Frequently Asked Questions


My clients are very small – I don’t think they would be interested.
In our experience it is often those small clients who "can’t afford" to file a trade mark application that are damaged by higher fees when they hit problems later on – particularly if they have to rely on Passing Off to prevent imitation by competitors. Passing Off (which is a common law right, usually involving a lot of work and expense to put together the evidence required to support a court action) is a very expensive option and can be avoided by filing an early trade mark application.

Our clients already have their brand name registered.
Your clients have decided to spend money to rebrand or redesign their corporate identity or packaging because it is an important means of communication to their customers & potential customers. These new designs – be it the name of a new range, a new range of colours, a new logo or a new strapline need protecting! A registration – for a design or trade mark – adds value to the creative work you have already done for your client.

I/ My clients have already successfully filed trade mark applications – why should we use an agency?
If you have filed trade mark applications in the past and are keen to continue doing so then Maze are happy to help out if or when you hit a problem. One of the benefits of having a team of professionals advise you on intellectual property issues is their expertise and experience with all kinds of application difficulties.

We can also advise you on whether or not an application is likely to be successful before you or your client hands over any filing fees. A large number of applications receive objections when they are examined by the UK Intellectual Property Office or OHIM (EU Trade Mark Office) which could be predicted and possibly overcome by a qualified trade mark attorney prior to filing, where an untrained private applicant may see no solutions and abandon an application.

My clients already use another trade mark firm – why should they use us/Maze instead?
A basic price comparison would probably give your clients a good reason for changing their supplier – before even considering the additional benefits that the Maze service provides. Maze is unusual in its fixed fee structure and increased cost certainty is something all trade mark owners find attractive. A close relationship between your agency and your client’s trade mark attorneys also means that both sides are kept informed about any potential issues when they arise.

A lot of our clients are overseas companies – does this mean that the service isn’t relevant?
Trade mark protection is just as relevant to overseas companies as it is to national companies – if they plan to use the trade mark/ logo etc in the UK or the EU then they need to think about trade mark protection. For multi-national corporations Maze has both the experience and a worldwide network of foreign associates to manage large-scale filing projects across the world.

When should we start talking to you?
You can get in touch with us at any stage of a project. All enquiries and searches are kept confidential so there is no possibility of your client’s new launch being leaked. By working closely with design and marketing agencies Maze can offer advice on the registrability of new trade marks and logos before the client’s money has been spent developing something that may not be available to use, or may not be registerable.

How involved do we need to be if our clients want to register their trade marks?
The level of involvement is flexible. In most cases the agency wants to be kept informed of progress and they want to understand the issues that arise. Maze can either pass communications to your clients through you or we can send you brief updates by email so that you always know what is going on.

As far as getting the trade mark process started all you need to do is send us a completed new application questionnaire (which we can send you). Maze will take it from there.

How does Maze charge?
Unusually in the trade mark industry our fees are fixed. Most specialist trade mark firms charge on an hourly rate in addition to certain set fees for carrying out specific tasks. The estimates provided by these firms for work undertaken will go up and down depending on the amount of time actually spent doing the work.

Maze’s fees are mostly fixed. If we don’t have a set fee in place for a particular service, which is probably due to the varying complexity of the issue when it arises, then we will provide you with a guaranteed quotation.

When do I charge my client?
Because Maze fees are fixed we are able to invoice you as soon as the work is undertaken. A trade mark or design application is a staggered process and Maze will only invoice you when each step arises and your client decides to proceed. When you choose to pass these costs on to your client is up to you.

How do I start?
Give us a call on 0845 270 3936 or get in touch using our enquiry form.