Trademarks and Britain Overseas

Increasingly, awareness of the value of a brand is leading businesses to protect their names and logos through trademark registration. As registration is territorial in nature, only offering protection in the particular countries where an application is filed, businesses typically begin by focusing on their primary market before extending their registrations internationally. For example, a company which operates in the UK might file a UK trademark and then later take advantage of rules which allow that registration to be extended to other countries as their business develops.

There are a variety of ways to protect your trademark further afield, but it is important to appreciate that the scope of a UK trademark may not offer as broad protection as you might expect. While a UK trademark covers England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Isle of Man, it does not automatically extend to Guernsey, Jersey, the Republic of Ireland or Gibraltar. So, when devising an international trademark filing strategy it’s important not to lose sight of priorities which might be closer to home.

The Madrid system offers a way to register international trademarks based on an earlier filing, and a European Community Trade Mark (CTM) registration can protect your brand in nearly 30 countries, but it may surprise you to learn that, even together with a UK application, these will not cover all of your bases. There isn’t scope in this article to detail all of the Crown Dependencies (such as Jersey or Guernsey) or British Overseas Territories (such as Gibraltar or the Cayman Islands), but to give an indication of what might be involved to trademark a name in some of the countries which might be relevant to you, we have summarised some of the intricacies of the system below.

Jersey Trademarks

Jersey has its own trademarks registry, and is not party to the Madrid system but is covered by European (CTM) registrations. So if you have only registered your trademark in the UK, you would need to either re-register in Jersey or secure a CTM. One curiosity is that, although UK registrations do not extend automatically to Jersey, an international application that designates the UK does offer protection in Jersey.

Guernsey Trademarks

As with Jersey, Guernsey has its own trademarks registry and is not part of the international Madrid system. However, CTM registration does not protect your trademark in Guernsey, and nor will an international registration designating the UK. So, it is necessary to register directly.

Trademarks in the Republic of Ireland

There are three ways to protect your trademark in Ireland. If you operate elsewhere in Europe, then a CTM may the best way forwards, and you can also designate Ireland as part of an international application through the Madrid system. Alternatively, if you don’t need wider protection you can file directly with the Irish Patents Office.

Trademarks in Gibraltar

The European system also covers Gibraltar, so if you would like to register a trademark in Gibraltar you will need to either file directly in that country, secure international protection designating the EU, or register a Community Trade Mark

Cover your bases

Only a handful of jurisdictions are mentioned above, and there are a range of former British Protectorates and Commonwealth territories, Bailiwick’s and other Crown Dependencies, and British Overseas Territiories which each have their own particular quirks. Bearing in mind the diversity of routes available when registering trademarks internationally, through national registration, re-registration based on national marks, the CTM system, the Madrid Protocol and the Madrid Agreement, a well thought out strategy for securing protection of your brand is crucial. Without expert advice, it’s easy to leave gaps.

If you want to protect your brand internationally, let us know by completing our enquiry form. In the meantime, if you want to learn more about the legal aspects of branding why not buy a copy of Legally Branded, a book that explains the relevant law in an accessible way?