Trade Mark Registration & Branding

TRADE MARK REGISTRATION & BRANDING IN THE UK

A limited company name at Companies House gives you almost no protection over your brand. A registered trade mark does: an exclusive right, for ten years and renewable indefinitely, to use your name, logo or slogan for the goods and services you actually sell — and the standing to stop anyone else who tries. For most founders it is the cheapest asset they will ever put on the balance sheet, and the one they think about last.

TaxDigit handles the whole registration as a business-support service: we search the register before you commit, classify your goods and services properly, file at the Intellectual Property Office (UKIPO), monitor the two-month opposition window and respond to examination objections. Alongside it we get the unglamorous groundwork right — company name, trading name, domain and social handles all pointing at the same brand.

The problems we solve for you

Most failed or worthless registrations come from decisions made in the first ten minutes, not the last.

• Filing blind. No clearance search, then an opposition from a mark that was sitting on the register all along.
• Wrong classes. Classes chosen too narrowly to protect the real business, or so broadly the fees balloon and the mark is vulnerable to non-use.
• Descriptive names. Marks refused under section 3 because they simply describe the product.
• Company name ≠ brand. An incorporated name that nobody can lawfully use as a brand.

Why businesses choose TaxDigit

We sit where the brand meets the balance sheet — the same firm that forms your company, files its accounts and knows what it actually sells.

• Search first, file second. Identical and similar-mark searches before a penny goes to the IPO.
• Classification done properly. Specifications drafted around your real and planned trade, not a template.
• Inbound-ready. Overseas founders entering the UK get formation, agent services and trade mark filing from one team.
• Plain fees. Our fee and the official fee, quoted up front, before you decide.

What a UK trade mark costs and covers

Official UKIPO fees for an online application, from 1 April 2026, are £205 for the first class and £60 for each additional class. Registration lasts ten years from the filing date and is renewable indefinitely; online renewal is £245 for the first class plus £60 per additional class. Our professional fee sits on top and is quoted before we start.

Goods and services are grouped into the 45 Nice classes — 1 to 34 for goods, 35 to 45 for services. A single mark covering, say, software (class 9), advertising (class 35) and financial services (class 36) is three classes. Choosing them accurately is the single biggest determinant of whether the registration is ever worth anything.

How the process runs

• 1. Brand review and clearance. We check the UK register (and the EU and international registers where relevant) for identical and confusingly similar marks, and flag anything descriptive or non-distinctive.
• 2. Specification and classes. We draft the goods and services wording and confirm the class list and the exact official fee.
• 3. Filing at the UKIPO. Application submitted; examination usually follows within a few weeks.
• 4. Examination and objections. If the examiner raises an absolute-grounds objection, we prepare the response or amend the specification.
• 5. Publication and opposition. The mark is published for two months, during which third parties may oppose. We monitor and advise.
• 6. Registration and aftercare. Certificate issued; we diarise the ten-year renewal and can monitor the register for conflicting later filings.

Branding that makes the mark worth having

A registered mark protects a brand; it does not create one. Before filing we align the company name at Companies House, the trading name, the domain, the social handles and the way the name is actually used in trade — because a mark that is never used in the classes registered becomes vulnerable to revocation after five years. For overseas businesses entering the UK, we run this alongside company formation, HMRC registrations and appointed-agent services so the brand is protected from day one rather than after the first dispute.

Official IPO fees as at July 2026. TaxDigit provides trade mark filing and brand-strategy support as a business service; where a matter becomes contentious we work alongside a registered trade mark attorney or IP solicitor.

Frequently asked questions

Does registering a limited company protect my brand name?

No. Incorporation stops someone registering an identical company name at Companies House, but it gives you no exclusive right to use the name in trade. Only a registered trade mark (or hard-won unregistered rights through passing off) does that.

How much does a UK trade mark cost?

From 1 April 2026 the official UKIPO fee for an online application is £205 for the first class and £60 for each additional class. Renewal after ten years is £245 for the first class plus £60 per additional class. Our professional fee for the search, classification and filing is quoted separately and up front.

How long does registration take?

A straightforward, unopposed UK application typically completes in around three to four months: examination within a few weeks of filing, then a two-month publication and opposition period before the certificate is issued.

What are Nice classes and how many do I need?

The 45 Nice classes group goods (1–34) and services (35–45). You need every class that covers what you sell now and realistically will sell soon — no more. Over-claiming raises fees and exposes the mark to non-use revocation; under-claiming leaves gaps a competitor can walk through.

Can I trade mark a descriptive name?

Usually not. Marks that merely describe the goods or services, or that lack distinctive character, are refused on absolute grounds. Invented, arbitrary or suggestive names register far more easily — which is why we review the name before you spend money on it.

Can you protect my brand outside the UK?

A UK registration covers the UK only. We can advise on extending protection through the Madrid Protocol or filing directly in key markets, and coordinate that alongside your UK filing if you are trading internationally.

What happens if someone opposes my application?

You have the option to negotiate, amend the specification, defend, or withdraw. Opposition proceedings are contentious work, so at that point we bring in a registered trade mark attorney and manage the process with you.