Comparison · Business · 2026
Trademark vs Company Name Registration UK 2026: What Actually Protects Your Brand
Many new business owners assume that registering a company name at Companies House protects their brand. It does not. Company name registration is an administrative step that only prevents another company registering an identical name. A registered trademark is the only way to gain legal, enforceable protection over your brand name and logo across the goods and services you actually sell. Here is how the two differ in 2026.
TL;DR - 30-Second Summary
- - Company name registration: £50 (or £12 online), prevents identical company names at Companies House only, no brand protection
- - Trademark: £170+ per class at the IPO, protects your brand name/logo UK-wide for 10 years, renewable, enforceable against infringers
- - Best practice: register the trademark for real brand protection; the company name registration alone leaves you exposed to a forced rebrand
Side by Side: Trademark vs Company Name Registration
| Feature | Trademark (IPO) | Company Name (Companies House) |
|---|---|---|
| What it protects | Brand name, logo, in specified goods/services classes | Only the exact company registration record |
| Cost | £170 for 1 class online, +£50 per extra class | £50 (or £12 fully online) |
| Stops similar names trading? | Yes — can object to confusingly similar marks | No — only blocks identical company names |
| Geographic scope | Whole of UK for the registered classes | Companies House register only |
| Duration | 10 years, renewable indefinitely | Indefinite while the company remains active |
| Enforceable in court | Yes — trademark infringement action | No direct infringement remedy |
| Processing time | Around 4 months if unopposed | Usually same day to 24 hours |
What Company Name Registration Actually Does
When you incorporate a limited company, Companies House checks your proposed name against its register of existing company names and rejects names that are identical or "too similar" under a narrow technical test (largely limited to punctuation, common suffixes and minor spelling variants). This check exists purely to avoid administrative confusion between companies on the register — it has nothing to do with trademark law or brand protection.
A different company operating in a different sector, or as a sole trader, or trading under a brand name that differs slightly from its registered company name, can legally use a name very close to yours without Companies House intervening at all.
What a Trademark Actually Does
A registered trademark gives you an exclusive legal right to use the mark for the specific classes of goods or services you register (there are 45 international classes, e.g. Class 25 for clothing, Class 35 for business services). It allows you to stop others using an identical or confusingly similar mark in the same or related sectors, to license the mark to others, and to pursue infringement claims and damages through the courts.
Registration also acts as a public deterrent: the mark appears on the IPO register, which anyone doing due diligence (including competitors clearing their own new brand names) will search before adopting a similar name.
Why You Usually Need Both
Company name registration and trademark registration serve different purposes and most established businesses need both. The company name is a legal requirement to incorporate and trade as a limited company, and appears on invoices, contracts and Companies House filings. The trademark is what protects the commercial value of your brand — the thing customers actually recognise and associate with your reputation.
A common and costly mistake is spending years building brand recognition under a company name with no trademark, only to find a competitor has since registered the trademark and can legally demand you stop using your own established brand.
Who Should Prioritise What?
- - You are pre-revenue and just testing an idea
- - Your business trades only under generic descriptive terms with no distinctive branding
- - You have very limited budget and cannot yet stretch to the IPO fee
- - You are investing in marketing, packaging or a distinctive logo
- - You plan to franchise, license or sell the business one day
- - Competitors could plausibly copy your name or branding
- - You are launching a product or service to a national audience