How do I check if a brand name is already trademarked in India?

Use the IP India Public Search at search.ipindia.gov.in — but it's clunky, requires CAPTCHAs, and only checks one Nice class at a time. BrandAuditor automates that: we run wordmark + phonetic search across all 45 Nice classes against the IP India trademark register (5-year journal index + live search), plus a parallel MCA company-name check, in one pass.

Is BrandAuditor's trademark search free?

Yes — the free trial gives you 20 name checks over 7 days (email verification only, no card needed). Each check runs a complete trademark search against IP India, plus domain, social, SEO, and AI brandability scoring. Paid packs from ₹999 (35 names) for higher volume and full features.

How do I check if a company name is available in India (MCA)?

MCA's own portal requires DSC and is friction-heavy. BrandAuditor checks aggregated company-registry data (Zauba Corp, Tofler, The Company Check) to flag whether your proposed name is already registered as a private limited / LLP / OPC anywhere in India — same name check, no separate lookup needed.

Can BrandAuditor generate brand name ideas with AI?

Yes. Enter your category and target market, and our AI suggests names scored on distinctiveness, descriptiveness risk, and confusion risk against existing trademarks. Every suggestion is automatically cross-checked against IP India before being shown — so you're not pitched a name that's already taken.

How long does it take to register a trademark in India?

End-to-end registration takes 18–24 months on average, but you get protective rights from the day of filing. Filing itself takes a day; examination (3–6 months), publication in the Trademark Journal (4 months), opposition window (4 months), and final registration follow. BrandAuditor's job is to make sure your filing has the highest possible chance of clearing — by catching conflicts before you file.

How much does it cost to register a trademark in India?

Government fee is ₹4,500 per class for individuals/startups/MSMEs (₹9,000 per class for others), via Form TM-A. Most brands need 1–3 classes (₹4,500–₹13,500 in government fees). Attorney fees add ₹5,000–₹25,000 depending on the firm. BrandAuditor isn't a filing service — we're the pre-filing name check that helps you avoid wasted ₹4,500 fees on names that won't clear.

Why does my brand name need to clear MCA records too?

Trademark and company registration are separate but interlinked. A name can be trademark-clear but blocked at MCA (or vice versa). If you're forming a Pvt Ltd / LLP / OPC, you need both — that's why BrandAuditor surfaces both signals in one check instead of forcing you to look them up separately.

What's the difference between BrandAuditor and a free domain checker like GoDaddy or Namecheap?

Domain checkers tell you if sundara.com is available. They don't tell you Sundara Foods Pvt Ltd already exists in MCA, that 'SUNDARA' is filed as a trademark in Class 32 by another applicant, that the .in is taken by a squatter, or that the AI gives it a 47/100 confusion risk. BrandAuditor is built for founders/agencies/IP attorneys who need the full picture before naming a brand.

Does BrandAuditor work for international brand searches?

Currently India-first — IP India + MCA are the deepest integrations. We support UAE (GCC TMView) and global mode using WIPO Global Brand Database. International coverage is expanding through 2026.

Can I download a PDF report I can share with my IP attorney?

Yes — paid plans include a clean PDF report covering trademark conflicts, suggested Nice classes, MCA matches, domain status, social handles, and alternates. Share it with your attorney before they file or with a client when pitching brand options.

Best brand naming tools in 2026: AI generators, trademark search, domain check

A working playbook of the brand naming tools we actually use at NOW Media — name generators, trademark search platforms, domain availability checkers, and audit tools. With Indian-context picks.

Naming a brand isn't a single-tool job — it's a workflow. You generate ideas, you filter, you clear, you commit. We've tested the major tools in each step and this is the toolkit we actually run at NOW Media when we name brands for clients.

Step 1: Generate ideas

Namelix (free)

The original AI naming tool. Strong at coined / hybrid names with decent meaning. Gives you logo previews. Doesn't check trademarks. Free tier is generous. namelix.com

Claude / ChatGPT (free / paid)

With a strong prompt, general-purpose LLMs outperform purpose-built generators on diversity and on-brand-ness. Especially good for Sanskrit-derived, hybrid, and metaphor names. No trademark check, no domain check.

Prompt that works:

“I'm launching a [category] brand in India targeting [audience], price tier [low/mid/premium], positioning [3–5 words]. Generate 25 brand name candidates across these frameworks: 5 coined, 5 Sanskrit-derived, 5 suggestive, 5 hybrid, 5 metaphor. For each: 1-line meaning + why it fits. Avoid generic words.”

Shopify Business Name Generator (free)

Decent for e-commerce brands. Limited customization, output skews suggestive/descriptive. Useful as a sanity check or supplemental ideation. shopify.com/tools/business-name-generator

NameSnack (free)

Industry filtering, decent quality, no trademark check. Solid secondary tool for ideation.

Step 2: Quick-check domain availability

Instant Domain Search

Fastest tool for bulk-checking domain availability across .com / .in / .io / etc. Better UI than registrars. instantdomainsearch.com

Namecheap / GoDaddy / Hostinger

Good for buying once you've decided. The search itself is slower and aggressive about upselling. Use after you've cleared trademark, not before.

Step 3: Trademark search (the critical step)

IP India Public Search (free, official)

The official source of truth for India trademarks. Wordmark + phonetic search, all 45 Nice classes, registered + opposed + abandoned marks. Painful UX, CAPTCHAs, single-class search at a time. search.ipindia.gov.in/PublicSearch

WIPO Global Brand Database (free)

For checking international trademarks across 73+ jurisdictions in one search. Useful if your brand is going global. www3.wipo.int/branddb

USPTO TESS (free, US)

US trademark search. Critical if you plan to sell to the US market — Indian-only registration doesn't protect you in the US. tmsearch.uspto.gov

Trademarkia (free + paid)

Aggregates IP India + USPTO + EU trademarks. Decent for a quick scan. Charges for actual filing. trademarkia.com

Step 4: MCA company-name check

MCA Portal (free, official)

The official check. Exact-string only, no phonetic. MCA Name Search

Zauba Corp / Tofler / The Company Check

Aggregator sites that surface struck-off, dormant, and similar company names that MCA's own search misses. Free. Worth cross-referencing.

Step 5: Social handle check

Namechk / Namecheckr (free)

Bulk-check a handle across 30+ social networks in one go. Good for the “is @yourbrand available everywhere” sanity check.

Step 6: All-in-one name check

BrandAuditor (us — free + paid)

Honest disclosure: this is our tool. The differentiator is that we roll trademark search (IP India wordmark + phonetic, all relevant Nice classes) + MCA company-name check + domain availability + social handles + SEO assessment + AI brandability scoring into a single check, in under 60 seconds.

We built BrandAuditor because doing all of the above manually for 10 candidate names took us 6+ hours per client engagement. Free trial: 20 names over 7 days, no card. Paid from ₹999. Try it free.

The full workflow

Ideate with Namelix + Claude/ChatGPT — 80–120 candidates.
Quick filter with Instant Domain Search + gut check — narrow to 20.
Audit shortlist with BrandAuditor — surface trademark + MCA + social conflicts. Get to 3–5 finalists.
Final clearance via attorney for the chosen mark.
File trademark + register company in parallel.

What we don't use (and why)

Looka, Brandcrowd, Tailor Brands — logo-first generators. Skip if you're focused on names, they're trying to upsell logos.
Generic free generators on registrar sites — domain-sales funnels with thin AI on top.
“Trademark monitoring” SaaS at $50+/month — overkill for early stage. Useful at scale (10+ filed marks).

Best brand naming tools in 2026: AI generators, trademark search, domain check

Step 1: Generate ideas

Namelix (free)

Claude / ChatGPT (free / paid)

Shopify Business Name Generator (free)

NameSnack (free)

Step 2: Quick-check domain availability

Instant Domain Search

Namecheap / GoDaddy / Hostinger

Step 3: Trademark search (the critical step)

IP India Public Search (free, official)

WIPO Global Brand Database (free)

USPTO TESS (free, US)

Trademarkia (free + paid)

Step 4: MCA company-name check

MCA Portal (free, official)

Zauba Corp / Tofler / The Company Check

Step 5: Social handle check

Namechk / Namecheckr (free)

Step 6: All-in-one name check

BrandAuditor (us — free + paid)

The full workflow

What we don't use (and why)

Related

Check a brand name, free.

Brand name & trademark
questions, answered.

Best brand naming tools in 2026: AI generators, trademark search, domain check

Step 1: Generate ideas

Namelix (free)

Claude / ChatGPT (free / paid)

Shopify Business Name Generator (free)

NameSnack (free)

Step 2: Quick-check domain availability

Instant Domain Search

Namecheap / GoDaddy / Hostinger

Step 3: Trademark search (the critical step)

IP India Public Search (free, official)

WIPO Global Brand Database (free)

USPTO TESS (free, US)

Trademarkia (free + paid)

Step 4: MCA company-name check

MCA Portal (free, official)

Zauba Corp / Tofler / The Company Check

Step 5: Social handle check

Namechk / Namecheckr (free)

Step 6: All-in-one name check

BrandAuditor (us — free + paid)

The full workflow

What we don't use (and why)

Related

Check a brand name, free.

Brand name & trademarkquestions, answered.

Brand name & trademark
questions, answered.