesses obtain their desired marks and accompanying domains/URLs. And as an anonymous third party, we make such acquisitions much more affordable by shielding our clients’ identities. It’s not just a matter of making an offer on a mark; we first conduct thorough research into the subject’s use of the mark or domain, and obtain intelligence regarding the owner’s business and financial background; this helps ensure we don’t overpay and it provides important and useful information regarding the motivation of the mark’s owner, their identity, and how to contact them.

Evaluations: Business, Trademarks, and URLs:  Our significant experience in trademark use investigations, common law, and anonymous acquisitions also makes us extremely well qualified to advise businesses on what a company, trademark, or website domain might be worth. We’ve conducted a significant number of such evaluation assignments. Setting an evaluation isn’t guesswork—it’s based on hard-won research that takes into account comparable businesses sales, goodwill, financial stability, brand desirability, and background.  We can also help provide a research-based estimate on what it might cost for a company to rebrand. When you’re looking for a third-party evaluation of what an entity might be worth, Investigative Network will get it done in an authoritative manner.