150 years ago, a representative of the Bass Brewing Company queued overnight in freezing temperatures to be the first to apply for a trade mark on the UK’s newly minted register. Now boasting more than 2.5m active registrations, the UK register continues to be the single source of trade mark truth, recording the entrepreneurial ambitions of businesses worldwide.

Alongside all the international trade marks are those of iconic UK companies that define “Britishness” and the country’s impact across the realms of fashion, sport, cars, entertainment, and more.

Here’s a run-down of eight of the best:

Car: Aston Martin

The Aston Martin is a beautiful car. Elegant lines, powerful V12 engine, agile handling, and undeniable class. Add a genre-defining movie franchise as the car of choice for a certain Mr… “Bond, James Bond” and you guarantee it legendary status.

The first Aston Martin trade mark was registered on 21 March 1965 (UK00000877064), and the company now owns 103 registered marks covering model names such as DB7, Virage, and Vanquish. It also has less conventional marks, such as a 3D mark for the configuration of air vents and one for a grill.

Honourable mentions: Other iconic UK car brands include Rolls Royce, Jaguar, and the Reliant Robin – a small three-wheeled car built by Tamworth motor company and made famous by Derek Del-boy Trotter in Only Fools and Horses.

Fashion: Burberry

Widely regarded as a quintessential British brand, Burberry was founded in 1856 by 21-year-old draper’s apprentice Thomas Burberry. His mission: create clothing to withstand Britain’s notoriously wet and windy weather. The outcome: gabardine – a breathable, weatherproof fabric that was patented in 1888 and worn by pioneering Arctic and Antarctic explorers, including Ernest Shackleton. The company went on to invent the Trench Coat, worn by British soldiers in the trenches of WW1 and now a fashion icon. The Burberry Check pattern, introduced as a lining in the 1920s, is now one of the world’s most recognisable patterns.

The Burberry word trade mark was first registered in class 24 and 25 for textiles and clothing in June 1920, but this registration was not renewed in 2004. However, the mark was registered in more classes in November 1991 and remains live. Interestingly, the Burberry logo featuring an equestrian knight was designed through a public competition in 1901. This was registered as a figurative mark in July 1909 and is still active.

 

Confectionery: Cadbury Chocolate

The purple wrapping of a Cadbury chocolate bar is so distinctive that it is one of the world’s rare registered colour marks. The company started life in 1824 as a grocery shop in Bull Street, Birmingham, where founder John Cadbury sold cocoa and drinking chocolate that he prepared himself. By 1875, the business specialised in chocolate and launched the first Cadbury Easter Egg. Lead brand Dairy Milk launched in 1905, featuring the now-legendary “glass and a half” of milk in every bar, and the iconic “Cadbury’s Crème Egg” arrived in 1971.

Throughout its innovative history, Cadbury has protected its IP. Its earliest registration is the word mark, filed on 8 May 1886 and due for renewal on 8 May 2028. In August 2013, the company filed to register the purple colour used in its packaging (Pantone 2685C) as a trade mark. A protracted debate ensued, going all the way to the UK High Court and subject to challenges from rival Nestlé. However, the mark proceeded to registration in December 2021.

Entertainment: Harry Potter

While the aforementioned James Bond can stake a claim to influence the entertainment world, since the late 1990s J.K Rowling’s Harry Potter has become a global phenomenon. The first book in the series was published in 1997, with Warner Brothers Entertainment acquiring the film rights at around the same time, and subsequently beginning to make trademark applications. The earliest mark on the register dates from 9 September 1998.

Harry Potter books have been translated into 85 languages – with Latin, Welsh and Ancient Greek versions available. Decades of movie magic and commercialisation through merchandise, theme parks, theatre, and a soon-to-be TV reboot mean the quintessentially British boarding school experience – with a hefty dash of sorcery and villainy – has permeated cultures across the planet.

Culture: Mr Bean

The brainchild of comic Rowan Atkinson, the hapless Mr Bean proved an unlikely, but effective, brand ambassador for Britain when he hit our screens in 1990. The combination of physical comedy, situational chaos, and a lack of dialogue helped it resonate across cultures and continents. Broadcast in more than 250 territories, there have also been two feature films, Bean (1997) and Mr Bean’s Holiday (2007), that took more than $400m at the box office, and an animated series that is still produced today.

Mr Bean’s global appeal was acknowledged during his London 2012 Olympics opening ceremony cameo, which prompted laughter among the 900 million-strong global TV audience.

Mr Bean appears on the trade mark register from 6 October 1998, with owner Tiger Aspect adding registrations in various classes as his influence grew.

Music: The Spice Girls

Also playing a part in that 2012 Olympics opening ceremony were the Spice Girls – reunited for the first time since Geri Halliwell split from the group in 1998. Formed in 1994 after the five band members responded to an advert seeking singers for a new girl group, The Spice Girls brought girl power to the forefront, playing a major part in the “Cool Britannia” vibe of the mid-nineties and topping the charts in 37 countries. Record sales of more than 100 million made them the most successful female group of all time.

A movie, merchandising, and various reunions, alongside a little band controversy, kept the spice fire burning and launched each band member into solo careers in music and fashion.

The Spice Girls filed for their own mark in January 1997, having incorporated as a company – Spice Girls Ltd – in 1996 just prior to hitting the big time, and it is still active today, proving that Girl Power is alive and well and in charge of its own destiny.

Technology: Dyson

Tim Berners-Lee – widely regarded as the inventor of the internet – was another cameo in that star-spangled Olympics opening ceremony, but for technology influence, we’re going with James Dyson, who revolutionised vacuum cleaning and inadvertently made a dent in the genericidal tendencies of “hoovering”.

Dyson’s alternative dust-busting dual-cyclone solution first hit the market in 1993, and the inventor followed up with hand dryers, hair dryers, hair curlers, dehumidifiers, heaters, and more.

Dyson Technology Ltd has more than 240 marks on the UK trade mark register, though not all are still live, and some, such as an attempt to register the slogan “Say ‘Goodbye’ to big corded vacuums” were refused registration. From the AIRBLADE to the AIRWRAP, Dyson has sucking and blowing technology all swept up!

News: The BBC

The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), with its panoply of television, radio, and digital channels – including the incomparable World Service – has been gracing the airwaves since 14 November 1922. Recognised throughout the world, the BBC has a reputation for reliability and authenticity that makes it a trusted source for millions of people. There is a local BBC radio station in every British region, alongside the national stations BBC Radio 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 live.

The BBC has 1249 marks on the UK trade mark register (not all currently live), covering its classic shows such as soap opera “Eastenders”, football show “Match of the Day”, and “CEEFAX”, the world’s first teletext service, delivering real-time text information long before the internet. A trawl through the lapsed marks is like a journey through 1980s primetime TV catchphrases. Who remembers “Crinkly Bottom”, “Wait til I get you home”, and the “Gotchas”?

These are just eight of the many influential British brands that make their mark on the world stage. If you’re attending INTA in London, keep an eye out for them on your travels. We’ll be exhibiting on Booth 1435 – see you there!

 

*All trade marks remain the property of their respective owners.