For years, protecting a trade mark in Jersey has been relatively straightforward. If you had a UK registration, you could re-register it in Jersey, or if you held an International Registration designating the UK, protection was automatically extended to Jersey. 

This is all changing.

Jersey will begin to operate an independent trade mark system. Furthermore, selecting the UK in a Madrid application will no longer include protection in Jersey. Instead, Jersey will now need to be selected as a separate designation.

The change brings Jersey closer in line with other similarly sized jurisdictions (including “the other rock”, Guernsey) that operate their own trade mark offices and registration systems. It also finally gives businesses based in Jersey the ability to use the island as an Office of Origin for Madrid Protocol applications.

What does this mean for brand owners?

The key message is simple: if Jersey matters to your business, you will need to think about Jersey specifically. 

After 1 August 2026:

• Newly filed UK designations under the Madrid System will no longer cover Jersey. 
• New protection in Jersey will require either a direct Jersey application or a specific Jersey designation through the Madrid System. 
• The existing process of re-registering UK trade marks in Jersey will come to an end. 
• Jersey and UK rights will operate independently and require separate renewals. 

For many rights holders, the biggest risk will be assuming that a UK filing strategy continues to cover Jersey when it no longer does.

Existing rights are protected

The good news is that existing rights are not disappearing overnight!

Where an International Registration designating the UK is already protected before 1 August 2026, WIPO will automatically create a corresponding Jersey designation. Rights holders generally do not need to take any action. 

Likewise, trade marks already protected locally in Jersey will remain in force after the new legislation takes effect. 

The transition has been designed to preserve existing protection while establishing a new framework for future filings. 

A more traditional trade mark system

The reforms are about more than just Madrid.

Jersey is introducing a standalone registration system that includes examination and opposition procedures, moving away from its historic reliance on UK rights. Applicants will be able to file directly in Jersey without first obtaining a UK registration. 

This aligns Jersey with most modern trade mark jurisdictions and provides a more conventional route to obtaining protection on the island. 

The key takeaway

Jersey may be small, but for many businesses it remains an important market and territory for enforcement.

From August 2026, a UK trade mark will no longer be enough to secure future protection there. Whether filing nationally or through the Madrid System, brand owners should ensure that Jersey is considered as a separate territory in their wider filing strategy. 

As with the UK's departure from the EU, this is another reminder that intellectual property rights do not always follow geographical assumptions. If Jersey forms part of your commercial footprint, now is a good time to check that your trade mark strategy keeps pace with the changes.

For the final weeks of July, if you have a UK registration that you’d like to re-register in Jersey, do so. The current system has limited examination, quick registration and low fees. But be quick, you need a Certified Copy of the UK registration to proceed.

The same is true for renewals. If you have a Jersey renewal in the next six months, provided it’s base mark in the UK is renewed, you could renew the Jersey registration.

From 1 August, new filings will involve examination and an opposition period and, for new filings and renewals, fees expected to be in line with the UK.