This is the fourth and final part of the company name blog series. But as with all good things, they eventually must come to an end. In this final post of the series, we’ll discuss the different ways of protecting a company name.
Protecting a company name
If you register as a limited company, unfortunately, this doesn’t mean that your business name is fully protected. To fully protect your business name, you’ll still need to register a company with Companies House and with the UK Intellectual Property Office (for UK trademarks).
The reason you should both register a company and register a trademark is so you get 2 different forms of protection from 2 different organizations.
What protection you get when you form a limited company
When you register as a limited company, you submit your desired company name to Companies House as part of the application. This then prevents other businesses from registering a new company with the same name or something similar to what you have registered.
However, this doesn’t protect it by trademark law, which means that someone else can register a trademark that represents your brand, hindering your company’s growth. Our expert trademark attorneys are on hand if you’ve already registered your company name with Companies House and want to further protect your business. Click here to book a free call to discuss your trademark.
If you still need to register your business as a limited company, to protect your company name from being used by someone else, or even if you just want to make sure it’s still available, click here.
What protection you get when you register a trademark
When you trademark your company name, you’re protected according to trademark law and can initiate infringement proceedings should anyone use your trademark without your consent.
The main advantage of registering a trademark is that it can offer protection on much more than just your company name. You trademark a logo, catchphrase, combination of colours and so much more, giving you more holistic protection of your company and brand.
Should a court case occur, and you need to prove ownership of your brand, having a trademark will make proving your case a lot easier than without one. Not to mention having a trademark is a valuable asset that can be sold to a buyer, used as security on loans.
Trademarks can be tricky to get approved. If you’re interested in registering a trademark, Book a call with our expert trademark attorneys for a free consultation to discuss your trademark and what options you have here.
Check out all the other parts of this blog series below:
Part 1: Choosing A Company Name