Trade marks

Trade mark attorneys

Protecting your organisation with trade marks

Our specialist trade mark attorneys and solicitors protect the rights of UK and global brand owners in markets as diverse as automotive, consumer goods, sports, food and drink, clothing, pharmaceuticals and technology.

Mathys & Squire’s expert trade mark attorneys understand the importance of making your company stand out with its own identity, and how vital it is to protect your valuable brand from inevitable threats from competitors.

The effective management of a trade mark portfolio encompasses the delivery of a wide range of services.

Our trade mark services include:

trade mark portfolio management;
dedicated support and reporting;
trade mark availability searches (including brand availability analysis for new products and services);
trade Mark applications (UK, EU and international), registrations, filing and renewal services;
monitoring and watching services;
oppositions (including revocation and invalidity proceedings) and contentious IP proceedings; and
online brand protection and enforcement services.

Get in touch with us today to see how our experienced trade mark attorneys can help your organisation secure success.

Meet the team

Make an enquiry

“I have worked with the Mathys & Squire trade mark team since I joined Rigby & Peller. I find them to be highly responsive, and provide insightful commercial advice without pushing a point of view. I would not hesitate to recommend them.”

Rigby & Peller

“Mathys & Squire have been key to the development of Xaar’s IP portfolio since the late 1980s and have supported us through a number of changes in business focus in an increasingly competitive space. The support and advice we receive from their dedicated team is well considered and takes into account the commercial imperatives of our business. We appreciate the quality of the legal and technical knowledge of the Mathys & Squire team, and their pragmatic and flexible approach.”

Xaar

We have been working with Mathys & Squire for over fifteen years, providing a trademark registration and monitoring service. They are always available and very responsive whenever we need their support. The team are open, friendly and easy to work with, and it always feels like they are fighting our corner.

Morgan Sindall

“I have worked with the trade mark team at Mathys & Squire since I became Head of Legal at UKFast. The team are pragmatic and knowledgeable, and partner, Gary Johnston is absolutely excellent. The team always show great understanding of our organisation and our commercial aims, and we work closely with them to protect our trade marks and brand.”

UKFast

“Mathys & Squire’s trademark portal allows us to review and manage all of our trademarks, across all of our territories. For a company like ours, with a large number of trademarks, having a tool like that is really important.”

UP Global Sourcing

“We have worked with our attorney at Mathys & Squire for about four years. If I want to check in or if I need something explained to me, she is always available. We have built a great rapport and I trust her advice. Technically she is very competent and I wouldn’t go anywhere else for trademark services.”

Bodaskins

How the trade mark filing process works

Searching

Comprehensive searches should be undertaken to determine whether a third party has rights that could pose an obstacle to the registration of your mark.

Filing

Once a comprehensive list of goods/services has been agreed between you and your attorney, the application will be filed at the Trade Marks Registry. Official filing details will be received within a few days of the application being submitted.

Examination

The registration will assess whether the mark is suitably distinctive and determine if the list of goods/services is adequately defined. It will also conduct its own search of the register and let you know if there are any earlier marks it regards as similar to your own. If any objections are raised, you will be given two months to respond/remedy.

Publication for opposition

Details of the application are then published for any third party to oppose, should they so wish. The owners of earlier UK marks identified in the Registry’s search may be notified of your application. The publication period is two months. although a potential opponent is entitled to a one month extension of time. If oppositions are received, these can prove costly and timely to resolve, and they can delay the application for many months. However, we always strive to resolve any such disputes amicably.

Registration

If oppositions are not received or they are overcome/settled, the application will progress to registration.

Certificate issued

This will usually follow within three weeks of registration. Where an application becomes registered in a straightforward manner, the entire process will take four-six months.

The importance of trade mark protection

A trade mark is a ‘sign’ (most typically a word or logo) that distinguishes your brand from those of your competitors. Once registered, it can be used to prevent anyone else using the same or similar mark for identical and similar goods and services. Trade marks are an asset to the business and can help the business grow.

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