This year marks 150 years since the UK’s first trade mark – Bass & Co’s red triangle label – was registered on 1 January 1876.

The brands behind the trade marks are among the thousands of businesses whose identity, reputation, and commercial value have been safeguarded by the UK’s register.

To mark the milestone, the Intellectual Property Office (IPO) asked the public to nominate their favourites. The top ten were:

  • Rolls-Royce
  • Radio Caroline
  • Twinings
  • Cadbury
  • Bass
  • Burberry
  • Transport for London roundel
  • Calpol
  • Mini
  • BBC

Brand awareness
Rolls-Royce captures more than a century of British engineering excellence and craftsmanship and was described by one respondent as “the mark of quality”.
Radio Caroline, the pioneering radio station that began broadcasting from the North Sea in 1964, gave a generation its soundtrack. For many, it represents a moment when British youth culture found its voice. “It helped shape the radio we have today. It continues to embrace new technology but stays true to real people playing real music” observed one respondent. Radio Caroline was registered as a trade mark in 1992.

Twinings, whose tea has been blended and sold from the same London address on the Strand since 1706, even predates the register itself by over 150 years. Few brands can claim quite so long an unbroken relationship with the British public. “Their trade mark signals trust – whenever I see it, I know I’m choosing a product that has been refined and perfected over centuries”. It was first registered as a trade mark in 1908.

Cadbury first traded in 1824 and was registered as a trade mark in 1886. It evokes childhood treats, advent calendars, and the comforting sweetness that has made it a staple of British life for more than 150 years. One respondent summed this up: “It’s universally recognised by all types of audiences regardless of gender, age, ethnicity. Cadbury features in some of life’s most poignant milestones – from birthdays and celebrations, to experiencing heartbreak and enduring illness”.

Bass’s & Co’s red triangle label became the first trade mark ever registered in Britain – securing its place on beer bottles and in the history of British commerce as the UK became one of the first countries in the world to establish a trade marks registration system. It remains on the IPO’s register to this day – and as one respondent put it, that’s “because it’s still good beer”.

Burberry, with its distinctive check, and its trench coats born on the battlefields of the First World War, has become one of Britain’s most recognised luxury exports. One respondent explains “To me, the Burberry check is special because it mixes timeless British luxury with a fresh, modern attitude. More than a design, it tells a story of heritage, artistry, and national identity.”.

The Transport for London roundel, first protected in 1917, has guided millions through the capital and become a globally recognised symbol of the UK’s city itself. “Glowing in the dark on a wet winter evening, it represents the way home” notes one respondent.

Calpol is the small bottle that has soothed generations of feverish children and exhausted parents alike. “It’s the first thing you reach for at 3am,” noted one respondent. “Every parent knows that relief when it finally kicks in.”

Mini, the small car that changed British motoring when it launched in 1959, became a cultural icon as much as an automotive one, from The Italian Job to city streets today. The name conjures a particular kind of cheerful, plucky Britishness that no amount of reinvention has diminished.

The BBC, perhaps the most globally recognised of all British institutions, is a trade mark instantly familiar audiences across the globe. As one respondent put it: “It is so distinctive, evocative, and has been with me my whole life and been with the nation for decades. It’s hard to even look at it and see the graphics separated from its meaning and memories”.

Still going strong
British brands have influenced how the world eats, travels, heals and plays. These nominations reveal how trade marks thread through life’s moments – from childhood comfort to daily commutes, from celebration to quiet reassurance.

There are now more than 2.5 million trade marks protected in the UK, and with around 200,000 applications received during the last year alone, demand for protection has never been higher.
More than 400 trade marks filed before 1900 remain active on the IPO’s register today – brands old enough to have witnessed three centuries.

Household favourites
In addition to Bass beer’s lasting presence are other names that still line our shelves and fill our glasses: Bovril (1886), Drambuie (1893), and Lyle’s Sugar (1887). There is also Woodward’s Gripe Water (1876), Bird’s Custard Powder (1891), and Rose’s Lime Juice Cordial (1876) – household favourites that have been passed down through generations.
Some tell a particular story. The gloriously worded Out of the Strong Came Forth Sweetness, first registered in 1884, takes its name from the biblical story of Samson and, although the packaging has changed, continues to protect Lyle’s Golden Syrup to this day.

Others reflect their era in possibly unexpected ways: marks protecting Aertex and Pears Soap sit alongside Anusol and Andrew’s Liver Salt – proof that some brands really do endure. Some Victorian marks prove surprisingly prescient. These include Millennium – registered over a century before the year 2000 in January 1892 – while Kodak, arriving in 1888, came as the era of mass photography was dawning.

Trust
IPO chief executive Adam Williams commented that trade marks were a foundation of brand trust. “For 150 years, they’ve helped British businesses – from corner shops and market stalls to app stores and global online retailers – build lasting relationships with consumers and stand behind the quality of their products. This anniversary marks not just a legal milestone, but the enduring role that brands play in connecting businesses with the public.

“That’s still why businesses come to us today. The tens of thousands who register a trade mark each year are making a statement: we’ve built something good, and we’re putting our name to it. Whether they’re selling a favourite ale, an iconic motor vehicle or a blockbuster online game, our job is to help them protect it. We’re proud to be custodians of a system that has supported British enterprise and innovation for generations, and we’re ready for the next 150 years.”

Transformed
When the Trade Marks Registration Act 1875 came into force, applications arrived by post, were recorded by hand, and were limited to marks used on physical goods. A century and a half later, the system has transformed beyond recognition.

Trade mark law has expanded to cover services as well as goods, and what can be registered as a trade mark has grown more flexible. Today’s register includes not just words and logos, but motion marks, multimedia marks, holograms, and even patterns of light. Recent years have seen entirely new categories — virtual goods, digital services, and AI-assisted products — emerge and find their place on the register.

Dynamic
Today, trade marks protect goods and services that would have been completely unrecognisable in 1875, from snack products made from insects to wearable smartphones and humanoid robots.
It is a reminder that the purpose of the trade mark system has never really changed, even as the world around it has. What began in a Victorian registry office now underpins a dynamic, global economy. After 150 years, it shows no sign of standing still.

www.gov.uk/government/organisations/intellectual-property-office
Businesses of all sizes can find out more about how to register a trade mark at 
www.gov.uk/how-to-register-a-trade-mark.