Trade Marks & Branding

The trade marks and branding team understands that developing a business idea and building and promoting a brand around it demands significant effort and investment. A brand is far more than a name or logo: it embodies the core values, mission and personality of a business and captures what makes it unique. Protecting that distinctiveness is essential.

Our trade mark lawyers work with brand owners at every stage of the branding process. We take the time to understand your business at a deep level, ensuring the right legal protections are put in place to safeguard brand value and support long‑term commercial growth.
 
Building up a strong brand naturally includes its commercial exploitation. We offer comprehensive legal services for all aspects of IP exploitation, including licensing arrangements and strategic advice on acquiring or disposing of rights in brands.
 
The team also has substantial expertise in registered and unregistered design matters, including strategies for clearing and protecting 2D and 3D designs across a wide range of sectors.
 
The team advises clients from SMEs to multinationals on their global brand protection strategy and provides the following services:

• Clearance searching to assess the availability and registrability of proposed trade marks and designs.
• Advice on brand selection choices.
• Filing services to register a trade mark or register a design at UK, EU or international level.
• Strategic management of national and international trade mark and design portfolios, including supporting clients with their internal brand registration and enforcement policies.
• Watching services to provide early warning of competitor activity.
• Handling contentious IP office proceedings, including oppositions, revocations and invalidity actions at the UKIPO, and appeals to both the Appointed Person and High Court.
• Settlement negotiations with third parties and drafting co-existence agreements.
  Trade mark renewals.
• Conducting IP audits to identify gaps in existing rights and advising where to bolster protection.
• Consolidation of registered rights and support with corporate restructuring, including transfers to holding companies.
• IP due diligence to support corporate transactions and IPOs and drafting assignments to transfer rights.
• Commercial agreements for licensing brand rights, including franchising, distribution and manufacture.
• Advice on proper trade mark use on product packaging and in advertising, including comparative advertising.
   
  There is no point in ring‑fencing trade mark or design rights without enforcing them. Our specialist trade mark attorneys and IP dispute resolution solicitors work closely together and act on behalf of clients to enforce their rights or defend them in all types of intellectual property disputes.