Trade marks

What we manage

We prepare and file UK applications at the Intellectual Property Office, using the online service where it is available. From 1 April 2026 the official e-filing fee is £205 for the first Nice class and £60 for each extra class. Those are UKIPO fees, not ours.

Specifications are drafted against the current examination practice, including the tighter approach to broad terms that followed SkyKick. We do not file kitchen-sink class headings in the hope they will pass unnoticed.

After publication we monitor the two-month opposition window, docket the registration certificate, and set the ten-year renewal. From 1 April 2026 the official online renewal is £245 for the first class and £60 for each extra class.

Clearance before you file

A filing that collides with an earlier UK mark, a comparable EU-derived right, or a well-known unregistered sign wastes official fees and six months. We search the UK register, the comparable-right record, and common-law use in the classes that matter to you.

Where the risk is a near-miss rather than a direct hit, we set out the options in writing: proceed, narrow the specification, negotiate consent, or choose a different sign. You decide; we do not bury the risk in a verbal briefing.

International and post-Brexit work

An EU trade mark no longer covers the United Kingdom. Rights that were on the EU register at the end of the transition period became comparable UK marks; later EU filings do not. We audit which of your EU rights still have a UK counterpart and where a fresh UK application is required.

For multi-country programmes we file through the Madrid Protocol designating the UK, or we instruct local counsel where a national route is cleaner. Recordals of assignment, change of name and licence are kept in step with the UK register so the owner of record matches the owner in fact.

Questions we are asked

How long does a UK trade mark application take?

An unopposed application that is accepted on first examination typically registers in four to six months. Examination itself is often completed in around eight weeks. An opposition, a hearing, or a request for evidence will extend that timetable.

Do I need a UK address for service?

The UKIPO requires an address for service in the United Kingdom, Gibraltar or the Channel Islands. We provide that address for the applications and registrations we manage.

Can I protect a slogan or a colour?

Yes, if it functions as a sign and is distinctive for the goods or services. Slogans, colours, shapes and sounds are registrable in principle; they are examined more strictly than ordinary word marks. We advise before you spend official fees on a weak sign.