Step By Step Trademark Registration Process In UK

If you have a business in the UK, but not a registered trademark, you must get one at the earliest. Trademarks are the best marketing and branding enables that have the potential to take your brand to another level.

Whether it’s a startup or a well-established company, everyone needs a trademark.

What Is A Trademark?

A unique mark that helps your brand stands out in the crowd. A trademark can be:

• Word
• Phrase
• Sound
• Logo
• Color

Benefits of Trademark For Brands

• Under trademark law, you have the sole or exclusive right to use your trademark.
• You can pursue a lawsuit if someone tried to infringe upon your trademark by registering a similar or identical trademark.
• By protecting a logo with a trademark, you can take legal action to prevent trademark dilution.
• A trademarked logo conveys greater authority and market repute, which encourages customers to recognize your goods and services.
• Due to the high authority logo, which creates a loyal customer base for your business, consumers remember your brand.
• If imported items violate your trademarked logo, you can prevent their import.
• Last but not least, registering a logo as a trademark makes it simpler for you to do so in other countries. Additionally, you can widen the market for your products in other countries.

How much does it cost to register a trademark UK?

Purpose	Form No.	Fee
Trademark registration application (Online)	TM 3	£170 for one class of goods & services *Plus £50 for each additional class
Right Start Application (Online)	TM 3	£200, £100 upfront plus £100 if you go ahead with your registration (for one class of goods & services) * £50 (£25 upfront plus £25 if you go ahead with your registration)

What are the steps in the registration of trademark?

1. Perform A Trademark Search

A trademark search is the most important yet most ignored step while registering a trademark. What people don’t understand is that skipping this step can yield grave consequences such as:

• IPO rejecting your trademark application altogether.
• Someone raising an opposition against your trademark registration.

You will unnecessarily get engaged in legal complications if your trademark is found to be similar/identical to another trademark. The best way to avoid resource wastage is to invest in a professional trademark search.

A professional & comprehensive trademark availability search will ensure:

• There are no similar/identical marks to the trademark you plan to register.
• Provide you with a professional view of your trademark’s position.
• Help you understand the right trademark class to apply for.
• Help you understand the possibilities of the trademark successfully getting registered with IPO.

2. Determine Your Trademark’s Class

UK follows the NICE classification system that consists of 45 classes of goods & services. You need to go through every class and determine in which class your trademark falls. Here is a list of the complete 45 trademark classes.

International Nice Trademark Classes for Goods

Class number	Details
Class 1	Chemicals used in industry, photography, unprocessed artificial resins, Tanning, and adhesive substances, etc.
Class 2	Paintings, paints, pigmentation, coals. lacquers, mordants, printing, and art.
Class 3	Cleaning goods, cosmetics, bleaching agents, abrasive preparations, laundry products, and essential oils.
Class 4	Fuels, industrial oil, illuminates, wetting and binding products, fuels, and wicks for lighting.
Class 5	Pharmaceutical products, medicines, veterinary preparations and veterinary apparatus, dental wax, disinfectants, herbicides, fungicides, and other apparatus for medical purposes.
Class 6	Metal castings, hardware, locks, safes, common metals, alloys, metallic building material, and metals that are not covered by any other class.
Class 7	Machine, automatic vending machines, machine tools(except land vehicles), and egg incubators.
Class 8	Implements, hand tools, cutlery, and razors.
Class 9	Cash register, calculators, data processing equipment, academic apparatus, magnetic data carriers.
Class 10	Surgical apparatus used for medical purposes, prosthetics, medical and dental apparatus, artificial limbs, eyes teeth.
Class 11	Heating and lighting apparatus, steam generating products, cooking, refrigerating, and dying.
Class 12	Apparatus for locomotion, i.e., apparatus used for locomotion by land, water, and air.
Class 13	Ammunition, weapons, firearms, and explosives.
Class 14	Precious metal, precious metals’ alloys, jewelry, etc.
Class 15	Musical instruments
Class 16	Cardboard, paper, and goods made from them, bookbinding material, paintbrushes, playing cards, and printing blocks.
Class 17	Rubber, asbestos, mica, gum, and goods made from any of them. This class also includes goods that are not covered by any other class.
Class 18	Leather, leather imitations, articles made of these items and not included in any other class, animal skins, hides, etc.
Class 19	Non–metallic pipes, asphalt, pitch, and bitumen.
Class 20	Picture frames, cork, wood furniture, reed, cane, etc.
Class 21	Items for household purposes such as kitchen utensils, brush-making material, and cleaning articles.
Class 22	Nets, strings, sacks, bags, and fibrous textile materials.
Class 23	Yams and threads for textile making.
Class 24	Textile and textile goods were not placed in the other classes.
Class 25	Clothing, footwear, headgear, etc.
Class 26	Lace, ribbons, embroidery material, buttons, hooks, pins and needles, artificial flowers.
Class 27	Non-textile carpets, wall hangings, linoleum, and materials used as floor covering.
Class 28	Gaming products, gymnastics, Christmas decorative accessories, sporting items are not covered under any other class.
Class 29	Poultry products, meat, meat products, milk products, jams, eggs, dried and cooked fruits, vegetables, edible oils.
Class 30	Spices, natural and artificial coffee, sago, tea, sugar, cocoa, rice, tapioca, flour.
Class 31	Horticulture, forestry products, natural plants, fresh fruits, seeds, malt, agriculture, and grains are not included in other classes.
Class 32	Aerated drinks, mineral water, light beverages, beer, non-alcoholic drinks (juices and fruits drinks), and other things used for preparing beverages.
Class 33	Alcoholic beverages (except beer)
Class 34	Matches, smoker’s articles, tobacco, etc.

International Nice Trademark Classes for Services

Class number	Details
Class 35	Advertising, Business, Consulting, office functions   This class includes services that help in managing the affairs of organizations, including commercial organizations. In addition, advertising activity concerned with any types of goods and services or a public announcement also comes in this class.
Class 36	Insurance, Monetary and Financial Services
Class 37	Construction and Repair services where work is being done by contractors. This class includes finished as well as in the making building projects.
Class 38	Communication services (oral and visual) that help in communicating anything between people are classified here.
Class 39	Transportation and storage services related to goods storage in any place. Goods transportation via air, land, and water are covered here.
Class 40	Material treatment services that involve changing of chemical or the mechanical composition of a substance are placed here.
Class 41	Education and Entertainment services that enhance the knowledge, skill-set or mental capacity of a person or animal are placed here. Further, this class also covers entertainment services for people or animals.
Class 42	All the scientific, research activities, and technological services along with services related to software and hardware development are placed in these classes. Moreover, this class also includes legal services and engineering services such as designing, creating blueprints.
Class 43	Restaurants services, Temporary accommodation for people and animals along with services that provide the staple foods or drinks preparation for consumption.
Class 44	Medical services linked with hygiene, first aid, animal breeding, beauty purposes salon, and grooming services to human beings along with animals forms a part of this category.
Class 45	Personal or social services are classified in this class.

3. Prepare Trademark Application As Per UK Trademark Law

Once you are sure there are no similar trademarks, fill out the trademark registration application. The trademark application will include:

• Details of the trademark- whether it is a word/slogan/phrase/sound/illustration etc.
• A detailed description of the product for which the trademark is sought.
• The trademark classes and terms you want to register.
• A drawing/specimen of the trademark.
• Date of first use of the trademark.
• Complete details of the applicant/applicants (name and address of the trademark’s owner).
• Entity type (individual or corporation) and your national citizenship.
• Provide the real intent to use the trademark in commerce.
• A representation of the trademark and a list of all the goods and/or services offered under the mark.

The application will be submitted to the UK trademarks registry which is a part of UKIPO. Make sure you pay the fee based on the number of classes under which the goods or services fall.