Trade Mark Lawyers

Briffa is a specialist trade mark legal practice. We have significant experience in protecting registered marks across the globe and a team of London-based trade mark lawyers who deal with trade mark matters on a daily basis.

We can advise on the registrability of your brand name, we can file applications anywhere in the world, we can use watching software to notify you of similar brand names, and we can enforce your rights against those that infringe.

In short, we provide services covering trade mark registration, trade mark protection, and trade mark infringement.

London’s Leading Trademark Lawyers, Established in 1995

Briffa has been protecting the intellectual property of many organisations, personalities and celebrities for over twenty-five years. Our trade mark filing and watching services sit alongside our licensing practice and other specialist IP protection and exploitation services, ensuring that you receive the necessary assistance to grow your business and trade mark portfolio.

A trade mark gives you the exclusive right to use your brand in relation to what you do. We can review your potential trade marks before you invest time and money in trademarking your product or service. We will help you assess whether it makes sense to do so, looking at all your available options, the cost and how it works.

Our dual-qualified lawyers can represent you at the UK Intellectual Property Office, the EU Intellectual Property Office and, via our network of like-minded, results-focused associates, anywhere else in the world.

Client Testimonial

“I approached Briffa for an initial appointment about trademarking the name of my web application business. I met with Anastasia who helped me to understand the process very clearly and comprehensively. We covered a lot of information relevant to the specific name I had chosen as well as the general process of trademarking a name and other things to consider when starting a web application business.

The meeting was extremely helpful and informative, reassuring me on my initial concerns, but at the same time bringing up important areas I had not considered previously. Along with the comprehensive follow-up I received it has set me up very well for the challenges ahead.”

– Tim Benger, Trade Mark Services Client

How Can We Help?

Trade Mark Registration Services

To successfully register a trade mark, you’ll first need to check that nobody else is already using it in relation to the same or similar goods and services. It’s also important to avoid trademarking words that have become common language in your industry. Trade mark applications in the UK can take about 4-6 months, while European Union Trade Mark (EUTM) applications, which cover the whole of the EU (including the UK) can take 6 months. Our highly skilled trademark solicitors are experienced in undertaking searches and registering trade marks.

Trade Mark Infringement Services

It is vital to act quickly when a trade mark infringement occurs. Having spent time and money registering your brand or product, the best remedy is to prevent or stop the infringement early. This means staying alert and being proactive in enforcing your legal rights, collecting evidence and going down the injunction route if necessary. Briffa has extensive experience and a strong reputation in resolving trade mark infringement disputes.

Trade Mark Protection Services

Briffa offers a fixed-free trade mark protection service called BrandProtect. For payment of just £190 including VAT per mark per year, you can protect all your brands and gain access to advice on any trade mark dispute covered by the BrandProtect service, plus a fighting fund of up to £100,000. Simply call the BrandProtect helpline any time you need advice from our trade mark lawyers. You can make as many calls to the BrandProtect helpline as you need — it’s all included in the annual fee.

Passing Off Claims

A trade mark that has been used and has some goodwill attached to it can be protected in some countries under the common law of passing off. This law comes into play when a competitor deliberately seeks to benefit by confusing a buyer into thinking that the goods or services on sale have some connection with your product or service, resulting in your business suffering loss and being damaged. Briffa can provide legal advice on passing off issues, claims, or disputes.

Why Choose Briffa?

We have been providing trade mark services since 1995

We offer a free consultation to discuss your brand protection needs before any fixed fee quotes are given

We have offices in the UK, the Republic of Ireland and Malta

We offer an industry leading service with short turnaround times and business-focused advice

Frequently Asked Questions

A trade mark is a signifier of origin. Every business in the world has a name and this is how consumers distinguish you from your competition. Owning that name is vital and registering the name as a trade mark is the best way to protect it. But trade marks don’t just protect words, they can also monopolise logos or slogans, and, in some cases, product shapes and colours.

For this reason, a trade mark is an extremely strong intellectual property right and something no business can do without.

There are three main reasons to register a trade mark, which apply to every business. The first is the obvious one, registering a trade mark allows you to stop third parties from using the same or similar name in relation to the same (or similar) goods and services. Second, going through the trade mark application process is the best way to ensure that your brand name doesn’t infringe on someone else’s registered brand (which can lead to significant legal issues in the future). Last, but certainly not least is the fact that a trade mark is a significant commercial asset, often the first thing an investor or eventual purchaser of your business will look for and a clear indication that your brand name is more than just “known” and is in fact “owned”.

The length of time it takes to register a trade mark depends on where you are registering. In the UK, applications take approximately 3-4 months to get through to registration whereas in the EU it’s more like 4-6 months.

The key, however, is to get your application underway. As soon as you do, you’ll have a filing date and a trade mark number, this flag in the ground will be vital should competitors try to register a similar brand name after you.

If you believe another individual or company is using your trade mark (or something similar) then you should try to collect some evidence, with screenshots and website links being best. Next, you should speak to an expert on intellectual property law. If that’s us, then we will assess the details of the case and advise on the best course of action. The aim always should be to bring about an end to infringement in the quickest and most cost-effective way possible.

Trade Mark Case Study

Often, it requires some creative thinking for a business to get around a trade mark problem. One of our clients wanted to secure a logo mark, but found there was already a mark on the register that would block their mark from being successfully registered.

Sometimes, it’s possible to enter into a co-existence agreement with the owner of the blocking mark, so each side knows how the other will develop their business and avoid overlapping one another. However, in situations like our client’s case, the blocking mark was so close to our client’s mark that a co-existence agreement simply was not possible.

To resolve the issue, we searched for similar marks predating the blocking mark. We were looking for any mark similar to our client’s intended mark, but owned by an individual or company that may consider selling to our client.

We eventually found a mark fitting the bill and approached the owner. We agreed on a deal suitable to both sides, and the owner even handed over the domain name associated with the mark as an extra.

With a creative, outside-the-box approach to solving the problem, our client was able to secure a trade mark they were happy with.

Meet Our Team

Meet some of our specialist trade mark lawyers who can assess your legal matters and advise on the best solution for you.

William Miles

Partner

Éamon Chawke

Partner

Hasnath Ahemd

Associate

Anastasia Troshkova

Solicitor

Latest Blog Posts

The Briffa Blog is your go-to resource for advice on intellectual property law, the legal implications of Brexit and all kinds of legal issues that can affect businesses like yours.

The good, the bad and the infringement risks associated with upcycling branded goods

As I was scrolling through Instagram (as you do), I came across a fascinating video of a lady who turned a disposable shopping bag from…

Burberry v Baneberry

The world-renowned British fashion chain Burberry has recently secured a rarely granted injunction in China restraining a competitor from using similar trade marks to its…

Help! I’ve received a Notice of Threatened Opposition, what do I do now?

Well let’s start by explaining what a Notice of Threatened Opposition actually is… essentially it’s a form (called a TM7A if you’re interested) that potential…

What Our Clients Say

Briffa has served hundreds of satisfied clients across a broad range of sectors since our creation in 1995. We’re proud to be leading intellectual property solicitors, but don’t just take our word for it
— here’s what our clients have to say.

“Having Briffa on my side and fighting my case really did fill me with confidence. Every step of the way they guided me and kept me informed. My lawyer Thomas Synott is amazing and comes highly recommended. As a creative and small business owner I would advise the services of Briffa and and there excellent staff.”

Anthony McEwan

“Alex Fewtrell and the team at Briffa were very generous with time and knowledge in aiding me to achieve my desired goal. I felt supported and understood, paramount in legal disputes. I would highly recommend for those in the creative sector.”

Masha Karpushina

“Extremely helpful and really great advice. Hasnath listened to my concerns and gave me some strong advice which has made a huge difference to my small business! Thank you so much.”

Lauren Wood

“ My experience with Briffa has been brilliant. I approached Tom Synott about some copyright and IP help and the advice I received from the get go was superb. Tom’s response time has always been incredible and he has really gone above and beyond to hep me with any queries I had, both by phone and email. He really helped me sort out the problem I had with excellent knowledge and efficiency. Thank you!! ”

Anya Angert

“ Working with Briffa and the IP team has been a fabulous experience and I will be calling on them again should the need arise for expert advise. HIGHLY recommended. ”

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“ Briffa, and William in particular, came highly recommended. William was responsive, straight forward and helped me think through all the possible avenues which lay ahead. He made a process which could have been complicated feel incredibly straight forward. I am very grateful. ”

Poppy Mardall

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