Introduction to Trade Marks

A trade mark is a sign used by a business to distinguish their goods or services from those of their competitors.

Typically a trade mark may consist of a word or device (often described as a logo) although more unusual signs such as sounds or smells can also function as trade marks.

A trade mark is a valuable asset, vital to attracting investment and creating licensing opportunities.

It is important, when starting a new project or business, building your brand and choosing a trade mark, to ensure that this will not conflict with trade marks already used or registered by others.

It is possible to check for earlier registrations by conducting searches of the lists of registered and pending trade marks which are available for public inspection in most countries. Conducting a proper trade mark search is a skilled business and it is always advisable to seek professional help. Failure to check that a proposed mark is properly available may lead to threats of legal proceedings from owners of conflicting earlier marks.

There are different types of searches available, and we would be happy to discuss which option we recommend and the costs to proceed.

Trade mark searching is one of the more important steps to take when setting up a new business. It is advisable to take steps to register the trade mark once it has been chosen.

Registration of a trade mark gives the owner the exclusive right to use the mark for the goods or services for which it has been registered in that country. Broader protection arises from registration in the case of trade marks which are well known or famous.

Registration is a significant deterrent to other traders and provides concrete proof of a claim to legal rights. While marks which have been used and acquired a reputation also enjoy legal protection in a number of countries, it is generally easier to protect a registered trade mark against unauthorised use.

Whichever system of registration is used, official fees are payable to the relevant local intellectual property office for filing the trade mark application. In some countries official registration fees are also payable at the end of the process. In addition to official fees, most trade mark advisors will charge you for their services for advising on the new filing and assisting in the preparation of the application. It is important to ensure that the application covers the proposed business activities since it is normally not possible to amend the categories of goods or services once the application has been filed.

Once the application is filed it will be examined by the relevant intellectual property office, which may object to the mark if it is considered not sufficiently unique or distinctive of the applicant’s goods or services. Again it is usual to appoint a specialist advisor to deal with such objections, which may be overcome by written argument or attending a hearing.

We would be happy to discuss our costs to register trade marks in any territories of interest.

A UK trade mark application which encounters no significant difficulties can be registered in around four to five months. All rights in the mark, once registered, date back to the original filing.

The application goes through a number of stages before it is registered, of which the most important are the examination by the UK Trade Mark Registry and, once any objections have been dealt with, its publication in the UK Trade Marks Journal. Publication puts third parties on notice of the application and gives them an opportunity to object it they consider that the new application conflicts with their earlier rights.

Marks filed under the European Union trade mark (EUTM) registration system are typically accepted and registered within six months of the original filing. Again, the rights obtained by EUTM registration will be backdated to the original filing date.

In addition to protecting your trade mark in the UK and/or throughout the EU, it is possible to protect your trade mark by way of registration in most countries of the world.

Since 1996 it has been possible to obtain an international registration under the Madrid Protocol, designating countries of particular interest. As of 2023 it is possible to obtain trade mark protection in 130 countries, via the Madrid Protocol system. The system includes both west and east European countries, as well as the US and certain countries in the far eastern region, such as Japan, Singapore and China and some African states. The list of members continues to grow, and this system of protection for those with more global interests can, in certain circumstances, be useful and cost efficient. There will often be advantages to filing national foreign marks instead, though this may lead to additional costs at the outset.

Once your trade mark has been chosen, cleared by the carrying out of full availability searches and an application has been filed, it is prudent to set up a watch service in your country/countries of interest, to ensure that a competitor does not seek to register a mark which is identical or similar to yours. A watching service can be set up on an annual basis for a relatively low cost.

The letters ™ indicate that a name (whether word or logo or a combination of both) is being used to identify a product or service which, through use, may have acquired common law rights. They can be used whether or not the mark is actually registered.

The symbol ® can only be used by the proprietor of a registered trade mark. It is illegal to use this symbol if the mark is not registered. The ® indicates that the owner of the trade mark has statutory rights in the mark by which they can sue users of an identical or similar mark on the same or similar goods or services for infringement of their rights. The ® does not mean that the registered proprietor does not also have common law rights which they have acquired through use and which are additional to the statutory rights conveyed by the registration.

Domain names are an important consideration and integral part of any intellectual property portfolio. Just as a trade mark is used to distinguish and identify the goods or services of one trader from those of others in the real world, a domain name performs this function on the internet.

It is possible to register your domain names not only as domain names but also as trade marks. For major brands, or where business is anticipated over the Internet, domain names should be cleared and registered in parallel with trade marks.

When filing an application to register a domain name as a trade mark qualifiers, such as .com and .co.uk,, are not taken into account when the UK Intellectual Property Office (UKIPO) is carrying out similarity comparisons against earlier trade marks since it is only the individual identifying element in which exclusive rights are granted.

Once your domain name has been registered, we recommend that a domain name watching service is set up. This service alerts you when third parties attempt to register domain names which reflect their existing trade marks, or are confusingly similar to existing trade marks in an attempt to disrupt legitimate business activities.

We are experienced in dealing with cybersquatters and can represent you in dispute resolution procedures, which are handled by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) and Nominet.

Case law under the major dispute resolution procedures is now firmly in favour of the trade mark owner in cases of cybersquatting and dispute resolution procedures have become established as a quicker and more cost effective alternative to litigation. Remedies available include the transfer or the cancellation of the cybersquatting domain name.

In addition, we are often able to secure the anonymous transfer of a domain name through intermediaries at low cost.