ARTISAN : a prototype retrieval system for trade mark images Available to Purchase

Before a trade mark can be registered at the UK Patent Office, registrars need to ensure it isn't confusingly similar to any of 300,000 existing marks in the Registry's database. Many trade marks take the form of abstract geometric designs that are especially difficult for indexers and searchers to describe. ARTISAN, developed at the University of Northumbria, is a system that allows such marks to be indexed and retrieved automatically, on the basis of their shape. Evaluative studies have demonstrated the feasibility of this approach, and the newly‐established Institute for Image Data Research plans further development.