A Trade Mark or brand name is a badge of commercial origin that distinguishes the goods and/or services of one undertaking from those of another. A Trade Mark is the attractive force that brings in custom, ensures re-purchasing and builds brand loyalty. Trade Marks can be registered in the UK, the European Union and elsewhere throughout the world. Whilst rights can be accrued in a Trade Mark by virtue of its extensive use on an unregistered basis, it is significantly easier and less costly to register your Trade Mark at the outset. To read more about the importance of Trade Mark registration to your business, please click here.

An advantage of a Trade Mark registration is that it can be renewed indefinitely (unlike Patents and Design Registrations, which have a limited term).

We can prepare, file and prosecute UK Trade Mark Applications at the United Kingdom Intellectual Property Office (UKIPO) on your behalf. Prior to filing a new Trade Mark Application or commencing use of a proposed Trade Mark in the UK, we generally advise that searches are conducted to ensure that the particular Trade Mark is free for use and/or registration and does not conflict with earlier third party registered or unregistered rights.

For more information on the procedure for obtaining a UK Registered Trade Mark, including costs, please click here.

We are qualified European Trade Mark Attorneys, specializing in filing and prosecuting CTM Applications, as well as opposition, invalidation and revocation proceedings before the Office for Harmonization in the Internal Market (OHIM) in Alicante, Spain.

A CTM is a cost effective tool to obtain pan-European protection throughout all 27 Member States of the European Union in a single registration, namely: -

Austria, Benelux (Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg), Bulgaria, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Portugal, Romania, the Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom. 

For more information on the CTM procedure, including costs, please click here.

Provisional Refusals in the UK and Europe

We can represent you in the prosecution of Provisional Refusals raised by the UKIPO  or OHIM and/or third party oppositions raised against the UK and/or CTM designations of International (Madrid Protocol) Registrations.

International (Madrid Protocol) Applications

In addition, we can file and prosecute International (Madrid Protocol) Registrations via the UKIPO or OHIM. The Madrid Protocol system enables a UK resident individual or company to file a Madrid Protocol Application based upon a "home" UK/CTM Application or Registration and designate any country that is party to the Madrid Protocol. At present, over fifty countries are party to the Madrid Protocol system in Europe, America, Asia, Australasia and Canada.

For more information on the procedure for obtaining a Madrid Protocol Registration, including costs, please click here.

We can cost effectively file and prosecute foreign Trade Mark Applications in national jurisdictions through a network of local Attorneys around the world.

For more information on filing foreign Trade Mark Applications, please click here.