This year marks the 150th anniversary of the UK’s first trademark – Bass & Co’s red triangle logo – which was registered on 1 January 1876.
Under The Counter remembers the day well; he was at a Hogmanay party getting stotious with Treasure Island author Robert Louis Stevenson. However, there is no truth in the rumour that a legless UTC was the inspiration for Long John Silver. The Auld Boy does love his long johns, mind.
To mark the milestone – the first trademark, not UTC getting stotious – the Intellectual Property Office has revealed the 10 trademarks voted most iconic by Joe and Janet Public.
The list was topped by the fairly iconic Rolls‑Royce. However the Auld Boy couldn’t get his misshapen napper around ship-based Radio Caroline’s inclusion at number two. Twinings taking bronze was also a surprise, even to someone who enjoys 15 cuppas a day.
Surely, the notoriously sweet-toothed Auld Boy pondered, fourth-placed Cadbury is more iconic than a bunch of tea bag floggers and a boat which – after a storm – went from broadcasting on top of the North Sea to festering on the bottom.
More than 400 trademarks registered in the Victorian era are still active today, including some of UTC’s favourite brands. These include Bovril, Lyle’s Sugar, Andrew’s Liver Salt and – speaking of festering on the bottom – Anusol.
