Home WORK SIDE HUSTLE How to trademark a UK business name

How to trademark a UK business name

187
0
contemporary skyscrapers complex in commercial district of modern megapolis
Photo by Olga Lioncat on Pexels.com

The idea of trademarking is unimportant. Keeping your company name unregistered risks causing competitor’s use in order to gain access. Trademarks provide essential legal protection so learning how to trademark in Britain is essential to your company’s protection. Trademarks represent an invaluable asset. If you register, you have access to this ® symbol for your logo protection. The registered trademark may be sold, traded or used for loan or mortgage protection.

Deal with trademark objections

Whenever someone is concerned about your trademark application, the USIPO can resolve it. You are liable to either withdraw or defend a proposal or seek direct resolution with someone who has raised the problem. A patent application cannot be filed without the resolution of a specific opposition to the trademark application, and the legal process can take several years to resolve the objection. Once a goal has been resolved or the opposition has been rejected, the trademark will be incorporated within two weeks from its publication end. Despite having registered the trademark successfully, it is still possible that the trademark may be challenged.

Costs of trademarking a name

Registration of your business is easy and the best alternative is online. The cost of registration online is £175 and all other classes are priced at £50. Applications are accepted on-demand by the postal service for £100 for the first class and £500 each for the second. It may be a good idea to get UKIPOs Right Start services online. The cost of the registration has decreased and checks if you meet the requirements for the registration process. If you keep completing the application you’ll get another report which will charge you a further £150 plus a further £25 for each class.

Conduct a UK trademark search

It is important that the trademark application procedure is reviewed to see if there are already similar trademark applications. Find existing or expired trademarks in the UKIPO database. If you look at symbols or phrases you will see a list of similar trademarks. UKIPO databases are free though a simple Google search may result in very few results. A trademark attorney can provide additional support in conducting a more extensive search of a trademark. Chartered Institute of Trademark Attorneys has listed the best-registered law firms.

Understand trademark classes

The trademark registration and naming process is an essential part of trademark registration. Choose the category that your trademark covers. The 45 trademark categories identified are 34 covering goods or products and 11 relating to services. The class Nice is available from UNESCO. Each class focuses on a specific business sector or product. Products can range from chemical products used in industrial and scientific activities such as adhesives and cosmetic ingredients (Class 1) to musical equipment like pianos (Class 15).

Choose the right trademark class

Choosing the relevant class is important when trademarks are used. Unlike trademarks, a specific classification means multiple companies can register the exact same name on the same domain. Generally, every company must limit its trademark to the class they have registered.

How can I register my name in the UK?

Once you know which trademark you want to trademark, you are allowed to submit your application to the IPO for registration. Registration can be made by mail to the UKIPO. It will take roughly four months, with no objections. Your application is going forward in two weeks. The objection is pending for 2 years and the response is due by the end of the month. The biggest criticism of UKIPO is about the distinctness of a trademark. The more distinctive the name and logo is the easier registration.

Trademark registration in the United Kingdom

The fee is £70 per class and £55 per extra class. In addition, a registered trademark can only be registered in the United Kingdom and the logo can only have an individual color unlike in Canada or USA where the trademark is filed only in black or white. There may be six color combinations. The 2 color variants are free, the additional variation fee is GBP50.