Guides · ukipo · updated 2026-09-02

Opposing a UK trade mark application: TM7A, TM7 and the two-month window

A UK trade mark application is published in the Trade Marks Journal and can be opposed for two months. A free form, the TM7A, extends that to three. Most UK oppositions never get past the letter that follows the TM7A. The UK IPO does not alert earlier rights holders; TakedownGPT reads the register through TMview every day and shows the deadline on the hit.

Which earlier rights count

An earlier UK trade mark -- including the comparable UK marks cloned from EU marks at the end of 2020 (UK009 numbers) -- an international registration designating the UK, a well-known mark, or goodwill in the UK that would support passing off (s. 5(4)(a)). An EU trade mark is no longer an earlier right in the UK on its own, and a US registration never was.

TM7A first

File the notice of threatened opposition online, free, before the two months are up. It gives you a third month and tells the applicant you are serious. Then write: the prepared brief has the facts -- the marks, the classes, your earlier right, the deadline.

TM7 or TM7F

The notice of opposition costs GBP 100 for s. 5(1)/5(2) grounds alone and GBP 200 with more. The fast-track TM7F (GBP 100) is for s. 5(1)/5(2) on up to three earlier registered marks and wants proof of use up front if your mark is over five years old. You need a UK address for service; a UK attorney supplies one.

Classes decide whether it is worth it

As at every office, the right is for particular goods. TakedownGPT shows the classes on every UK IPO hit and scores unrelated ones down, so the clothing brand with your name sits below the software company with it.

After registration

Form TM26(I), application for invalidity, GBP 200. Five years of knowing, tolerated use bars it.

The steps, in order

Check the stage in the UK IPO register — The case page shows "Application filed", "Application published", "Registered" and the publication date. The opposition period is two months from that date. trademarks.ipo.gov.uk
Published: file a TM7A within the two months — Notice of threatened opposition, free, filed online, extends your deadline by one month. It also signals to the applicant that a letter is worth answering. www.gov.uk
Write to the applicant — Most UK oppositions end in a withdrawal or a limitation of the goods before the TM7 is filed. Send the facts from the brief with the TM7A as the deadline.
File the TM7 (or TM7F) — Notice of opposition and statement of grounds, online, GBP 100 for s. 5(1)/5(2) only or GBP 200 with more grounds. The fast-track TM7F (GBP 100) covers s. 5(1)/5(2) on up to three earlier registered marks and needs proof of use up front where your mark is over five years old. www.gov.uk
Registered: file a TM26(I) — Application for a declaration of invalidity, GBP 200, same earlier-rights grounds. Five years of knowing, tolerated use bars it. www.gov.uk
Keep watching the number — Add the UK application number (UK000…) to the watch's own filing numbers so publication and registration land in the inbox with the date.

Typical turnaround: TM7A: immediate. Opposition: cooling-off available on request, otherwise 12-18 months to a decision; most settle after the TM7A letter.

What the form asks for

The opposed application number (UK000…) and the classes you oppose
Your earlier mark(s): number, filing date, goods and services relied on, or the goodwill relied on for s. 5(4)(a)
Grounds: s. 5(1) identical, s. 5(2) confusingly similar, s. 5(3) reputation, s. 5(4)(a) passing off
An address for service in the UK, Gibraltar or the Channel Islands

Evidence worth attaching

Your UK registration certificate or case page (a UK comparable mark cloned from an EUTM counts)
Dated proof of UK use: the GB storefront listing, UK downloads or sales, UK press
The opposed application's case page
Side-by-side of the two marks and their goods

Pitfalls

Letting the two months pass without a TM7A. The extra month is free but only if the TM7A is in before the original deadline.
Relying on a US or EU registration. Since 2021 an EUTM is not an earlier right in the UK; the cloned UK comparable mark (UK009…) is.
No UK address for service. The IPO will not proceed without one; a UK attorney provides it.
Forgetting proof of use. If your earlier mark has been registered more than five years, the applicant can demand it.

Open the UK IPO form ↗