copyright united-kingdom trademark european-union
Can I register a trademark after leaving a company in the UK?
<p>I've been working on a new product for a company as a software developer (creating it from scratch). I've come up with a name for it as well which my manager didn't tell me to do but I decided to be creative. Now that I've resigned, can I register a trademark for the name of the product that I've come up with considering that my previous employer does not seem to be going forward with the product?</p>

<p>Also is there anything stopping me from registering a trademark for any of their existing product names if they haven't done it themselves? </p>

<p>A trademark can only be registered by the company or person that is actually using it (or planning to use it) in trade. If you aren't selling this product (which it seems that you can't, since you don't own it) you can't trademark a name for it.  The same applies to any of the company's other products. </p>

<p>Strictly speaking, this is under US law (which is what I am most familiar with), but I am pretty sure that UK law is the same on this issue.</p>

<p>If in doubt, consult a UK trademark lawyer. I suspect it will be a very quick consult.</p>
