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How much does it cost to register a trademark in the U.K.?
If you're a new or existing business, planning to protect your brand, you may be wondering how to register and how much it costs to register a trademark in the United Kingdom. A U.K. Trademark Registration ensures that your brand is protected in England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland. A trademark is a valuable asset for all kinds of business and it's especially important to protect your brand in todays world of E-Commerce, because all brands have global exposure through social media platforms and online marketplaces. You may be considering registering a U.K. trademark in an individual territory or as part of a larger trademark territory strategy. The information below will help explain the process and costs involved in registering your trademark in the United Kingdom.
Should I register a UK Trademark?
The United Kingdom is regarded as a very important territory for protection for many reasons. It's popular for both U.K. based businesses and businesses from abroad to file for U.K. trademark. Many businesses based in the U.K. only require protection in the United Kingdom, because it's the main territory that they plan to trade within. Others start with a U.K. registration strategically, using the registration as a foundation before proceeding into other territories.
For registration in the United Kingdom you can choose to register directly with the Intellectual Property Office, or use a professional filing service. For people who are not experienced in filing trademark applications it's advisable to use a trademark attorney or professional filing company.
If you choose to file your application directly with the IPO yourself, you must make sure that you are applying in the correct classes and with descriptions that give the correct protection. Otherwise your trademark may offer you no protection for the products or services that you wanted to protect. The other thing to bare in mind if you're filing your own application with the IPO, is that your trademark and application must meet the requirements set out in the Trademarks Act 1994. If your trademark does not meet the requirements or your application is not correctly compiled, your application will not be accepted and you will loose your application fees. The IPO do not refund application fees for failed applications.
You can choose to use a filing company which can help ensure that you get the correct protection, search to make sure that there are no conflicting registered trademarks, make sure that your application is correctly compiled and review your trademark to ensure that it meets the requirements set out in the Trade Marks Act 1994. In many cases, a filing company will make their own fees refundable if your trademark is not accepted by the IPO. UKTMS (U.K. Trademark Services) offer a full refund of the total amount paid including the IPO fees. This removes all the risk involved with the application because if your application is not accepted, you receive a full refund.
What does a UK Trademark Registration Cost?
UKTMS fees to register your trademark online (U.K. Trademark Services)
A fully managed filing service which offers a full 100% refund if the application is not accepted:
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Application Fee: £465 (Includes one class)
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Additional Classes (If you wish to protect your brand in additional classes): £65
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Price includes application acceptance guarantee
To get an exact quote from UKTMS Click Here
UKIPO fees to register directly in the U.K.
Common fees associated with filing a trademark in the United Kingdom directly through the IPO (No refunds if your application fails) :
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Application Fee: £170 for online applications
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£200 for paper applications
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Additional Classes (If you wish to protect your brand in additional classes): £50
To review a full list of costs, consult the IPO website.
Is a UK Trademark Registration enough?
This depends on your business goals. For many businesses a UK Trademark Registration gives enough protection. It's also a good territory to start with before looking at additional territories. If you know that you need protection in other territories from the beginning there are various options are available for you to consider.
For businesses looking to protect their brand name globally, with registered trademarks across multiple territory, a common option is the Madrid Protocol. This allows you to register your trademark internationally across 90 member countries with a single application. But, it's important to understand that although the Madrid Protocol condenses multiple territories into one single application, there is no guarantee that your application will be accepted in all of the countries that you've filed in.
Due to the fact that each country has different filing requirements and rules, the Madrid Protocol application is very broad to try and take all requirements into account. However, due to the complexity of so many requirements that need to be covered across all territories, it's common for the trade mark office in each country to contact you for further information and documents. For the Madrid Protocol application you will only pay one fee, however, you will need to cover the costs associated with each country that your registration is filed and approved.
If you are just planning to register a trademark across multiple territories in the EU, you could chose a similar process through the EUIPO. This allows you to apply to register your trademark across the 27 member states of the European Union. However, due to Brexit, this application will no longer cover the United Kingdom so, you will need to file a separate application if you want a U.K. registered trademark.
Advantages to working with a Trademark Filing Service?
Often, small business owners will try to save money by attempting to file their trademark directly with the IPO. Although this may appear to be a small saving on the surface, in reality it comes with far greater risks and can potentially be far more costly in the long run. Using a professional will help ensure that your trademark gets accepted for registration and gives you the correct protection. If you file without expert assistance you may find that there is already a similar name / brand registered, your brand does not meet the requirements for registration or that you don't end up getting the correct protection. All of these scenarios can be costly mistakes and can be easily avoided by working with a professional.
Working with a good professional filing company will not only increase your chance of a successful registration, but also remove your risk associated with filing a trademark. A trademark filing professional will start by running searches to ensure that there are no conflicting trademarks registered. (Try a free Trademark search here) A professionally conducted comprehensive search will highlight if there are any other businesses in the U.K. using similar brand names. If there are any conflicting brands found a professional can explain your options and help you find a solution. A professional filing expert will also conduct an in-depth review of your trademark before filing your application. A trademark review helps make sure that the proposed trademark meets the requirements set out in the Trademarks Act 1994. Then a trademark professional will ensure that you register in the correct classes that offer the right protection and that your application is compiled and filled out correctly. And finally, a good quality filing company or attorney will remove your risk by offering a refund if the application fails to get accepted. With all these elements, the small extra paid to a good quality filing company is a good investment. A trademark is one of the greatest assets a company can own, so, it's worth getting it right.
UKTMS offer many free resources, info and a fully managed UK filing service that comes with a full money back guarantee, if your application fails to get accepted by the IPO.
If you need any help or assistance feel free to get in touch and we will be happy to help.
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