Why Register Your Logo as a Trade mark?

If you’ve spent time coming up with a name and creating a logo for your business the last thing you want is for another business to start trading with a similar name and logo. There are laws in place (the common law trade mark) giving you some protection from this but without an officially protected trade mark your rights are not as secure as they could be. You might have put off registering your logo because it seems like too much hassle but in this blog we are going to show why it’s worth the time to protect your brand.

What is a trade mark?
In basic terms a trade mark is any intellectual property that can be used to distinguish your business or services from another (logo, name, song, sound shape etc). You can use your name in a trade mark, for example if you offer a specific service such as a photographer, ie Annie Smith Photography but there would be nothing to stop someone with the same name registering a trade mark as Annie Smith as long as visually it is significantly different.
 
Registering your logo adds value
Registering your logo as a trade mark is a valuable asset to your business and allows you to sell, franchise or licence it. If your end goal is to ultimately build a sellable business then having the trade mark registered is vital. It shows the buyer you have carried out every step possible to protect your brand.
 
Differentiate your business from your competitors and protects your brand
Your brand and logo are what helps build customer loyalty and confidence and having a registered trade mark helps prevent other businesses from imitating your brand or logo. By registering your trade mark you are ensuring you are legally entitled to take legal action against anyone who tries to replicate your brand.
 
Exclusivity
Registering your trade mark will give you exclusive rights to use your trade mark in the territory it is registered (eg UK, USA etc). Don’t forget to renew your registration when the time comes though (10 years in the UK).
 
Cost
HMRC have a detailed breakdown of costs associated with applying to register your trade mark, starting from £170 for online application. Creative Remedy will do all the hard work for you with costs starting from 3 hours, this is to carry out the necessary research, complete the registration and liaise with you tthe client and HMRC if required.
 
At Creative Remedy we will work with you to ensure your brand logo meets the requirements for trade mark registration before helping you start the registration process. Once the trade mark is registered your brand is protected for 10 years before you need to renew.
 
Do you have a brand, product or service  logo that you need to register as a trade mark? Contact us for help and advice and we can help you protect your brand.