Rolls-Royce has been named the country’s most famous brand in a public poll marking 150 years since Britain became one of the first countries in the world to formalize trademark protection, the Intellectual Property Office (IPO) has announced.
The Goodwood-built brand beat Radio Caroline, Twinings and Cadbury to top spot in a poll that included around 2,000 nominations. The public was asked to select the brands they felt had made the most impact on daily life in the UK. Rounding out the top ten were Bass, Burberry, the Transport for London Roundel, Calpol, Mini and the BBC, a roll call that reads less like a marketing list and more like a cultural autobiography of post-war Britain.
The survey coincides with the 150th anniversary of the UK Trade Marks Register, which began operations on January 1, 1876, following the passage of the Trade Marks Registration Act 1875. The very first trademark registered on day one was Bass & Co’s red triangle label, a piece of intellectual property still in use today and still, as one respondent succinctly noted, associated with “good beer.”
For the SME community, the milestone is more than celebratory. The register now protects more than 2.5 million marks, with around 200,000 new applications received last year alone – a record-breaking number that shows the value modern entrepreneurs place on their own identity in an increasingly crowded market.
More than 400 trademarks registered before 1900 remain on the register, a remarkable testament to the longevity of the trademark. Bovril (1886), Drambuie (1893), Lyle’s Sugar (1887), Bird’s Custard Powder (1891), Rose’s Lime Juice Cordial (1876) and Woodward’s Gripe Water (1876) still trade on the basis of the goodwill built up by their Victorian founders. Even Lyle’s Golden Syrup features the deliciously biblical “Out of the Strong Came Forth Sweetness,” which was recorded in 1884 and has sat quietly on supermarket shelves ever since.
Other Victorian nudes border on the prophetic. Kodak was registered in 1888, just as mass photography was emerging, while a trademark called “Millennium” was filed in January 1892, more than a century before the date it was intended to commemorate.
Adam Williams, managing director of the IPO, said the anniversary highlighted the role of brands as the foundation of consumer trust. “Brands are the foundation of brand trust. For 150 years, they have helped UK 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,” he said. “The tens of thousands who register a trademark every year send a signal: We have created something good and we are putting our name to it.”
Tom Reynolds, chief executive of British Brands Group, described brands as “a legal promise” between companies and customers. “Some brands have become so embedded in our lives that they have become shorthand for the thing itself. Think of a check mark, a swoosh, or even a silver lady on the hood of a car. You immediately know exactly what you are getting. That is the power of a brand and the foundation on which every iconic brand is built.”
Kelly Saliger, president of the Chartered Institute of Trade Mark Attorneys (CITMA), said the increase in registrations confirmed the UK’s continued appeal as a business location. “Brand recognition is a powerful asset, and a registered trademark protects it by acting as a mark in the sand, warning other businesses to stay away and giving the owner the ability to take action against those who get too close.”
Rolls-Royce, whose Silver Ghost was officially called “the best car in the world” in 1913, has long transcended the automotive industry. Julian Jenkins, sales and brand director at Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, said the result reflected the way the brand had become “a global shorthand for the best of the best in every field”. Matthew Hill, head of intellectual property at Rolls-Royce plc, added that the recognition recognized the company’s “ongoing commitment to powering, protecting and connecting people everywhere.”
Second place went to Radio Caroline, the offshore station that entered broadcasting history in 1964 from the North Sea and was finally registered as a trademark in 1992. Station manager Peter Moore said the recognition was “testament to our past, present and future” as listeners remembered the shows had reached O levels.
Twinings, which has been trading from the same Strand address since 1706 and registered its trademark in 1908, came third. Heather Hartridge, chief brand officer, said the logo is “more than just a logo, it is a symbol of the craftsmanship, expertise and care that goes into every blend.”
Cadbury, first traded in 1824 and registered in 1886, was fourth. Equity marketing director Phil Warfield said the brand’s “iconic glass and a half” remained “a promise to our customers for generations”. Ewa Chappell, head of legal and corporate affairs at Budweiser Brewing Group UK/Ireland, Bass’s current administrator, noted that the original red triangle had been “copied so many times that it proved how strong the demand for Bass really was”.
Burberry’s check, created in the trenches of the First World War, landed on the list alongside the Transport for London round shield, first protected in 1917. TfL customer director Emma Strain said the symbol had “guided Londoners and visitors safely around the capital as a trusted and globally recognized emblem for more than a century.”
Calpol, the little bottle that has calmed generations of feverish children, came in eighth place, with one parent describing it simply as “the first thing you reach for at 3am.” Mini, the tiny engine that dominated British car manufacturing from 1959 onwards, took ninth place. MINI boss Jean-Philippe Parain said the brand “continues to stand for timeless design, go-kart handling and unmistakable personality.” The BBC completed the top ten.
When the 1875 law took effect, applications were received by mail, were handwritten, and could only protect trademarks used on physical goods. Today’s register tells a completely different story. Both services and goods are covered, and registrable trademarks now include holograms, motion trademarks, multimedia trademarks and light patterns. The applications cover categories that would have puzzled a Victorian clerk, from snack products made from insects and edible ant larvae to wearable smartphones, humanoid robots, downloadable virtual handbags and perfumes for use in virtual worlds.
For SMEs, the practical message is that brand protection has never been more accessible and strategically important. Registration costs only a fraction of the goodwill received through it, has a term of ten years and can be extended indefinitely. It provides the legal basis to defend brand value as the company grows.
After 150 years, the UK trademark system shows, in the IPO’s own words, “no sign of stopping”. For the small businesses building the iconic brands of tomorrow, that should be a reassuring thought.
