The timeline of trade marks

Merchandise Marks Act 1862- Made copying another person’s trade mark for personal gain a criminal offence

Trade Marks Registration Act 1875- created a system of formal registration for trade marks with the records held at the UK Patent Office.

The 1875 act also revived the definition of a trade mark. The new definition was "a device, or mark, or name of an individual or firm printed in some particular and distinctive manner; or a written signature or copy of a written signature of an individual or firm; or a distinctive label or ticket"

January 1^st 1876- the first trade mark was registered by Bass Brewery. A Bass Beer employee waited outside the UK Patent Office overnight to register a red triangle as a trademark for Bass Beer Pale ale

Patents and Trade Marks Act 1883- this act developed the law further to cover registration of brands

Further law changes were introduced in 1888, 1905, 1919 and 1938 that redefined trade marks a number of times. The last was superseded in 1994 when the most recent Act came into force.

Trade Marks Act 1994- this is the latest act and the current law in the UK on the subject of trade marks. It has been in force since the 31^st October 1994 and was developed to implement the EU Trade Mark Directive 89/104 into the UK legal system.

By Ellis Sweetenham