Question 1

How much does trademark monitoring cost in the UK?

Accepted Answer

TMGuard offers trademark monitoring from £99/year (£74 net after tax relief). This includes weekly UK journal scanning, email alerts with risk scoring, and renewal reminders. Business plans add EU monitoring from £249/year. Professional plans add US monitoring from £499/year. Traditional solicitor monitoring services typically cost £500-2,000/year.

Question 2

How do I oppose a trademark in the UK?

Accepted Answer

You have 2 months from the publication date in the UK Trade Marks Journal to file an opposition. First, file a TM7a (free) to extend your deadline by 1 month. Then file a TM7 with your grounds for opposition — the IPO fee is £100 if you rely only on section 5(1)/5(2) grounds, or £200 if you include other grounds. TMGuard guides you through your options at each step.

Question 3

When do UK trademarks need to be renewed?

Accepted Answer

UK trademarks must be renewed every 10 years from the filing date. Renewal costs £200 for one class plus £50 for each additional class. TMGuard sends escalating reminders at 12, 6, 3, and 1 month before renewal.

Question 4

What is TMGuard?

Accepted Answer

TMGuard is a UK, EU and US trademark monitoring platform for small businesses. It scans 21 million+ trademarks across the UK IPO, EUIPO and USPTO registers, alerts you to conflicts, guides you through opposition options, and tracks renewal deadlines - from £99/year.

Question 5

What is a TM7a form?

Accepted Answer

A TM7a is a Notice of Threatened Opposition filed with the UK IPO. It is free to file and extends your opposition deadline by one month without committing to full opposition.

Question 6

How many trademarks does TMGuard monitor?

Accepted Answer

TMGuard monitors over 21 million trademarks across three official registers: 3.88 million UK marks from the IPO (records from 1876), 3.14 million EU marks from EUIPO (including 446,888 Madrid Protocol designations), and 14 million US marks from the USPTO (records from 1823). All data is sourced directly from official registers and updated daily.

Question 7

Can TMGuard monitor trademarks in the US?

Accepted Answer

Yes. TMGuard monitors the USPTO register with 14 million+ marks dating back to 1823. US monitoring is included on Business plans and above. The US opposition window is 30 days from publication, extendable to 120 days.

Week in numbers