Building a search engine for logos

As someone who has worked in branding it's pretty clear that the author isn't a domain expert. For example for one brand there can be multiple versions of the same logo that are slightly different.

So a good example would be the AT&T death star logo. First there are several versions of the logo that have been modified over the years. Then even if you look at one release (say when the death star was first introduced) the color version will be different than the black-and-white version (and sometimes there is a grayscale version).

There may be different versions of the logo done for different sizes, so the logo that goes on a truck is not the same logo that goes on a business card. There may also be different layouts for the logo playing with the placement of the symbol and the logotype.

Another problem in the digital age is the ability of non-designers to muck up a logo. I've seen people distort the proportions of the logo because they don't use the shift key when resizing. And of course sometimes non-designers even feel "creative" and start to play with a logo.

Also not all logos are what you'd call "cookie cutter logos" some are full color illustrations (think Quaker Oats, Mister Clean or Aunt Jemima).

Lastly one trend I've noticed from the digital era is that thanks to sites like 99designs there are quite a few people who think that they have an original logo, but it's in fact been copied from an award annual or recycled by the "designer".

So the task isn't as black and white as some people believe...

http://trademark.vision - a local startup doing a similar thing.

Isn't this already solved via the 'find similar images' feature of google images?

Don't trademark filings require a textual description anyway?