Current position

The Trade Marks Act 1994 as amended includes many of the recommendations made by a previous government review of trade marks (the Mathys Report on British Trade Mark Law and Practice, Cmnd 5601, May 1974).

It takes account of the current needs of industry and commerce, and it aligns United Kingdom law with that of other countries, both in the European Union and internationally. As a result, the processing of trade mark applications has been simplified, and generally accelerated, for the benefit of existing and potential applicants.