FAQ
FrequentlyAskedQuestions
GENERAL QUESTIONS
Pretty much everything. Under no circumstances does Paperz IP have the desire or competence to provide legal advice. PAPERZ IP is a team of documentalists specialised in documentary research on manufactured products, working on your design and trademark cases. We do not conduct searches on trademark availability in intellectual property registers or on patents (technical aspects of a product). Above all, we provide you with documentary evidence to support your application, but we do not accompany this evidence with any legal analysis. To learn more about PAPERZ IP and its history, click here.
PAPERZ IP works for law firms, industrial property attorneys, and also directly for companies in a wide variety of fields: fashion, jewellery, decoration, toys cosmetics, the food and drink industry, the hotel and catering sector, packaging (…), and in all types of business sectors, from luxury brands to mass retail, in France and abroad.
Customer satisfaction is central to us. Every effort is made to provide you with the best possible results within the deadlines imposed by the procedure or internal processes.
For example, in the current market situation, the report will be delivered within a few working days. If we are asked to conduct prior art research on a design in the context of a legal dispute, which requires us to consult old publications and visit museums, we can deliver our report within 5 to 15 working days, sometimes sooner.
The timeframes depend on several criteria, such as the type of research, the research areas considered, the territory and period to be targeted, etc.
Following your request, you will receive a research strategy corresponding to the standard timeframe. If your research is urgent, this timeframe can be reduced for an additional fee.
For further information, please contact our team.
Given the continuous increase in the number of designs created each year, our documentary research cannot be considered exhaustive. However, PAPERZ IP makes every effort to provide its clients with as much factual information as possible to enable them to build a strong case, support their position and carry out an accurate analysis.
From €696 excl. VAT for a design search.
From €950 excl. VAT for a trademark search.
Prices are determined based on several criteria, such as the issue concerned, the period, the target territory, the sector of activity, etc.
Upon receipt of your request, our team will send you a tailor-made search strategy along with a quote and a delivery date.
PAPERZ IP undertakes to keep confidential any models and information entrusted to it in the course of its business; any material provided by the client will be subject to restricted and controlled distribution within the company.
Furthermore, all our document specialists are bound by a confidentiality agreement, which forms part of their employment contract.
DESIGN AND TRADEMARK SEARCHES
PAPERZ IP is a company composed of documentalists specialised in documentary research on designs and trademarks. We do not provide services relating to patents.
With regard to trademarks, we conduct searches for proof of use, evidence of reputation, proof of acquired distinctiveness through use, availability in relation to other intellectual property rights, etc. We do not conduct trademark availability searches in trademark registers. You would like to know more about the scope of our trademark searches? Click here.
Not all designs are recorded in intellectual property registers.
Where applicable, these designs, provided that their originality can be proven, are protected by copyright, which remains valid for up to 70 years after the death of the creator. This is why, when conducting searches, PAPERZ IP does not limit itself to consulting entries in registers such as the INPI (France), the EUIPO (Europe), WIPO (international), IPI (Switzerland), UIBM (Italy), etc. Instead, it explores a wide range of other sources, such as the press, catalogues, the internet and even museums, in order to obtain the broadest possible overview of existing designs, whether they are protected by sui generis rights or by copyright.
Find out more about our methodology
PAPERZ IP conducts documentary research on a wide range of products using archives containing publications from various sectors and a multi-sources research methodology. Research is therefore carried out on products from different fields of activity such as agri-food, hardware, fashion, decoration, jewellery, packaging, transport, high tech, architecture, etc.
For any enquiries, please contact our team.
As the globalisation of the offering and the harmonisation of designs across different countries have increased significantly, PAPERZ IP is able to provide high-quality research reports to a very diverse client base.
PAPERZ IP’s archives cover both France and other countries.
Since 2009, our documentary collection has been expanded with catalogues, magazines, books and brochures from various countries. Among the publications comprising the collection are: the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) magazine; the German magazine Bunte; and the catalogues of El Corte Inglés (ESP), Sears (USA) and Argos (UK)… and many more besides!
In addition to our archives, we have access to numerous French and international sources online, in the collections of European and abroad museums, in the industrial property registers of over 70 countries, as well as in external databases containing thousands of national and local daily newspapers, and business and specialist press from countries such as Peru, Vietnam, Italy and the United States…
The company was founded in 2009, when we took out our first magazine subscriptions and acquired our first catalogues. However, the collection is regularly updated with older and even much older publications, such as ELLE magazines from the 1930s to the 1950s, and Sears and Manufrance catalogues from the 1950s to the 1980s. These publications are purchased at second-hand markets, from dealers in old periodicals or from private individuals. In addition, we hold numerous specialist works on, for example, perfume bottles, sneakers, jewellery, tableware, patterns and toys, tracing the history of specific designs or brands. More information about the archives.
To date, our documentary collection includes more than 30,000 works of all types (catalogues, magazines, books, etc.) containing millions of designs and brands from the 19th century to the present day.
AI obviously boosts productivity and efficiency. We use this tool as part of our documentary research, always under the supervision of a documentalist. For example, we use visual recognition on the internet and in IP registers. We also use text recognition (Intelligent Character Recognition) in our digitised archives. We remain at the cutting edge of technology so that we can continue to provide you with the most relevant results as quickly as possible, within a secure and well-documented environment.