Brookes Batchellor recorded the greatest increase in the number of Community Trade Marks filed in the annual table published recently in the journal of the Institute of Trade Mark Attorneys, the professional body representing trade mark professionals in the UK. The amazing 134 per cent rise in filings by the firm was very satisfying for the Trade Mark team, not so much because it’s satisfying to appear in league tables but because it’s an encouraging indicator that business confidence is rising as companies look to expand their export activities.

Each year the Institute of Trade Mark Attorneys compiles a league table of trade marks lodged each year. In 2010, Brookes Batchellor recorded the highest percentage increase in the number of European trade marks, technically known as Community Trade Marks or CTMs, of any Patent & Trade Mark firm. Community Trade Marks allow a company or individual to register a brand across the whole of the European Union with a single filing, ideal for a company planning to exploit markets in Europe to protect their brand.

The company’s Trade Mark team, led by partner Jane Martin, file trade marks on behalf of clients to protect their brands, as well as advising on potential infringements by rivals. CTM’s form only a part of the department’s workload – many trade marks are registered only in the UK, while the firm runs global protection programmes for some of its bigger clients. Jane said:

“It’s great to have ranked so highly on this list not just because it records the fact that 2010 was a particularly good year for us, but because it means our clients – many of them local companies from Kent, Sussex and Surrey – are planning to expand and exploit their intellectual property on a European scale.

“Our clients include a whole range of businesses, including pharmaceutical companies, toy manufacturers, financial service companies and food companies, some local, many national and some global, who want to protect their name, brands and products in the UK and around the world.”

Brookes Batchellor, based in Tunbridge Wells and Clerkenwell in London, specialises in protecting Intellectual property in the UK, Europe and the rest of the world. If you’d like to discuss the value that trade marks might add to your business and your brands, please phone Jane Martin or Clare Turnbull on 01892 510600 or contact them using the Contact Button above right.