Trademark Application Help Needed

[Anushrii]

Hello everyone,

We have a small business just starting out and have just applied for a trademark registration and the IPO uk has informed that there is one other entity in uk that has a similar name i.e. if our trademark is xyz abc then the other trademark is just xyz and sells goods in the same category.

The IPO office informed that they dont want to reject my application but there could be a risk of opposition.

My question is knowing this can i withdraw my application for trademark even before it gets registered? What is the procedure. I want to avoid any legal costs or even opposition. Ours is a small business and we can rebrand it.

Can someone please help?

Many thanks

 

[g]

https://www.gov.uk/how-to-register-a-trade-mark/apply

 

[surreyaces]

Hello - yes you can withdraw your application. A simple letter to the IPO will do the trick. You should do that before your application is published for opposition purposes. If you've not yet begun using your mark then that should be the end of the matter. You may want to engage a trade mark attorney to conduct a clearance search for you before you apply for a new mark so that you know of any potential risks before incurring the cost of a new application.