Reasons SMEs Should Invest in Trade Mark Protection in the UK

If you are a small or medium-sized enterprise (SME) in England, you should consider how trade marks can benefit your business. Trade marks are valuable tools for your overall business strategy. Additionally, they act as an essential means of protection against competitors copying your work. This article will discuss why you should invest in trade mark protection in England and how to achieve this.

Intellectual Property as Valuable Assets

Intellectual property is a precious asset for any business. If you are already an established brand, trade marks you register to represent your products and services will likely be valuable. However, if you are starting a new business, registering a trade mark is advisable as the value of your trade mark will grow exponentially with your business’ success. Likewise, if you already have or are developing a brand in England, a trade mark will become the public identifier of that brand. 

Building the Reputation of Your Brand

The strong reputation your brand develops or already possesses will reflect heavily on your trade mark. Further, your trade mark will be a method of communication to consumers, encouraging them to think of certain things when they see it. This can include things like:

• the quality of your products or services;
• the price point;
• the customer service you provide;
• your brand values and ethos;
• representatives of your brand;
• the designs you create; and
• the sustainability of your business. 

These are just some factors that contribute to the reputation of your brand. Therefore, you should consider what form you would like your trade mark to take. For instance, it may be a: 

• logo;
• slogan;
• word;
• colour; or
• symbol.

Whatever your trade mark design is, it should be capable of representing your brand image and reflecting your products and services. Further, it can assist in building your reputation by showing it consistently in your marketing or advertising. Finally, it can also act as a mark of quality, which is crucial to maintaining a solid reputation.

Grow Your Brand Internationally

Intellectual property can act as an essential tool to grow your reputation in addition to your geographical reach with your consumers. For example, a registered trade mark such as a logo or symbol can act as a brand identifier across multiple jurisdictions. Further, it can also assist your business in growing throughout different industries.

Once you have gone through the application process with the Intellectual Property Office (IPO), you can consider applying for another registered trade mark in other areas, such as the European Union or even further afield. Your UK trade mark will be a base application for your future international trade marks. This enables you to gain exclusive rights on an international platform for your goods or services brand. 

Protecting Your Intellectual Property

One of the most important reasons for SMEs to invest in trade mark registration is the protection it provides your intellectual property. As mentioned before, trade marks can be useful business tools that help to:

• build and strengthen your reputation; and 
• advertise and market your brand. 

Trade mark registration with the IPO grants the owner exclusive rights to use the trade mark. Therefore, once registered, no other business can use your trade mark without your consent. In addition, you can challenge any unauthorised use through informal or formal legal proceedings, which is an important benefit of registration.  

Key Takeaways

In England, you can register your trade mark and obtain exclusive rights over your mark through the IPO. Intellectual property and trade marks in particular, are precious assets and can add solid financial value to your business as an asset in itself.

Once you obtain a registered trade mark, you receive trade mark protection for ten years. This protection assists your brand with building a reputation on an international scale. Further, registration provides essential protection against competitors to prevent or challenge unauthorised use.

If you need help or advice around registering your trade mark, our experienced intellectual property lawyers can assist as part of our LegalVision membership. You will have unlimited access to lawyers to answer your questions and draft and review your documents for a low monthly fee. Call us today on 0808 196 8584 or visit our membership page.

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