Safeguard Your Brand

Safeguarding the brand, whether new or established, is important to any business. Solicitor James Towler looks at how to go about it.

There is widespread belief that securing a domain name and registering your company name at Companies House ensures that you are the only person that can use your brand name. However, this is a common misconception.

Until you have secured a registered trademark, anyone else (whether that be an individual or a company) may apply to register your brand name as a trademark. If successful, they can then stop you from using that name in relation to the goods and services they have chosen for it to apply to.

Protecting a trademark in the UK is relatively inexpensive and, once secured, a trademark offers you 10 years of protection. There is also an option for renewal at the end of that period.

In the event that you come to sell your business, a registered trademark also gives significant added value and is attractive to any potential purchasers.

For UK applications, Intellectual Property Office fees are £170 (if the application is submitted online) which includes one class of goods and services. Each additional class of goods and services is an additional £50.

If you are interested in registering a trademark, the team at McCormicks can assist you with your trademark application and can make you aware of any existing trademarks that are similar to your proposed mark. We are also able to advise on what goods and services it would be prudent to register, as well as providing bespoke wording for your application.