The duly noted® blog

Q: Can I copyright my logo?

As part of a series of Q & A blog posts we are introducing, we look to answer some of the main questions we get asked on a regular basis.

To start with, lets look at logos.

Company or personal logos can sit in a bit of grey area between copyright and trademarks.

Though logos may contain a name, which fall under trademark rather than copyright law protection, logos can, through the combination of a name with artwork – which is covered by copyright law – make a logo a copyrighted work, as well as suitable for formal, government trademark registration.

What does this mean?

Registering you logo’s copyright is a wise course of action if you intend to register it as trademark with the UK’s Intellectual Property Office, which can take many months. A registration with us therefore provides you extra protection while you wait.

In the meantime – or perhaps alternatively – you can use the “TM” symbol against your logo. The “TM” mark indicates a trademark. Once you look for it in the everyday world, you’ll notice the TM mark everywhere, for names as well as logos. TM functions like the © copyright symbol, in that it’s notice to others that this is a brand, identifiable to your company, that you’re using to sell you product(s), and others shouldn’t try and pass themselves off as you or make money from it by using it.

If you wish to register your logo(s) with duly noted just follow the instructions when you register.