Trademarking

Trade marks are symbols (like logos and brand names) that distinguish goods and services in the marketplace.

Unlike copyright, patents or registered designs there is no time limit to trademark protection and you can renewal your trademark for as long as you like. This does cost money however but significantly less than a patent. The current UK fees are £200 with an extra £50 per class. (Trademarks have to be defined as to what class of business service they are related to. If you choose to designate more than one class there is an additional fee.) The renewal fee is the same as the initial application fee and has to be paid every 10 years.

The UK IPO grant trademark protection in the UK. They have produce a good booklet for helping you apply for a trademark. This can be found be using this link: UK IPO Trademark guidelines

Like patents or registered designs your protection can be extended to other countries. It is advised to register with the UK IPO first and then extend your protection out afterwards. There are specialist trademark attorneys who can help you through the process of registering your mark are answering any questions or issues raised by the UK IPO. Any IP attorney can represent you but you choose to use a specific Trade Mark Attorney. The institute of Trade Mark Attorneys is a good place to start and their website by be accessed by using this link: Institute of Trade Mark Attorneys