United Kingdom
The United Kingdom is a country with great history, great industrial development and great economic influence. Having been a center of the scientific revolution, the country has given the world many talented inventors and entrepreneurs, and can certainly attract their modern counterparts. Obtaining protection and defending intellectual property rights are made easier by implementation of electronic transactions.
A variety of IP objects are available in the United Kingdom:
– Inventions or utility models, through national patent applications or PCT entry
– Trademarks, including non-traditional trademarks, through national trademark applications or Madrid registrations
– Industrial designs, through national applications or the Hague System
– Appellations of origin and geographical indications
– Copyright (automatic protection)
– Plant varieties (as plant breeders rights)
The UK Patent and Trademark Office conducts correspondence in English. A UK address is required for conducting correspondence with the office, which means that foreign applicant without a local address should find a local attorney for assistance.
Average examination timeframe for applications for inventions and utility models is about 4-5 years from the filing date, and about 4-6 months for trademark applications, assuming smooth proceeding.
Trademark examination procedure involves no examination on earlier rights, only examining the trademarks on inherent distinctiveness grounds. The applications will be published for oppositions by third parties for two months, viable to be extended for one further month. Even after registrations, trademark can be contested by third parties at any times.
For industrial designs, protection can be obtained within 2-3 weeks, since no examination of the novelty and originality of the design is conducted.
For general information on the costs, please contact us at quotes@patentica.com or info@patentica.com, and we will be happy to provide a precise calculation for your particular situation, including any unorthodox matters. If it concerns potential oppositions, litigation or other such cases that are usually based on an hourly rate, please send us a brief description of the circumstances. We will analyze the case and prepare a detailed professional estimation of associated costs.