UK IPO data reveals sharp ascent
UK trade mark applications and registrations have skyrocketed over the past year, according to the latest data released by the UK IPO.
2021 was the most prolific year for UK trade mark applications, continuing the pattern of the past few years.
In 2021, the UK IPO saw 196,557 applications, compared with 137,038 in 2020. This represents an increase of 43%.
A similar pattern exists between 2020 and 2019: 2019 saw 107,527 filings. From 2019 to 2020, there was an increase of 27%.
This data includes applications made via the Madrid System for international trade mark registrations.
From 2020 to 2021, the UK IPO saw big jumps in Madrid System trade mark filings, with 32,647 Madrid filings in the UK during 2021, a 79% increase from 2020’s 18,247.
This means that applications designating the UK via Madrid System accounted for 17% applications in 2021, up from 13% in 2020.
Sharp increases for designs
There were also dramatic increases in design filings, which saw the most dramatic leap of all. In 2020, there were 31,416 filings in the UK (including international filings under the Hague Protocol).
In 2021, this increased by 130% to an unprecedented 72,322 in 2021. This follows a period of slower growth, with only a 9% increase between 2019 and 2020.
Designs filed under the Hague Protocol also increased.2021 saw a 112% increase in Hague filings, from 5,321 in 2020 to 11,095 in 2021.
Hague filings as a proportion of total UK design filings has been relatively stable since 2019, fluctuating between 12% and 17% of the overall category, settling at 15% in 2021. Hague filings have therefore only increased proportionately to the growth of UK design filings as a whole.
The UK became a member of the Hague Agreement in June 2018.
Applications vs registrations
When comparing the number of applications against the number of registrations in a year, the total number of registrations in 2021 was 86% of the total of applications.
In 2020, the number of registrations was 70% of the number of applications.
When comparing trade marks filed via Madrid against those registered, in 2019 the figure was 94%, this was 84% in 2020 and then 70% in 2021.
The proportion of designs applications to registrations followed a similar pattern, although this was replicated across both Hague and non Hague filings as well as across the whole category.
The UK IPO publishes its filing stats monthly. Click here to view the data from 2018 to 2021.