How Should You Register A Name?

Most people think that the best way to register a name is to register it as a company name at Companies House. In fact, whilst there is a procedure to register a name at Companies House, this procedure gives no exclusive right to use the name in business.

Domain name registration is another way to register a name but, again, from a legal point of view this does not give you the exclusive right to use the name.

The only way to register a name and know that you have the exclusive rights to use the name in business is to protect the name by way of trademark registration.

It is not sufficient to register a name at Companies House or register a name as an internet domain or simply to place the “TM” symbol next to your name and hope for the best. The benefit of registering a name by way of trademark registration is that it gives you the exclusive right to use your business name for the goods and/or services for which it is registered in the UK, Europe or internationally depending on how widely you decide to register the trademark.

If you register a name as a trade mark you can put the ® symbol next to the name when you use it commercially which serves as a warning to others against using it. However, you should be aware that using this symbol for a trade mark that is not registered is a criminal offence.

Other benefits if you register a name as a registered trade mark include: 

• It may put others off using your trade mark or a mark similar without permission.
• It will allow you to take legal action against anyone infringing your trade mark, using your brand or name without permission.
• It assists Trading Standards Officers or Police to bring charges against counterfeiters in circumstances where they use your trade mark.
• It is a valuable asset, which can be sold or licensed to other parties at your discretion.

So what would you like to do next...

	GET FREE LEGAL ADVICE ...talk to a trademark expert right now on how you should register a name and on any other aspect of trademark registration. Our legal advisory and search service is free!
	GET A FREE TRADEMARK SEARCH ...to decide whether you should register a name you should find out if your trademark, name or slogan is legally available. Get a Free Trademark Search right now. Your trademark searches are carried out and reviewed by legal experts.
	GET A FREE TRADEMARK AVAILABILITY REPORT   ...get a Free Report on the legal availability of your trademark BEFORE you commit ...from our experts.
	REGISTER A TRADEMARK When you are satisfied that your chosen trademark is legally available and you have decided that you should register a name, we will handle the whole trademark registration process for you. We will draft the best trademark specification for your business, deal with all Registry queries and conduct any necessary Registry hearings. FIXED FEES ..NO hidden costs!

Please contact our legal experts for advice on how to register a name as a trade mark.

Trademark a Name, Register a Company Name and Trademark a Phrase...

Register a Name, Register Business Names