When to trademark company name

[Noob Business Girl]

I've just started my limited business. I'd like to trademark the company name.

When would you recommend doing this? When the business is more established? I doubt I'll start trading for a couple of months however from research, it seems this is a process which may take 2 - 3 months.

Many thanks!

 

[Solly]

Well as soon as you start using a trademark as a trademark you have some legal protection under common law. Not as much as a registers mark.

There is no reason to wait though and it would be a pain if something similar got registered first.

 

[Noob Business Girl]

Thank you.

My brand is one word but registered the company as [Brand name] [City location]

So should I just trademark the brand name or does city location also need to be included in the trademark? I want to display [Brand name] on website with city location underneath it.

I don't have a logo yet either. Would this be a problem?

Once I've trademarked, do I have to use both the text and logo together?

Thank you

Well as soon as you start using a trademark as a trademark you have some legal protection under common law. Not as much as a registers mark.

There is no reason to wait though and it would be a pain if something similar got registered first.

 

[Solly]

You can do either, sounds like you should read up a bit on Trademarks and do a trademark search on the UKIPO

https://www.gov.uk/topic/intellectual-property/trade-marks

 

[Deleted member 59730]

When would you recommend doing this? When the business is more established? I

When you lie awake at night with the very first idea of a new business the very first thing you should do the next morning is to trademark your name. Before registering a company at companies house, before printing business cards and before telling too many people.

There is a lot to be said for you to own the name and to eventually hire it to your company.

 

[The Byre]

When you lie awake at night with the very first idea of a new business the very first thing you should do the next morning is to trademark your name. Before registering a company at companies house, before printing business cards and before telling too many people.
There is a lot to be said for you to own the name and to eventually hire it to your company.

THIS! And with knobs on!

So in answer to your question -

I've just started my limited business. I'd like to trademark the company name. When would you recommend doing this?

The answer is - yesterday!

 

[Noob Business Girl]

When you lie awake at night with the very first idea of a new business the very first thing you should do the next morning is to trademark your name. Before registering a company at companies house, before printing business cards and before telling too many people.

There is a lot to be said for you to own the name and to eventually hire it to your company.

Thank you.

THIS! And with knobs on!

So in answer to your question -

The answer is - yesterday!

Thank you - since yesterday is too late...I will do this today.

Before I do, my brand has an image logo which sits above the text. The text contains 2 words. The first is a word that I made up. Another brand has the word with another letter at the end but they are selling different things to me. The second word is just the name of a location.

I've done a couple of trademark searches as an example and can see that brands have registered text only and some have done both text and logo.

My questions are:

If I register to have the image and both words trademarked, does that mean I have to use both the image and text (2 words) in my website and products? Can I just use the first word of my brand or do I have to use the first word followed by the second word?

If I trademark both words and the image, does that stop other users from using the first word for example?

Thank you.

 

[The Byre]

I would just worry about the words for starters.

My brand is one word but registered the company as [Brand name] [City location]

So Bonkers Buiscuits in Basingstoke for starters.

 

[Noob Business Girl]

What about the image logo?

I would just worry about the words for starters.

So Bonkers Buiscuits in Basingstoke for starters.

 

[The Byre]

Are you sure that you are not over-thinking this? Most start-ups are a bit strapped for cash and quite honestly unless this is a sophisticated multi-million venture with a marketing manager in place and you are about to commission a designer and an IP lawyer to make sure that everything is sewn up tight, I would just think about the name and know that you have 10 years of peace of mind.

Don't over-structure yourself. Over-structuring is a common beginner's mistake - the over-eager starter-upper designs logos, forms two or three companies and calls themselves XYZ Comglomerate Allied Industries Ltd. and builds a fancy website before they have even test-marketed their damn widgets!

Find a bog-simple name that people will remember, register that and remember to read Colin Barrow's book 'Starting a Business for Dummies' and possibly a few other books on the ins and outs of business - and have a look at my YT channel (link in signature) and find an accountant that is suitable and not too expensive for end-of-year returns, learn how to use one of the free bookkeeping programmes and start trading.

Simples!

 

[apricot]

If you are selling on Amazon, get your trademark ASAP and apply for Amazon's trademark protection.

If you are selling via your website wait until your sales go up as no one will be able to see what you are selling and it will take copy cats to discover you.

 

[Panoramix IP]

Speak to an IP lawyer even if you ultimately register the trade mark yourself. You need to think bigger than just a UK trade mark and ensure that your brand is suitable for protection in other countries if your business expands. It isn’t as simple as just filling in the form to register a trade mark. Sure, you might well get it registered but it doesn’t mean what you end up with will have any value or be fit for purpose in the UK or elsewhere.

 

[Alex Calinov]

Whenever you're ready to do it. I don't have a limited company. Still, a Self-employed trading under a brand, however, I went ahead and trademarked that as soon as I started using it.

 

[Noob Business Girl]

I've registered my logo which has text and image. It didn't find anything similar in the system.

Is it ok for me to start ordering packaging with my company name and logo on it or should I wait 2/3 months before it's officially trademarked and approved?

Thank you!