How to Register a Trade Mark in the UK to Protect Your Brand

What does a registered trade mark protect?

A UK trade mark protects a sign that distinguishes your goods or services from those of other businesses. Registration can protect a brand name, product or service name, logo and certain other distinctive signs.

Once registered, the owner can use the registration to take legal action against unauthorised use covered by the registered rights, use the ® symbol, and sell or license the trade mark.

A UK registration protects the mark in the United Kingdom and the Isle of Man. It does not automatically give equivalent trade mark protection in other countries.

What can you register as a trade mark?

The IPO states that a trade mark can include:

• words;
• sounds;
• logos;
• colours; or
• a combination of these.

The important issue is whether the mark can distinguish your goods or services and meets the legal registration requirements.

What cannot normally be registered?

The IPO can refuse a proposed mark for reasons relating to the mark itself. For example, it cannot normally be:

• purely descriptive of the goods or services;
• too common or non-distinctive;
• offensive;
• misleading;
• only a generic shape associated with the relevant goods;
• an unauthorised national flag; or
• an unauthorised official emblem or hallmark.

You may also encounter problems if the proposed mark is the same as, or similar to, an earlier trade mark associated with the same or similar goods or services.

Search for similar trade marks before you apply

Before filing, the IPO recommends searching the UK trade marks database for identical or similar existing marks. This can identify potential conflicts before you commit to an application.

If you find a similar registered mark, consider getting professional trade mark advice before applying. The IPO will also search for earlier identical or similar trade marks during examination and can notify the holders of those earlier rights.

Choose the right trade mark classes and terms

UK trade marks use the Nice Classification. In 2026 it contains 45 classes: classes 1 to 34 cover goods and classes 35 to 45 cover services.

Your application must contain at least one class and one specific goods or services term. Your protection is tied to the classes and terms you select, so classification is one of the most important parts of the application.

You should choose goods and services relevant to what you use the mark for now or genuinely intend to use it for during the next 5 years. Including goods or services you do not intend to use can expose the registration to later challenge.

Do not automatically choose every possible class

More classes increase the filing cost and can increase the chance of conflict with earlier trade marks. Choose the classes that correspond to your actual commercial plans rather than trying to protect every possible activity.

You can select multiple terms within a class without paying for each individual term; the application fee is based on the number of classes.

You cannot simply add new goods or services later

The IPO warns that you cannot add extra goods or services after you have submitted the application. You can later limit or remove goods or services, but filing the wrong or incomplete specification may mean submitting another application for additional protection.

What do you need before starting the application?

The application requires:

• details of the trade mark itself, such as the words, slogan or illustration;
• the personal or company details of the intended owner;
• the goods or services classes and terms being claimed; and
• an appropriate address for service.

For new IPO applications, the address for service must be in the UK, Gibraltar or the Channel Islands. The IPO also accepts the Isle of Man as a valid address for service.

If you are creating a new company specifically to own and operate your brand, the separate Helpydo guide to registering a private limited company with Companies House explains that process. Incorporating a company does not itself register its name as a trade mark.

How much does it cost to register a trade mark in 2026?

IPO trade mark fees increased on 1 April 2026.

A standard online application currently costs £205 for one class. Each additional class costs £60.

For example, an online application covering three classes costs £325: £205 for the first class plus £60 for each of two additional classes.

A paper application, including a filing made through the applicable forms route, costs £250 for one class plus £60 for each additional class.

What is a Right Start application?

Right Start is an alternative application route for someone who wants an IPO assessment before committing to the full filing cost.

You initially pay £125 for one class plus £30 for each additional class. The IPO checks whether the application meets the registration rules and sends a report.

You then have 28 days to decide whether to continue, challenge the decision or discuss the issues. If you continue, you pay another £125 plus £30 for each additional class. The total for an uncomplicated one-class Right Start application is therefore £250.

Right Start can reduce the amount initially committed, but it is not a discounted route to a completed registration if you proceed with the application.

How do you apply to register the trade mark?

The IPO accepts trade mark applications online and by the official Form TM3 route.

Online filing is cheaper in 2026: £205 for the first class compared with £250 for a paper application.

Your application details are published after you apply. The IPO specifically warns that someone may see the information and, for example, buy a domain name associated with the brand. Personal and company information supplied in the application can also become publicly available, so consider which valid correspondence address you use.

If you operate as an individual rather than through a company, registering the trade mark is separate from your tax status. Helpydo's guide to registering as a sole trader when you start working for yourself covers that separate HMRC task.

What happens during IPO examination?

After filing, the UK Intellectual Property Office examines the application and normally sends an examination report within 2 to 3 weeks.

The examiner checks whether the proposed trade mark satisfies the registration requirements and searches for existing identical or similar trade marks.

If earlier similar marks are found, the IPO can contact both you and the holders of the earlier registrations.

What if the examiner objects to your application?

If the examination report identifies problems, known as objections, you normally have 2 months to resolve them.

The appropriate response depends on the issue. It may involve explaining why the mark should be accepted or changing or limiting aspects of the goods and services specification where permitted.

An objection is different from an opposition. An objection is raised during IPO examination; an opposition is normally brought by another party after the application has been accepted and published.

Your application is published before registration

If there are no objections, or you successfully resolve them, the application is published in the Trade Marks Journal.

The normal opposition period lasts 2 months. This gives third parties an opportunity to challenge registration.

A potential opponent can file the appropriate notice within that period to extend the time available for filing a formal opposition to 3 months.

What happens if someone opposes your trade mark?

An opposition can target the whole application or only some of its goods or services. If your application is opposed, registration of the disputed classes or terms cannot proceed until the issue is resolved.

The IPO identifies three broad options:

• discuss the dispute with the opponent;
• withdraw the application or affected part; or
• defend the application through the legal opposition process.

Defending an opposition can involve legal costs, so professional advice can be particularly useful once a formal dispute starts.

How long does registration take?

For an uncomplicated application with no unresolved objection or opposition, GOV.UK states that registration usually takes around 3 to 4 months from application.

The IPO normally sends the initial examination report within 2 to 3 weeks. Once an accepted application is published, it must pass through the 2-month opposition period. If there is no opposition, registration follows after that publication process.

An objection, opposition or incomplete application can make the process substantially longer.

What happens when your trade mark is registered?

The IPO sends a certificate confirming registration. You can then use the registered rights to protect the mark for the goods and services included in the registration.

A registered owner can also sell, license or mortgage the trade mark and may object to later trade mark applications that conflict with its rights.

Registration lasts 10 years. It can be renewed for further 10-year periods.

What a UK registration does not automatically protect

A UK trade mark registration does not give unlimited ownership of a word, logo or phrase for every possible purpose. Protection relates to the mark and the goods and services covered by the registration.

It also does not automatically protect the brand worldwide. The UK registration protects the United Kingdom and the Isle of Man. Separate or international filing routes are required when protection is needed elsewhere.

Common mistakes to avoid before filing

• Applying without searching for earlier identical or similar trade marks.
• Choosing a brand name that merely describes the goods or services.
• Selecting the wrong Nice classes or inappropriate goods and services terms.
• Leaving out goods or services you genuinely need and assuming they can simply be added later.
• Adding large numbers of speculative goods or services that you do not plan to use within the next 5 years.
• Confusing Companies House company-name registration with trade mark protection.
• Assuming a UK trade mark automatically provides protection abroad.
• Ignoring an IPO examination report or the deadline for responding to an objection.
• Assuming acceptance by the examiner means immediate registration before the opposition period has finished.
• Using a home address without understanding that application information can become publicly available.

Remember to renew the trade mark after registration

A UK trade mark lasts for 10 years and must be renewed every 10 years to remain in force.

Renewal is a separate procedure from the initial application. The IPO allows renewal during the 6 months before expiry and, with an additional late fee, during the 6 months after expiry.

Keep the owner's contact and address information on the trade mark register current so that important IPO correspondence reaches the correct person.