BASS (Red Triangle)
Bass's Red Triangle was registered as UK Trade Mark No. 1 on 1 January 1876 — the very first day the Trade Marks Registration Act 1875 came into force.
UK IPO Record
- Application Number
- UK00003275723
- Word Mark
- Bass
- Status
- Registered
- Applied
- 7 December 2017
- Registered
- 4 May 2018
- Next Renewal
- 7 December 2027
- Owner
- AB InBev UK Limited
- Nice Classes
- Class 25
Brand History & Trademark Analysis
Bass's Red Triangle was registered as UK Trade Mark No. 1 on 1 January 1876 — the very first day the Trade Marks Registration Act 1875 came into force. A Bass employee reportedly queued outside the registrar's office on New Year's Eve to secure the coveted first registration. The mark appeared in Édouard Manet's painting 'A Bar at the Folies-Bergère' (1882) and was referenced by James Joyce in Ulysses, making it perhaps the most culturally significant trademark in history.
The mark appeared in Édouard Manet's painting 'A Bar at the Folies-Bergère' (1882) and was referenced by James Joyce in Ulysses, making it perhaps the most culturally significant trademark in history.
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Historical Background
Bass Brewery was founded in 1777 in Burton upon Trent and had become the world's largest brewery by 1877, producing one million barrels annually. Though the Red Triangle is commonly cited as "UK trademark number one," it was officially the 914th registration processed on 1 January 1876 — the numbering simply reflects its position within the initial batch. Brandbrew SA, an AB InBev subsidiary, now owns the Bass trademarks.