Hi,

As the title suggests I'm after a local (Sheffield) based Solicitor who specialises in Business names / trademarks.

I have a couple of new business ideas and would like to check if the Business names I have in mind can be used without them being classed as "Passing Off".

I'd be interested to hear from anyone who offers "half our free" service or somebody who doesn't charge a bomb!

Thanks

Senta will give you a list of solicitors that give half hour free sessions, you need to go and discuss your business to get it though

Someone I know has gone through a similar thing and they rang the government body responsible for administering trademarks....

It might be an idea to start with the intellectual propery office (type it into google I can't post a link yet....)

Short of doing the online check yourself, nodody will do the full search for free im afraid. All any IP lawyer can do is advise you.

The National Business Register www.anewbusiness.co.uk do trademark registration as well as business name registration (though the latter has no legal status in itself) but legally with or without a trademark, you can fight the passing off thing. Certainly, you can check here for all names, i.e. sole traders, partnerships and limited companies, plus check domain names and trademarked names. Thy link to the oficial websites of IPO and Companies House so its as accurate as it can be.

FixedFeeIP.co.uk are a sheffield based business that do it. Says £450 on their website (+ vat I think) to apply for the trademark registration .I think its £60 for the search alone.

You can apply for a trademark online if you want to DIY, for £200 + vat.

Theres more to it than can be said here and there are grey areas. You can get a lot of info off the website www.ipo.gov.uk