Registering a Trade Mark need not be an expensive process.
Trade mark protection is becoming increasingly important to all types of businesses as the European Union enlarges and more competing businesses enter the same market.
Many companies neglect this area of intellectual property and leave themselves vulnerable to attack from similar companies operating in the same space.
Trade marks, as well as being a transferable property right which adds value to a balance sheet, enable their owners to prevent competitors from using the same or similar trade marks.
Businesses must face the fact that if they don’t register their trade marks, they could very easily lose them.
A registered trade mark safeguards your brand, giving you the right to take legal action if someone uses your brand without permission and allowing you to sell or license your brand to third parties if necessary.
But as a new or recently growing business – focused on taking your company forward – it’s possible you won’t be aware of what can be registered as a trade mark in the UK.
It’s important to note that if you do obtain a registered trade mark for your brand in the UK, the trade mark is only protected in the UK. There are different processes for registering European Union (EU) and international trade marks.
A trade mark is a distinctive word, phrase, symbol or design that represents a business or a brand. Famous registered trade marks include Nike and Coca-Cola.
Your trade mark must be unique. It can include:
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words
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sounds
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logos
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colours
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a combination of any of these