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You can register your trade mark to protect your brand, for example the name of your product or service.

When you register your trade mark, youll be able to:

• take legal action against anyone who uses your brand without your permission, including counterfeiters
• put the symbol next to your brand - to show that its yours and warn others against using it
• sell and license your brand

A trade mark lasts 10 years. You must renew your trade mark every 10 years for it to stay in force.

What you can register

Your trade mark can include:

• words
• sounds
• logos
• colours
• a combination of any of these

What you cannot register

Your trade mark cannot:

• be offensive, for example contain swear words or pornographic images
• describe the goods or services it will relate to, for example the word cotton cannot be a trade mark for a cotton textile company
• be misleading, for example use the word organic for goods that are not organic
• be too common and non-distinctive, for example a statement like we lead the way
• be just a generic shape associated with your business, for example if you sell apples you cannot trade mark the shape of an apple
• make use of national flags you do not have permission to use
• make use of official emblems or hallmarks, for example coats of arms

You may not be able to register your trade mark if its the same as, or similar to, a trade mark of another business that sells the same goods or services.

Watch a short video about trade marks (2 minutes).

What it costs

Registering a trade mark costs at least 170. It will usually cost more depending on your circumstances, for example how many types of goods or services you want to protect your brand in.

The application process

You must send details of your trade mark and the goods or services you want to use your trade mark on to the Intellectual Property Office (IPO).

You can send your application online or by post.

The IPO will:

• check that your trade mark is not the same as, or similar to, any existing trade marks
• publish details of your application in the journal, in case anybody wants to oppose it

If there are any issues the IPO will let you know. You will have to resolve them before you can register your trade mark.

If there are no issues, it usually takes around 3 to 4 months from application for your trade mark to be granted.

View a timeline of the process.

Register your trade mark overseas

Registering a trade mark in the UK only protects your brand in the UK and the Isle of Man.

There are different processes for:

• registering trade marks in Guernsey
• registering trade marks in Jersey - you need to already have registered your trade mark in the UK to be able to register it in Jersey
• registering trade marks abroad