Register a trademark

A trademark protects your brand identity. Register a trademark to get exclusive rights to use your business name, logo, or slogan for the goods or services you sell. You can take legal action against anyone who uses your trademark without permission.

You can trademark words, sounds, logos, colours, or combinations of these. Registration lasts 10 years and can be renewed indefinitely.

Before you apply

Search the UK trademark register to check your proposed mark is available. If your mark is identical or similar to an existing trademark in the same class of goods or services, your application will be rejected.

You cannot register a trademark that is:

• offensive or against the law
• descriptive of the goods or services (for example 'cotton' for clothing)
• misleading about the goods or services
• a common word or phrase in the trade
• a 3D shape that adds value or is functional
• a protected emblem, flag, or official symbol without permission

Choosing your trademark classes

Trademarks are registered in classes - categories of goods or services. You pay for each class you register in.

Choose classes based on what you sell now and plan to sell in the next 5 years. Common classes for businesses:

• Class 9 covers software, apps, downloadable content and electronics.
• Class 25 covers clothing, footwear and headwear.
• Class 35 covers retail services, advertising and business consultancy.
• Class 41 covers education, training and entertainment services.
• Class 42 covers software development, IT services and web hosting.
• Class 43 covers restaurant, café and hotel services.

There are 45 classes in total. If you are unsure which classes apply to your business, use the IPO's classification search tool or consult a trademark attorney.

Application options

The IPO offers two application types:

• A standard application costs £205. The IPO examines it in full after you submit, and if there are problems you have 2 months to fix them.
• A Right Start application costs £125, plus £30 for each additional class, and gets you preliminary feedback before you commit. If your mark is likely to succeed, pay another £125 (plus £30 for each additional class) to proceed. Use it if you are unsure whether your mark will be accepted.

Paper applications cost £250 for one class. Apply online to save £45.

After you apply

The application process takes 3 to 4 months if there are no objections:

1. The IPO examines your application and sends an examination report, usually within 2 to 3 weeks.
2. If there are problems, you have 2 months to respond.
3. Your application is published in the Trade Marks Journal for 2 months so that third parties can oppose it.
4. If no one opposes, your trademark registers automatically.

About 60% of applications receive examiner objections. Most are resolved by amending the application or providing arguments.

International protection

UK trademark registration only protects your mark in the UK. For international protection, you have two main options:

• An EU trademark from the EUIPO is a single registration covering all 27 EU member states. The EUIPO sets the fee in euros; check it on the EUIPO website.
• The Madrid System lets you register in up to 133 countries through WIPO using your UK trademark as a base. UK handling fee is £50 plus WIPO fees (basic fee 653 CHF, or 903 CHF for a mark in colour, plus country fees).

Consider international protection before launching in other markets - trademark rights are territorial, and some countries operate 'first to file' systems where whoever registers first gets the rights.