Changing your logo does not bring down your existing trademark registration — the registration lives on in the form recorded in the register. But the other side of the coin is critical: your registration protects the old logo; the new logo in your shop window is unregistered unless a separate application is filed. In other words, the question "what happens to the registration if the logo changes?" is really two separate questions: what will happen to the old registration, and how will the new logo be protected?
In brief:
- There is no such thing as a notification procedure to the Office for a logo change; the representation of a trademark cannot be changed in the register.
- Identity-preserving minor retouches are carried by the existing registration; a significant redesign requires a new application.
- If your word mark is registered separately, your core protection is not affected by the logo change at all.
- The registration with the old logo should not be abandoned in a hurry: it is your insurance during the transition period and a basis for opposition.
- A logo also has a copyright layer: a written assignment of the economic rights should be obtained from the designer.
We set out the general decision framework — why renewal is not a tool for change, and the distinctive character threshold — in If You Change Your Trademark, Does the Registration Need Renewing?; this article goes deeper on the logo front.
Three Scenarios: A Roadmap According to the Extent of the Change
Scenario 1 — Retouch: Same Identity, Refreshed Look
The typeface has become lighter, the corners have been softened, the tone has been updated; everyone who looks at the brand sees the same brand. Because the distinctive character has been preserved, this use is deemed by law to be use of the registered trademark — the existing registration retains both its validity and its strength under the use requirement. A new application is not mandatory; it is still worth considering if the need to protect the visual identity from imitation is high.
Scenario 2 — Transformation: Same Word, New Visual World
The brand name is still there, but the figure, emblem or composition has been redrawn from scratch. Here the picture splits in two. If your word element is registered as an independent word mark, your core protection is not shaken; what needs to be done is to apply for the new visual version and decide the fate of the registration with the old logo. If everything depends on a single registration with a logo, the risk grows: the representation in the register and the brand in the shop window have diverged, and a new application becomes urgent.
Scenario 3 — Full Rebrand: Both Logo and Name Have Changed
This is no longer a logo change but a new trademark; the full rebrand regime applies, with its search, its application and its transition plan.
A summary of the three scenarios:
| Extent of the change | Existing registration | New application |
|---|---|---|
| Retouch (font, tone, proportions) | Remains valid and strong | Not mandatory; recommended if the visual identity is critical |
| Same word, visual redone from scratch | If there is a word mark registration, the core is protected; the registration with the logo becomes outdated | Required for the new version with the logo |
| Logo + name changed | Does not protect the new trademark | Essential — full rebrand regime |
What Happens to the Registration With the Old Logo?
The old registration does not go anywhere of its own accord — its fate is your decision, and it depends on three variables:
- The use bridge: If the distinctive character of the trademark is carried by the word, use with the new logo can also keep the old registration alive for the purposes of the use requirement; if the trademark is predominantly visual, this bridge cannot be built and the old registration becomes dormant in practice. The assessment is made on the facts of the case — how the five-year period works is explained in our article on the five-year rule.
- The transition timetable: Until packaging, signage and stock bearing the old logo have been withdrawn from the market, the old registration performs a protective role.
- Defensive value: The old registration is part of your arsenal for opposing similar applications; the decision to let it go should be made deliberately, for the next renewal date.
Registering the New Logo: Three Steps
- Search. The new figure and composition may resemble other people's figurative marks — the fact that your word is clear does not mean your visual is clear too. A similarity search is the first step in a logo change as well.
- Apply before the launch. An application filed after the new logo has been made public leaves an unprotected interim period and a risk of opportunistic applications.
- Update the scope. A new application is an opportunity to rebuild the list of classes around current and planned activities; do not copy the old list without thinking.
The Overlooked Layer: Copyright in the Logo
A logo is not only a trademark representation but also a design subject to copyright protection — and this layer operates independently of trademark registration. If a written assignment of the economic rights has not been obtained from the agency or freelance designer who drew the new logo, you may face copyright claims even over a logo recorded in your name in the trademark register: in a relationship without a contract, the designer may object to the use of the logo in other media or open a dispute over an assignment fee. The rule is simple: include assignment clauses in the design agreement, and document the rights position when a logo competition or a ready-made template is used — secure registration and copyright in two separate files.
Knock-On Effects Beyond the Register: Contracts and Platforms
The paperwork for a logo change does not end at TÜRKPATENT:
- Licence and franchise network: Brand usage guidelines annexed to the agreements should be updated for the new visual, and a transition timetable should be communicated to everyone in the network; a transition without guidelines produces mixed use across the network that lasts for years.
- Marketplace and platform registrations: Registrations tied to the brand's visuals (marketplace brand programmes, verified accounts) are updated through their own processes; a registration certificate for the new logo is the basis for these requests.
- Customs recordal: The images in the recordals used to combat counterfeiting should be refreshed; a customs officer holding the old logo will not recognise your new product.
The Strategy That Makes Logo Refreshes Cheaper
The shared secret of brands that refresh their logos at regular intervals is splitting the portfolio into layers: the word mark as a fixed core, the registration with the logo as an updatable shell. At each refresh, an application is filed only for the shell layer; the core protection and its seniority are never shaken. For brands that rely on a single registration with a logo, by contrast, every design change is a full registration operation. If you are in the middle of a logo change today, this is the best moment to set up that split — you will be filing a new application anyway.
Transition Plan: From Launch to Phase-Out
What turns a logo transition into a routine rather than a crisis is the sequence; in a rough timetable:
- Before the launch: The similarity search is completed, the application for the new logo is filed and the copyright assignment is signed with the designer. The new visual is not shared on any channel until these three are done — even a "coming soon" teaser on social media is an early leak.
- Launch week: The website, social media accounts and digital materials switch over in one go; updated brand usage guidelines and the transition timetable are sent to the licence/franchise network.
- The first months: The visuals in marketplace brand registrations and customs recordals are updated; physical materials (signage, packaging, vehicle wraps) are renewed region by region; the sell-off period for stock bearing the old logo is fixed.
- End of the transition: A last-use date for the old logo is announced and removal of old materials from the network is confirmed; the fate of the registration with the old logo (keep/let go) is decided for the next renewal date, and monitoring is updated to cover both signs.
The length of the timetable varies by sector — transitions of a few weeks for digital products and of more than a year for physical networks with dealers are normal. What matters is not the length itself, but that at no stage is there any uncertainty about which logo is the "official" one.
4 Common Mistakes
- Growing the new logo without registering it. New shop window, old register: when facing an imitator, the registration in your hands describes not the brand you use but the one you have left behind.
- Letting the old registration go in launch week. Removing the protection while stock and memories are still full of the old logo opens up the field to competitors.
- Shaking hands with the designer instead of signing a contract. Until the copyright layer is documented, the logo is not "yours" — whatever the register says.
- Not informing the network. Dealers and licensees carry on printing with the old logo; two looks on the market leave consumers with a single question: "Are these the same company?"
Conclusion
A logo change does not kill your registration; left unmanaged, it quietly makes your protection obsolete. The formula has four steps: measure the extent of the change against the distinctive character threshold, search and apply for the new logo before the launch, keep the old registration alive until the transition is over and then let it go deliberately, and update the copyright and platform layers on the same day as the register. For brands that register the word and the visual separately, this process is routine maintenance — for those squeezed into a single registration, it is a small crisis every time. Which of the two you will be depends on how you are set up today — and the cheapest moment to fix that set-up is right now, when you are about to file an application anyway. Not needing this article again at your next logo change is only possible by setting this one up correctly.
Is your logo changing?
Share your existing registrations and the new design via our contact page; we will assess how the change relates to your existing protection, plan the search and application for the new logo around your launch timetable, and tie the fate of the old registration into your portfolio strategy.