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Anyone ever registered a trade mark?

21 replies

emsiewill · 05/07/2007 22:37

We are looking into registering our company name and logo as a trade mark, and have been doing a bit of googling.

Our marketing man has given me details of a trade mark attourney, but they seem rather expensive - the UK IPO seems to offer all we would need to get started, I suppose an attourney comes in use if the application is contested.

Anyway, anyone got any experience of this? Did you use a specialist attourney, or is that not necessary if the application is fairly straightforward?

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WotzaGirl2do · 05/07/2007 22:43

www.businesslink.gov.uk

WotzaGirl2do · 05/07/2007 22:46

there is a link for the website I posted to the one you mention. Register a Limited Company name and a trading name and protect that with registering web names is quite important - not sure if you mean that or refering to the protection of a product brand.

WotzaGirl2do · 05/07/2007 22:51

Because you could register a trade mark and someone could still use part of its form in a web address if you haven't registerd that and all its different forms/tangents.

Trademarks can no tbe places/names/locations and lots of other things. Read loads first, before you get someone to tell you and then send you a bill.

emsiewill · 05/07/2007 22:59

So are you saying that it's worth getting an expert in to advise us, as there may be angles we won't have thought of (eg the web address thing)?

I actually got the UK IPO link from the business link website - I think it is an excellent resource for lots of things to do with business (in my short time as a business person, rather than an employee who didn't give a toss!)

Thanks

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WotzaGirl2do · 05/07/2007 23:06

Number One, I would get a good accountant. They have your long term interest to think of. Not your friends sisters aunty (or such like) who does it in her spare time. Maybe that would be a good thing to sort out first. They should be a fountain of knowledge (as is ours) who will guide and help.

emsiewill · 05/07/2007 23:36

We have an accountant, this is a fairly well established business (been going for 6 years before I joined at the beginning of this year), it's just that we're moving into the next "phase", where we think it would be wise to have our logo (ie what we use on business cards / letterheads etc) registered.

So, we don't need general business advice as such, I just want to try and work out whether we need to pay someone £360 + VAT for a service which the UK IPO is offering to do for £99....

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WotzaGirl2do · 05/07/2007 23:43

I think I would go for the £99 option to kick off.

WotzaGirl2do · 05/07/2007 23:44

Is it a limited company?

TnOgu · 05/07/2007 23:45
WotzaGirl2do · 05/07/2007 23:47
TnOgu · 05/07/2007 23:49

[don't fall over.

That wouldn't look too professional]

emsiewill · 05/07/2007 23:52

It's an LLP. Was registered (first typed that as refistered, and that looks incredibly rude to me } as a ltd company, but not any more (don't really know the full history of all that).

I think the £99 option has got to be the way to go, and go to the more expensive people if things get complicated...just got to convince my collegues of this now...

You're not some sort of business guru are you? [hopeful emoticon]

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WotzaGirl2do · 05/07/2007 23:54

also read this, maybe in morning!
tradmark vs trade name

Not sure waht you want to register, so it may help you.

emsiewill · 06/07/2007 00:01

Thanks for the link - you're right, I can't be bothered to read it all now, but have bookmarked it to look at in the morning.

What we want to register is the company name don't want to say what it is of course but eg
"competent advice service" written in a particular style, which makes it also a logo and also the name of a concept that we've come up with, which will apply to all activities the company does.

Hard to describe without telling you everything about us!

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TnOgu · 06/07/2007 00:01

{wotz - a business guru, hmmmmm]

WotzaGirl2do · 06/07/2007 00:01

Not not business guru, but have experience through own business

LLP should stand for

limited liability partnerships

if you click here www.companieshouse.gov.uk your company should be registered.

And is so, another peice of information I recently got from Companies House was this.

As from 1st January 2007 the following applies to the stationery of all limited companies:

Whether in hard copy, electronic or any other form:

A company must state its name, in legible lettering, on the following:

? all the company's business letters
? all its notices and other official publications
? all bills of exchange, promissory notes, endorsements, cheques and orders for money or goods purporting to be signed
by, or on behalf of, the company
? all its bills of parcels, invoices, receipts and letters of credit

On all of its business letters, order forms or any of the company?s web sites*, the company must show in legible lettering:

? its place of registration
? registered number
? its registered office address
? and if it is being wound up, that fact

*A web site is not a company?s web site if, it?s content is determined solely by persons other than the company, or it does not relate to the company, its business or operations

The above also applies to Limited Liability Partnerships

must go soon. I can only suggest to read as much infor on any of the sites mentioned so far.

emsiewill · 06/07/2007 00:09

Yes, we are registered as LLP, all stationary correctly formatted with relevant info. As I say, we are really sorted with all that side of things, accountants did it all etc, etc it's the registering of the trade mark we really need help with, and don't think accountants can help with that - not their speciality.

Anyway, thanks for your help at this late hour, I will bump tomorrow for anyone else who may be able to shed some light (I guess I really want someone to say "it's really simple, don't pay someone to do it, no need!)

And so to bed...

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WotzaGirl2do · 06/07/2007 00:15

defo read the trademark vs trade name, especially with web use. good luck, Sounds like you are sorted. Trade Marks are very hard to register, not sure if it is worth it. But for £99 you may find out otherwise.

nighty night.

emsiewill · 06/07/2007 09:37

just bumping this to see if anyone else has any experience of registering a trade mark?

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drcaroline · 06/07/2007 10:36

Hi Emsiewill

Have you tried going to one of the free advice clinics set up by the Chartered Institute of Patent Attorneys, as detailed here:

www.cipa.org.uk/pages/advice-clinics

They are advertised as patent advice clinincs, but the people who run them expect enquiries about trade marks, designs etc as well.

emsiewill · 06/07/2007 11:20

Thanks for that, of course there are none in Wales! It does say that most patent attourneys will offer the first consultation free of charge, so maybe I should arrange one and see from there.

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