Should you trademark your app name in the UK?

October 29th, 2026 at 02:56 pm

By Ronak Shah, Nordstone  |  Last updated: October 2026

Yes, if the name will matter to your business, and ideally before you launch. A UK trade mark costs £205 for one class, lasts 10 years and usually registers in around three to four months. It is the only thing that lets you stop others using your name. Registering a company, a domain or an app-store listing does not.

TL;DR

• Cost: from 1 April 2026 the UKIPO charges £205 for one class and £60 for each extra class, according to CITMA. Renewal is £245 online.
• Timing: an unopposed application is usually granted around three to four months from filing, and the registration lasts 10 years before renewal.
• What protects your name: only a trade mark. Companies House says registering a company name does not automatically protect it under trade mark law.
• App stores: a store listing is not a right. Apple’s guideline 5.2.1 expects apps to come from the person or entity that owns or has licensed the intellectual property.
• Check first: search before you commit, because GOV UK says names that are descriptive, non-distinctive or confusingly similar to existing marks may be refused.
• Limits: a UK trade mark covers the UK and Isle of Man only, and it does not protect your code. That is a copyright question.

Do you need to trademark your app name in the UK?

You do not have to, and plenty of apps launch without one. But a name is often the most valuable thing you build, because it is what customers search for, recommend and remember. If someone else can use it, or if you are forced to change it a year in, you lose that value.

There are only two routes to protection. Unregistered names can be protected through the law of passing off, but Pinsent Masons’ guide explains you must prove goodwill, a misrepresentation by the other trader and damage, and your rights are tied to where you actually trade. A registered trade mark is simpler to enforce: it covers the whole UK and does not require you to prove a reputation first.

So the sensible test is this. If the name will be central to your business, you plan to spend on marketing, or you intend to raise money or sell the company, register it. If it is a working title that you may drop, wait.

What does a trade mark protect, and what doesn’t it?

A trade mark protects the sign that identifies your product: the name, a logo, or both. It lets you stop others using a same or similar sign for the same or similar goods or services. It does not protect your idea, your features or your code.

That distinction trips people up. Your code and designs are covered by copyright, which arises automatically, and for commissioned work the British Copyright Council notes the author keeps the copyright unless a contract says otherwise, with any assignment in writing. Our guide on who owns the code explains the clauses to look for when an agency builds your app.

Image 1: a trade mark, copyright and a company name protect different things.

Your company name is a third thing again. Companies House says incorporation stops another company being registered with the same name, but that is separate from trade mark law, and trade marks are registered by the Intellectual Property Office, not Companies House. The same goes for a domain name and for a listing on the App Store or Google Play: none of them gives you trade mark rights.

Can you trademark your app name?

Not every name qualifies. GOV.UK’s guidance on unacceptable trade marks says a mark must be distinctive for the goods and services you provide. Names that simply describe what you do can be refused, as can marks that indicate geographical origin, contain protected emblems, or are already registered to someone else.

In practice, invented or unusual names are easiest to register. A made-up word, or an ordinary word used in an unrelated way, usually has a better chance than something like Cheap Quotes App, which describes itself. If you are still choosing a name, it is worth testing it against these rules before you buy a domain and design a logo.

Searching comes first. Check the UK trade mark register, both app stores, Companies House and domain names, and look for similar names as well as identical ones, because similarity is what causes problems. GOV.UK warns against applying without advice if you already know of the same or a similar mark.

How do you register a UK trade mark, step by step?

The process is run by the UK Intellectual Property Office and can be done online without a solicitor. The timeline below shows the usual path, and the table adds the costs.

Image 2: a typical UK trade mark application when nobody objects.

Source: GOV.UK, Register a trade mark for the process and timings; CITMA for the fees from 1 April 2026. Timings are typical for straightforward cases. Objections, oppositions and negotiations add time.

Classes are the part founders find fiddly. You must choose at least one class and one term, and your protection applies only to the classes and terms you choose, so GOV.UK advises picking only what is relevant to your plans for the next five years. The UKIPO’s classification guidance explains that the 45 classes group goods (classes 1 to 34) and services (classes 35 to 45), and that each class has a list of pre-approved terms you select from. Which classes fit an app depends on what it does and how it is delivered, so use the search tool that guidance points to, or ask an attorney, before you file. You cannot add goods or services after filing.

Do not use the ® symbol until the mark is actually registered. Under section 95 of the Trade Marks Act 1994, falsely representing that a mark is registered, including by using a symbol that refers to registration, is an offence. While your application is pending, many businesses use ™ to show they claim the name, but it carries no legal protection.

How much does it cost to trademark an app name?

The fees are small next to the cost of building the app. From 1 April 2026, the UKIPO charges £205 for one class online and £60 for each additional class, up from £170 and £50, as CITMA reports. Renewal every 10 years is £245 for one class online. GOV.UK also offers an optional Right Start service that checks your application before you pay the full fee; its current price is on the GOV.UK fees page.

Professional help costs extra. A trade mark attorney can run the search, choose the classes and handle objections, and fees vary, so ask for a fixed quote. For a straightforward, distinctive name, many founders file themselves. For a valuable brand, a crowded sector or an unusual name, advice is cheap insurance.

To put it in context, a UK app typically costs tens of thousands of pounds to build, so a few hundred pounds to protect the name is rarely the budget issue. Our UK app development cost guide shows what building actually costs, and our list of hidden costs of app development covers the smaller items that catch founders out.

When should you file?

As early as you are sure of the name, and before anything expensive depends on it. In practice that means before you commission branding, before you buy a domain you will not want to lose, and before you submit to the stores. The registration takes around three to four months in a clean case, so filing the week before launch is too late to have a registered mark on day one.

If you are still deciding whether the product is worth building, do the cheaper work first. Our guide to validating your app idea covers that, and our app development brief template helps you capture the name and branding decisions in your project brief.

Timing also matters for other countries. A UK trade mark covers the UK and the Isle of Man only, according to GOV.UK, and overseas registration follows different processes. Under the Paris Convention, a later application abroad can claim the date of your first filing if it is made within six months; the UK’s version of the rule is in section 35 of the Trade Marks Act 1994, and Pinsent Masons describes the same six-month window. So if you plan to launch in the EU or the US, decide your overseas markets within six months of your UK filing and take advice on the routes.

What do the App Store and Google Play say about names?

They are enforcers, not registers. Apple’s App Review Guidelines say in guideline 5.2.1 that apps should be submitted by the person or legal entity that owns or has licensed the intellectual property.

The practical lesson is to line up your developer account, your legal entity and your name before you submit. Our App Store and Google Play launch guide explains accounts and the review process. A store listing does not give you trade mark rights, so a stranger who registers the name first can cause you real trouble, whoever was on the store first.

What if someone already uses a similar name?

Take it seriously, and early. A similar name used for similar goods or services can lead to an objection, an opposition after publication, or a legal claim after launch. Changing a name before you have spent on marketing costs a few days. Changing it afterwards costs the marketing, the reviews and the search rankings.

If the other name is registered, consider changing yours, or take advice on whether the two can coexist. If it is only used informally, passing off may still apply where that business has built goodwill. Either way, this is the point to speak to an adviser, because the answer depends on facts, not rules of thumb.

When you hire an agency, ask who is responsible for name checks, and agree ownership of the name, domains and store accounts in writing. Our list of questions to ask an agency before signing includes the ownership questions.

Do you need a solicitor or trade mark attorney?

Not for a simple application. GOV.UK describes the online process for individuals and businesses, and does not require professional representation. Advice is worth paying for when the name is core to your valuation, when you know of similar marks, when you receive an objection or opposition, or when you plan to register abroad.

Nordstone is an app development company, not a law firm, and nothing here is legal advice. Think of this guide as the questions to ask, not the answers to rely on.

Frequently asked questions

Planning an app and want a second pair of eyes on the brief?

If you are about to brief an agency, send us your draft and we will tell you what is missing, including name, ownership and store-account questions. Start with our app development brief template or get in touch with Nordstone.