May 3, 2023 By Sarah Grover

Everything That You Need to Know About Trademark Registration in the United Kingdom

If you run a company and want to enter the British market, you probably begin with restricting your logo. Yet, trademark registration in the United Kingdom might seem overwhelming and complicated. In such cases, don’t worry – we will guide you through the whole process in this article. Please read more to find out.

What does the trademark registration process in the United Kingdom look like?

We will begin with the process itself. The United Kingdom trademark registration consists of 5 steps:

• Applying for the trademark – submitting the application form and paying the fees,
• Formal examination – research into the information that you have provided, verifying whether they correspond to the real state
• Additional examination – checking your proposed trademark, analyzing whether it meets the requirements,
• Publication – showing your trademark in public, enabling other individuals or business to object if they feel that their trademark was violated,
• Registration – Issuing a Digital Certificate and registering the trademark.

What can I register as a trademark in the UK?

The rules of trademark registration in the United Kingdom allow for 5 kinds of trademarks:

• words,
• sounds,
• logos,
• colors,
• combinations of the above.

What do you need to do before applying for a trademark registration in the UK?

There are several actions that you should undertake before applying. Firstly, you need to choose a category of your trademark – known as ‘classes’ or ‘terms’, these categories describe the types of goods or services that you sell.

Secondly, you should complete a UK trademark search. This is a set of actions aimed at ensuring that your trademark will not violate somebody else’s rights. The best practice here is to cooperate with experienced trademark attorneys – they will have the tools required to complete the analysis efficiently and thoroughly.

Summary

Colors, logos, words, sounds and their combinations might be a trademark in the UK. Trademark registration in the United Kingdom consists of 5 steps: application, formal examination, additional examination, publication and registration. Before applying, you need to complete a thorough UK trademark search to ensure that your trademark is not alike any already registered trademark.