Your Business Name Isn't Really Yours Yet — Here's How to Trademark a Name in the UK

 



Registering your company at Companies House does not stop a rival from using your name, your logo, or even suing you for using it first. Thousands of UK founders discover this the hard way, months after launch, when a cease-and-desist letter lands in their inbox. The only way to actually own your brand name in law is to trademark it and the process is faster and cheaper than most founders assume.

Why Company Registration Doesn't Protect Your Name

Company formation and trademark registration are handled by two completely different bodies for two completely different purposes. Companies House simply confirms that no other company has your exact name on the register it says nothing about branding rights. A trademark, registered with the UK Intellectual Property Office (UKIPO), is what actually stops competitors from trading under a confusingly similar name, logo, or slogan in your sector. Without one, you could build a business for years only to be forced to rebrand because someone else registered the name first.

How to Trademark a Name in the UK: Step by Step

The UKIPO process is designed to be self-serve, and most straightforward applications don't need a lawyer.

  1. Search the register first. Use the UKIPO's free online search tool to check no identical or similar mark already exists in your industry. Skipping this step is the single biggest cause of rejected applications.
  2. Choose your trademark classes. UK trademarks are grouped into 45 "classes" covering different goods and services. You must pick the class (or classes) that match what your business actually sells — a coffee brand and a software brand fall under entirely different classes, even with the same name.
  3. File the application online. Submit your name, logo (if applicable), and chosen classes through the UKIPO's website.
  4. Wait through examination and opposition. A UKIPO examiner checks the application for conflicts, then it's published for two months so existing trademark holders can object. If nobody opposes it, registration is confirmed.
  5. Renew every 10 years. UK trademarks don't expire automatically, but they do need renewing a decade after registration to stay active.

The full process typically takes three to four months from filing to confirmed registration, assuming no one objects.

What Trademark Registration Actually Costs

As of 1 April 2026, filing online through the UKIPO costs £205 for one trademark class, plus £60 for each additional class you add. That's a modest outlay for a legal right that can last indefinitely with renewals far cheaper than the cost of rebranding after the fact. Founders operating across multiple product lines or markets often register in two or three classes from the outset rather than adding classes later, since each new class filed separately still incurs the same per-class fee.

Mistakes That Sink Trademark Applications

Most rejected or opposed applications share the same root causes: filing under the wrong class, choosing a name too similar to an existing mark, or assuming a "trading name" search is the same as a trademark search (it isn't). Running a thorough UKIPO search before filing, and getting the class selection right the first time, prevents the majority of these issues.

It's also a detail investors check closely: a trademark on your name and logo is standard due diligence before UK startup funding rounds close, since unresolved IP ownership can stall or sink a deal.

The Bottom Line

A registered company name gives you almost no brand protection on its own. If you want the exclusive legal right to your name, logo, or slogan, trademarking it with the UKIPO is the only route and at just over £200 for most single-class applications, it's one of the cheapest forms of long-term protection a UK founder can buy. The earlier you file, the smaller the risk that someone else claims the name before you do. 

Location: United Kingdom

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