Queensland AI startup TrademarkVision lands European Union as customer

Queensland-based image-recognition startup TrademarkVision has landed the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) as the first customer of its new deep learning algorithm.

Following a successful beta trial, the EUIPO will now be integrating TrademarkVision’s new deep learning algorithm into its eSearch platform to cut down the time it takes to search EU image trademarks.

Previously, trademark searches and monitoring required the use of descriptive — and therefore subjective — keywords and codes, making it a tedious process with no guarantee of generating accurate results.

“When you come across a logo, it’s easy to compare it with your own, but when you want to compare it to millions, suddenly the task becomes very daunting,” said TrademarkVision’s founder and CEO Sandra Mau. “For anyone who has ever wanted to create a unique logo or ensure their IP is safe from possible infringement, they know this process can take hours, days, and sometimes weeks.”

TrademarkVision exists to make this process easier with what amounts to machine-learning-powered reverse image search. Users simply drag and drop images into the system, and TrademarkVision will return with trademarks and logos that are identical or similar.

Entrepreneurs can use the technology to ensure their designs are unique, while existing brands can use it to monitor their IP.

“We’ve focused on machine learning techniques so the system can recognise objects in trademarks and logos much like humans do,” said Mau. “Despite the wide variety of ways humans pictorially depict objects in logos, ‘deep learning’ has helped to solve this semantic challenge in a quick and robust way.”

The startup claims its technology is already being used by attorneys and brands worldwide, and expects additional government bodies to become customers in the near future.

TrademarkVision was one of the original tech companies backed by Queensland University of Technology Creative Enterprise Australia’s incubator.

“TrademarkVision’s new technology being adopted by the EUIPO is a huge achievement for the company,” said Anna Rooke, CEO of QUT Creative Enterprise Australia. “TrademarkVision has developed a creative-tech solution that will implement high-level change as to how brands worldwide will manage their IP in the future.”

In August, New York competitive intelligence software company Digimind integrated image recognition into its social media monitoring software, Digimind Social, to allow brands to monitor the use of their logos across Twitter.