Trade Mark Registry Launches Right Start

October 1, 2009

The UK Trade Mark Registry has launched a new trade mark application service called Right Start which goes live today.

Under the Right Start service applicants will be able to test whether their trade mark will be accepted by examiners before committing to the full registration process and cost.  They will only have to pay half the normal filing fee initially in order to receive an examination report.

Once the Registry send an examination report they will then have 14 days in which to decide whether they want to pay the remaining half of the filing fee or abandon the application.

So this new procedure is relevant for those names where there is doubt as to whether there may be an absolute grounds refusal (e.g. if the logo is simply a stylized word mark and the name is not sufficiently distinctive).  So clients would be able to receive a provisional assessment from a trade mark examiner without risking the full filing fee as before.  A related benefit for some clients is that they can stagger the payment of the trade mark filing fee into two parts.

The standard trade mark application service still continues as before.