Mar 31 (edited) • 🧰 Hiring / For Hire
Got hit with a trademark issue on my AI agency name…
Interesting one for you — and yes, I’m a bit hacked off, but also taking the lesson.
A couple of years ago, when I decided to start an AI agency, I came up with what felt like a strong name: “Agentics”.
Like most people, I checked domains first. No point building a brand and a business if the domain name isn’t available.
As you’d expect: .ai (£113k), .com (£75k), .net (£15k), and .co.uk (undisclosed price) were all for sale.
But .uk wasn’t. It was available.
Fast forward to now — I’ve been trading under that name for nearly two years, helping SMEs with AI, automation, and agentic systems.
Then today I received a formal “letter before action”.
Another UK company has a registered trademark for a very similar sounding name and operates in a related space. Their position is:
– the names are phonetically identical
– our services overlap
– therefore there is a likelihood of confusion
I have seven days to comply with their demands, including:
– immediately ceasing use of the name “Agentics”
– removing branding and content across my website and social platforms
– and executing a binding undertaking to transfer the domain agentics.uk
Yes — that last one raised an eyebrow.
A few reflections:
1. Naming in AI is a minefield
We’re all converging on similar language — agents, agentic, automation — and what feels obvious can quickly overlap.
2. Domain ≠ brand
Owning a domain doesn’t necessarily mean you’re safe to build a business under that name.
3. This gets real faster than you think
It’s easy to ignore legal structure early on — until it shows up properly.
My approach now:
– stop using the name commercially
– keep things clean and professional
No drama — just part of building something real.
Has anyone else run into trademark issues in this space?
And how are you approaching naming given how crowded AI is becoming?
Best, P :)
11
6 comments
Got hit with a trademark issue on my AI agency name…
skool.com/learn-ai
Learn and become genuinely proficient in AI to get paid for it. From the creators of the AI Automation Agency model.
Leaderboard (30-day)
1
+456
2
+348
3
+285
4
+248
5
+241
Powered by