The UK’s trade mark registry turned 150 on 1 January 2026. To mark the milestone, the Intellectual Property Office has opened a public vote to identify the most iconic UK trade mark, past or present. The call notes there are now more than 2.5 million trade marks protected in the UK, and that the first, registered on New Year’s Day 1876, belonged to brewers Bass & Co. The vote is live on the IPO’s page.

For investors and SME owners, this isn’t just a nostalgia piece. Trade marks underpin brand equity-part of the intangibles now driving company value. Analysis suggests roughly 90% of the asset base behind the largest US firms is intangible, while Brand Finance still ranks Shell as the UK’s most valuable brand at about £33.9bn in 2025, illustrating how identity translates into financial heft.

Demand for protection remains firm. IPO data show trade mark applications rose 5.8% in 2024 to 173,180, with registrations up 9.1% to 156,596-the third‑highest annual total on record. Over half of filings came from UK‑based applicants, with China and the US the largest sources of non‑UK applications.

Heritage still resonates. The IPO’s timeline starts with Bass & Co’s red triangle-the first UK registration on 1 January 1876. It’s a reminder that distinctiveness and consistent use have been central to British brand building for a century and a half.

Modern icons also earn their keep. The London Underground roundel is a registered trade mark used far beyond station walls, supported by an active licensing programme. TfL appointed IMG in 2023 to scale that effort, and earlier reporting suggested the brand could generate around £5m a year in retail licensing revenue for reinvestment-proof that identity can be a revenue line, not just a design choice.

Protection has limits. Colour marks can be powerful but difficult to pin down. Cadbury’s long contest over its purple (Pantone 2685C) saw an initial win overturned on appeal in 2013; a narrower route to protection resurfaced in 2022. The message for brand teams is clear: precision, clarity and evidence matter.

Timing also matters. The IPO plans to raise fees on 1 April 2026, subject to Parliament. As an example, the basic trade mark application moves from £170 to £205-an average uplift of around 25%. If you’re weighing new filings or renewals, factor the change into Q1 cash flow.

For the vote itself, the IPO asks not only for a name but an explanation of why it stands out. That framing gets to the substance of brand value: relevance, recall and trust built over time. We’ll be watching the selections and the reasoning-they’ll say a lot about how the UK reads its own brand heritage in 2026.