Showing your IP is protected

You can show that your intellectual property (IP) is protected or that you have applied for protection by marking your product or literature accordingly. This may deter potential infringers and help in legal action.

Copyright

You can mark your copyright work with the international copyright symbol ©, followed by the name of the copyright owner and the year of publication. This is not essential in the United Kingdom (UK) but may assist you in legal actions and is needed is some foreign countries.

Designs

You can display the design number on the product or literature once it is registered, For example Design No 1234567 or Reg Des 1234567. However, there is no official symbol to show that a design is registered.

Patents

You can use the phrases patent pending or patent applied for to indicate that you have applied for patent protection. Do not use these terms if you have not applied for a patent or had a patent granted, because it is a criminal offence in many countries including the UK.

Trade marks

You can use TM to show that something is being used as a trade mark, even if it is not registered.

You can use the ® symbol to show that something is a registered trade mark. This could mean that the mark is registered in the UK or abroad. Do not use ® on a mark that is not registered, because it is a criminal offence in the UK.