When should a startup company register a trade mark?

By Paul Bicknell

Generally, the registration of a trade mark in the UK takes 4 to 5 months, so it is advisable for a proprietor prior to the launch of a product or company to get the registration process of a mark under way soon.

There is one axiom to note however; the applicant must have a genuine intention to use the trade mark, indeed in the application bundle the applicant will have to make declaration that either the mark is in use or she has a genuine intention to use the mark.

So in short, the most advisable time to register your mark will be in the developmental stages of product development or in the early stages of creating your company and provided that at least you have a genuine intention to use it.