There are certain steps that need to be taken for brand registration in the UK. It is always a good idea to use the professional services of a solicitor that has the legal experience needed to help you through the process. The steps are not difficult themselves, but it does take knowledge and experience to navigate the system in a manner that is beneficial to you. Ultimately registering the trademark for your brand is a form of protection for the name of your services and products. It also keeps your competitors from infringing on your hard work .
The Benefits of Registering Your Trademark Include the Following:
* It allows you to license and sell your brand.
* It allows you to take legal action if someone uses your brand and does not have your express permission, this applies to counterfeiters especially.
* It allows you to use the ® in conjunction with your brand to show that it belongs to you, and it also warns your competitors and others against abusing or using it.
What Will the Professionals Do to Help Register a Trademark?
First they will do an all-inclusive search to see if your brand qualifies to be a trademark. This is not something that is easily done on your own via the internet. It should be left to the professionals who understand the type of search that needs to be conducted. It is a more thorough search that is done well before you apply to register a trademark. The next step is to actually register a trademark. Then there is a waiting period in which a reputable trademark company will respond to objections that occur, if any. This is where a competent trademark company is essential to your business when seeking a registered trademark for your brand. The registration process itself takes up to four months if there are no objections. A registered trade mark itself lasts up to ten years.
There Are Certain Qualities You Can and Cannot Register in Regards to Trademarks
You can register many things in regards to a trademark including, but not limited to sounds, colours, words, logos, and a combination of any of those aspects. A trademark cannot be offensive and contain words considered to be swear words. It cannot have any images that are pornographic. Certain words cannot be used in relation to the goods or services it relates to either. Trademarks cannot be misleading, or use 3D shapes associated with a trademark, or be common such as a simple statement. They also cannot resemble state symbols such as hallmarks or flags.