Under UK and European Community trade mark law it is not usually possible to obtain a registration for a trade mark which is descriptive of the goods and/or services for which it is used. Additionally, a trade mark cannot be registered if it lacks a distinctive character.
It is possible to overcome such an objection by demonstrating that the trade mark has acquired a distinctive character through use, but this requires use on a sufficient scale to have built up goodwill in the trade mark.
Trade mark searches can help determine whether the proposed trade mark is likely to cause conflict with the trade mark rights of third parties.