MW Trade Marks

The UKIPO’s revised trade mark fees took effect on 1 April 2026. If you are planning an application or renewal, use the current figures when preparing your budget.

Key official fees

• A standard online UK trade mark application costs £205 for one class, with £60 for each additional class.
• An online renewal costs £245 for one class, with £60 for each additional class.

These are official fees for the stated procedures, not a quote for professional advice or the total cost of every matter. Other filing routes and additional work may attract different fees.

What should your registration budget cover?

Consider the mark, the goods and services, the territories and any search or advice needed before filing. Ask what the quote includes and what would happen if an objection or opposition arose.

At MW Trade Marks, registration starts from £500, including official fees. VAT is additional where applicable. Your quote depends on the work required. See our trade mark registration services and searches and clearance advice.

Plan renewals in good time

UK trade mark registrations can normally be renewed up to six months before expiry. Check the relevant registration, renewal date and goods and services, and allow time to resolve any ownership or portfolio questions.

The opportunity described in earlier notices to renew before 31 March 2026 at the previous rates has passed. A renewal that is already overdue needs separate advice on timing and additional fees.

Get a quote for the work you need

Send us your proposed mark or registration details and explain your plans. We can clarify the scope of the work and help you budget for protection.

Contact MW Trade Marks for advice and a quote.

Fees checked 26 September 2026. Sources: UKIPO forms and fees and UKIPO fee-change guidance.

If your business trades in Jersey or Guernsey, review protection for each territory individually. Do not assume that a UK registration or a UK designation under the Madrid System answers every question about Channel Islands protection.

Jersey changed its system in August 2026

Jersey introduced its new primary trade mark registration system on 1 August 2026. It also became a separate designation under the Madrid System. New international filings need to identify Jersey separately where protection there is required.

Existing international registrations require a different assessment. WIPO’s transitional arrangements provide for Jersey designations to be recorded for qualifying earlier UK designations. The outcome depends on the date and status of the UK protection. Check the record before assuming either that protection is missing or that a fresh application is needed.

Guernsey has a separate system

Guernsey offers national and Madrid filing routes. Madrid coverage became available from 1 January 2021, so this is not a new change introduced at the same time as Jersey’s 2026 reforms.

The appropriate route depends on the rights already held, the mark and the business’s wider filing plans. Jersey and Guernsey should be considered separately when reviewing coverage and renewals.

What should a portfolio review cover?

• The territories in which you sell or plan to trade.
• The registered owner, mark and protected goods or services.
• Existing local registrations and international designations.
• The status of any transitional Jersey protection.
• Renewal dates and any changes to ownership or contact details.

Send us your registration details and commercial plans. We can help establish the current position and compare the steps needed for each territory.

Advice for your business

MW Trade Marks can coordinate international trade mark protection and help keep your portfolio aligned with your markets.

Contact us about trade mark protection in the Channel Islands.

Reviewed 26 September 2026. Sources: WIPO’s Jersey guidance; WIPO notice on Guernsey; Jersey registry announcement.

If another business uses your trade mark, including a company within your own group, the licensing arrangements deserve attention before a dispute arises.

A written licence and an application to record it at the UKIPO serve different purposes. The agreement sets out the permitted use; recordal can affect the statutory protections available when infringement occurs.

Why recordal matters

The Court of Appeal’s decision in Lifestyle Equities v Frasers Group [2026] EWCA Civ 583 highlights the importance of applying to record a licence where a proprietor seeks to recover losses suffered by a licensee. It is not enough to assume that bringing the claim in the owner’s name avoids the issue.

The distinction between applying for recordal and completed registration matters. The timing of an application, the losses claimed and applicable limitation periods all require assessment. An unrecorded licence does not, by itself, mean that the underlying trade mark registration automatically becomes invalid.

Check who owns and uses the brand

Ownership may sit with one company while an operating company, distributor or other business uses the mark. Review the actual arrangements and the rights involved rather than relying solely on an informal understanding.

• Confirm the registered proprietor and the identity of each permitted user.
• Review the written terms, relevant marks, goods and services, territories and duration.
• Check whether the licence and any relevant sub-licences have been recorded.
• Keep records of use and identify which business suffers any loss.
• Review the arrangements when ownership or commercial relationships change.

Put the arrangements in order

MW Trade Marks can assist with drafting and recording trade mark licences, and with reviewing existing arrangements as part of your portfolio management. If infringement is already suspected, seek disputes advice promptly so that rights, evidence and deadlines can be assessed together.

Contact us about trade mark licensing and recordal.

Prepared 26 September 2026. References: UKIPO licensing guidance; Lifestyle Equities v Frasers Group [2026] EWCA Civ 583. General information; individual arrangements require advice.

Businesses planning to protect their brands in Saudi Arabia will soon have another filing route to consider. The Madrid Protocol enters into force there on 8 October 2026, according to WIPO.

From that date, eligible trade mark holders in other Madrid System members will be able to designate Saudi Arabia through the international registration system.

What does this change for your business?

The Madrid System provides a central route for seeking protection in participating territories. Saudi Arabia’s inclusion may help businesses coordinate its protection with applications in other markets.

This is an additional route to assess alongside national filing. It does not mean that an existing international registration automatically extends to Saudi Arabia, or that protection is guaranteed simply because a designation is filed.

Will the Madrid route cost less?

Centralised filing and administration may offer efficiencies, particularly where a business is seeking protection in several countries. The overall cost will depend on the application, the goods and services, the applicable fees and any issues raised during examination.

We recommend comparing the available routes against your circumstances rather than assuming that one will always be cheaper. Any need for local advice or a response to an objection should also be considered.

What should you prepare?

• Identify the name or logo you want to protect.
• Describe the products and services you intend to offer in Saudi Arabia.
• Gather details of existing national and international registrations.
• Tell us about launch plans, distributors and any relevant deadlines.
• Consider whether searches and clearance advice are needed before committing to the brand.

Do not postpone an urgent filing solely to wait for the new route. The right timing depends on your plans and any deadlines affecting the application.

Plan protection around your markets

MW Trade Marks can help you assess international trade mark protection and coordinate your strategy for Saudi Arabia with your wider portfolio. Our searches and clearance advice can support decisions about a proposed brand.

Contact us to discuss protection in Saudi Arabia.

Prepared 26 September 2026, ahead of the commencement date. Source: WIPO announcement on Saudi Arabia joining the Madrid System.

If your business holds a UK trade mark created from an EU registration after Brexit, 2026 is a useful time to review how that mark is being used and what evidence you hold.

A comparable UK registration does not automatically disappear because a date has passed. However, a lack of genuine UK use may leave it vulnerable to a non-use challenge and affect your ability to rely on it in a dispute.

What is a comparable UK trade mark?

On 1 January 2021, the UKIPO created comparable UK rights from existing registered EU trade marks. These are separate UK registrations, with their own renewal and management requirements.

Why does UK use matter in 2026?

The transitional rules allow EU use before 1 January 2021 to be considered where it falls within the relevant five-year period. Use in the EU outside the UK after that date does not count as UK use for this purpose.

For a five-year period falling wholly after the transition, pre-2021 EU use will therefore no longer assist. The assessment depends on the relevant dates, the goods or services concerned, the nature of the use and any proper reasons for non-use. It is not simply a question of whether the business has made any sale somewhere in Europe.

What should you review?

• Identify comparable UK registrations within your portfolio.
• Check which protected goods and services are genuinely used in the UK.
• Keep dated evidence showing the mark, the relevant products or services and the UK activity.
• Review who owns the mark and who uses it, including group companies and licensees.
• Consider whether the registrations still match your commercial plans.

Invoices, packaging, advertising and sales records may help build an evidence picture. Their value depends on what they demonstrate when considered together.

Seek advice before a challenge becomes urgent

If you are planning to oppose another application, enforce your rights or respond to a non-use allegation, obtain advice on the relevant registration and evidence. Do not assume that a registration is automatically unenforceable, or that its presence on the register resolves every issue.

MW Trade Marks can review your trade mark portfolio, assess your UK and international protection, and advise on disputes and enforcement.

Contact us to discuss your comparable UK trade marks.

Guidance reviewed 26 September 2026. General information; the position depends on the circumstances of each registration. Source: UKIPO guidance on comparable UK trade marks.