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Every trademark in Signa carries three classification dimensions: how it was filed (filing route), what type of mark it is (mark feature type), and what legal category it belongs to (legal category). Understanding these dimensions is essential for building accurate search queries and interpreting results.

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Filing Routes

The filing route describes the procedural path through which a trademark application was submitted.
RouteValueDescription
Direct nationaldirect_nationalFiled directly at a national office (e.g., USPTO, CIPO)
Direct regionaldirect_regionalFiled directly at a regional office (e.g., EUIPO for the EU, BOIP for Benelux)
Madrid IRmadrid_irInternational registration filed through WIPO under the Madrid Protocol
Madrid designationmadrid_designationA country designation under a Madrid IR
TransformationtransformationA national application created from a cancelled Madrid designation
DivisionaldivisionalSplit from a parent application (e.g., to separate contested classes)
UnknownunknownRoute could not be determined from source data

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Scope Kind

Related to filing route, the scope_kind field classifies the territorial scope:
ScopeDescriptionTypical Routes
nationalProtection in one countrydirect_national, madrid_designation, transformation
regionalProtection across a regional blocdirect_regional
international_registrationWIPO international registermadrid_ir

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Filtering by Route

# All direct national filings
curl -s "https://api.signa.so/v1/trademarks?filing_route[]=direct_national" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer sig_live_xxx"

# All Madrid marks (IR + designations)
curl -s "https://api.signa.so/v1/trademarks?filing_route[]=madrid_ir&filing_route[]=madrid_designation" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer sig_live_xxx"

# Shorthand for all Madrid marks
curl -s "https://api.signa.so/v1/trademarks?is_madrid=true" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer sig_live_xxx"
Search aggregations include filing_route breakdowns: 
{
  "aggregations": {
    "filing_route": {
      "direct_national": 3800,
      "madrid_ir": 900,
      "madrid_designation": 647
    }
  }
}

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Mark Feature Types (16 values)

The mark feature type describes the visual or sensory form of the trademark.
TypeValueDescription
WordwordText only, no stylization
FigurativefigurativeLogo or design, no text
CombinedcombinedText + design elements together
3Dthree_dThree-dimensional shape
ColorcolorA specific color or color combination
SoundsoundAudio mark (jingle, chime)
MotionmotionAnimated or moving mark
HologramhologramHolographic mark
PatternpatternRepeating pattern applied to a surface
PositionpositionMark defined by its position on goods
MultimediamultimediaCombination of image and sound
ScentscentOlfactory mark (extremely rare)
TastetasteGustatory mark (extremely rare)
TexturetextureTactile mark
OtherotherNon-standard type
UnknownunknownType could not be determined
The vast majority of marks are word, figurative, or combined. Non-traditional marks (sound, scent, hologram, etc.) represent a small but growing percentage. 
# All figurative marks in the EU
curl -s "https://api.signa.so/v1/trademarks?mark_feature_type[]=figurative&jurisdictions[]=EU" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer sig_live_xxx"
The mark feature type affects how search works:
  • Word marks are matched by text similarity (phonetic, visual, conceptual)
  • Figurative marks may have mark_text: null — they can only be found via design codes (Vienna classification) or owner/class filters
  • Combined marks are searchable by both text and design codes
The legal category classifies the legal nature of the trademark right.
CategoryValueDescription
StandardstandardOrdinary trademark identifying goods/services of one enterprise
CollectivecollectiveIndicates membership in an association
CertificationcertificationCertifies characteristics (quality, origin, materials)
Collective membershipcollective_membershipIndicates membership without certifying quality
DefensivedefensiveRegistered to prevent others from using (AU-specific)
GuaranteeguaranteeGuarantees quality standards (some jurisdictions)
Geographical indicationgeographical_indicationIdentifies goods originating from a specific place
OtherotherNon-standard category
UnknownunknownCategory could not be determined
The overwhelming majority of marks are standard. Collective and certification marks have special rules around who can use them and how they are enforced. 
# All certification marks
curl -s "https://api.signa.so/v1/trademarks?mark_legal_category[]=certification" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer sig_live_xxx"

# Geographical indications
curl -s "https://api.signa.so/v1/trademarks?mark_legal_category[]=geographical_indication" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer sig_live_xxx"

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Right Kind (5 values)

Distinct from legal category, right_kind classifies the type of IP right:
KindValueDescription
TrademarktrademarkStandard trademark
Trade nametrade_nameBusiness name registration
Commercial noticecommercial_noticeCommercial notice (some Latin American offices)
Geographical indicationgeographical_indicationGI registered as a standalone right
OtherotherNon-standard right type
Most records are trademark. The right_kind field exists because some offices register trade names and GIs in the same database as trademarks.

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Combining Dimensions

These classification fields work together for precise filtering. Some common combinations:
Use CaseFilters
Word marks filed directly in the USmark_feature_type=word, filing_route=direct_national, jurisdictions=US
Madrid designations in the EUfiling_route=madrid_designation, offices=euipo
All certification marks globallymark_legal_category=certification
Figurative marks in Nice Class 25mark_feature_type=figurative, nice_classes=25
GIs registered in the EUmark_legal_category=geographical_indication, jurisdictions=EU
# Word marks filed directly in the US, Nice Class 9
curl -s "https://api.signa.so/v1/trademarks?\
mark_feature_type[]=word&\
filing_route[]=direct_national&\
jurisdictions[]=US&\
nice_classes[]=9" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer sig_live_xxx"

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Search Aggregations

All three classification dimensions are available as search aggregations: 
curl -s -X POST https://api.signa.so/v1/trademarks/search \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer sig_live_xxx" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "query": "APPLE",
    "options": { "aggregations": ["mark_feature_type", "mark_legal_category", "filing_route", "right_kind", "scope_kind"] }
  }'