BAT – South African trademarks
Updated 8 November 2026
British American Tobacco is a global tobacco and nicotine company. Its brands include Dunhill, Peter Stuyvesant and Rothmans, and vapour products under Vuse.
How BAT has built and protected its brands in South Africa – its trademark portfolio, where it expanded, how quickly its marks are registered, and who it competes with.
Download report (PDF)BAT trademarks in 45 seconds
Watch the video on its own page, with transcript – https://snz.co.za/trademark-country-selection-direct/bat-south-african-trademarks/overview-video.html
A portfolio built over time
BAT filed its first South African trademark in 1919 and has filed 1,150 since; its busiest year was 2013, with 68 new filings. The chart shows its filings per year from 1970.
Trademarks by filing year, up to 2024; applications still pending are not included.
The names behind the portfolio
Over the years the group has filed under several names – earlier company names, holding companies and subsidiaries. We count them together.
| Name | Marks | Filing years |
|---|---|---|
| BAT | 575 | 1927–2025 |
| Rothmans of Pall Mall London | 228 | 1930–2017 |
| British American Tobacco South Africa | 210 | 1919–2023 |
| Dunhill Tobacco of London | 199 | 1943–2025 |
| British American Racing | 11 | 1998–1998 |
| British American Racing Gp | 10 | 1999–1999 |
| British American Investments | 9 | 1997–2000 |
| Rothmans of Pall Mall | 9 | 1969–2022 |
Where BAT expanded its business
Trademark classes show what a business sells. BAT's portfolio is concentrated in tobacco (class 34), electronics & software (class 9), advertising & retail (class 35). Its most recent moves were into processing materials (2021), telecoms (2019), restaurants & hotels (2010).
BAT trademarks: expansion into trademark classes, 1970–2025
Watch the video on its own page, with transcript – https://snz.co.za/trademark-country-selection-direct/bat-south-african-trademarks/class-expansion-video.html
Each tile is a class; it lights up when the group first files in it and darkens with more filings; the dots show how many of its closest rivals also file in that class. The chart compares the number of classes used with its rivals. The video runs from 1970; classes entered earlier are lit from the start.
| Class | Marks | Share | Since |
|---|---|---|---|
| 34 Tobacco | 870 | 75.7% | 1919 |
| 9 Electronics & software | 34 | 3.0% | 1967 |
| 35 Advertising & retail | 29 | 2.5% | 1995 |
| 16 Paper & print | 18 | 1.6% | 1955 |
| 14 Jewellery & watches | 16 | 1.4% | 1967 |
| 42 Tech & IT services | 13 | 1.1% | 1972 |
| 41 Education & entertainment | 13 | 1.1% | 1997 |
| 18 Leather & bags | 12 | 1.0% | 1967 |
The brands BAT protects most
The word marks and logo names BAT has filed most often – the same brand filed in more classes, in more versions or again over the years.
| # | Brand | Trademarks | Classes | Filed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CONSULATE | 35 | 30 | 1933–1995 |
| 2 | ROTHMANS | 34 | 23 | 1954–2020 |
| 3 | DUNHILL | 20 | 3 | 1943–2018 |
| 4 | ROTHMANS OF PALL MALL | 17 | 15 | 1963–1997 |
| 5 | ROTHMANS CUP | 16 | 14 | 1997–1997 |
| 6 | KENT | 16 | 1 | 1957–2015 |
| 7 | LINE BY ROTHMANS (THE) | 14 | 14 | 1980–1980 |
| 8 | GLO | 14 | 8 | 2016–2019 |
| 9 | R ROTHMANS | 13 | 11 | 1958–1989 |
| 10 | BRITISH AMERICAN RACING | 12 | 11 | 1998–1999 |
| 11 | BRITISH AMERICAN TOBACCO | 12 | 11 | 1997–1998 |
| 12 | R ROTHMANS KING SIZE | 12 | 10 | 1957–1979 |
| 13 | PALL MALL | 12 | 3 | 1944–2016 |
| 14 | B.A.R. | 9 | 9 | 1999–1999 |
| 15 | ROTHMANS KING SIZE | 9 | 5 | 1951–1990 |
Logos filed most often (since 2020)
BAT's logos
The 89 different logos BAT has had published since 2020 – each logo shown once, however many classes or versions it was filed in. Logos protected in more classes come first.
How quickly its trademarks are registered
Over the last five years, BAT's marks took a median of 1.8 years from filing to registration, faster than the market's 2.7 years. Most of that time is examination: 1.0 years from filing to acceptance (market: 1.9). Registration itself follows about half a year after acceptance. In 2026 the median jumped to 5.7 years: older applications – many filed years earlier – were finally accepted and registered, as the registry worked through its examination backlog.
Median years from filing to registration per registration year, split into examination (filing → acceptance) and acceptance → registration; the dashed line is the market median. A high recent value means older applications came through that year.
Who files the most in BAT's classes
Ranked by number of trademarks filed in BAT's main classes – any company that files there, whatever else it does (including retailers' own brands). This shows BAT's market position, not who is most like it.
In the last five years, BAT was #2 of 336 filers in class 34 (tobacco), with 140 of 961 trademarks; #862 of 4,926 filers in class 9 (electronics & software), with 2 of 10,252 trademarks; #353 of 5,866 filers in class 35 (advertising & retail), with 4 of 11,124 trademarks.
BAT's share of all trademarks filed in each of its main classes, per filing year.
Top trademark filers in class 34 (tobacco), South Africa 1975–2024: BAT
Watch the video on its own page, with transcript – https://snz.co.za/trademark-country-selection-direct/bat-south-african-trademarks/class-34-race-video.html
Main competitors – the companies most like BAT
Ranked by how similar their whole trademark portfolio is to BAT's – the same mix of classes and the same words in their marks – not by size. Large filers in its classes that do something different rank lower here.
BAT's closest competitors in South Africa are Philip Morris, Nicopure Labs, JTI and Kt and G.
BAT trademarks vs competitors: filings per year, 2010–2024
Watch the video on its own page, with transcript – https://snz.co.za/trademark-country-selection-direct/bat-south-african-trademarks/competitors-video.html
Trademark filings per year: BAT (orange) and its five closest competitors.
| # | Company | Relationship | Similarity |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Philip Morris | Direct competitor | 100% |
| 2 | Nicopure Labs | Direct competitor | 79% |
| 3 | JTI | Direct competitor | 78% |
| 4 | Kt and G | Direct competitor | 74% |
| 5 | Open Horizon | Direct competitor | 72% |
| 6 | China Tobacco Hunan Industrial | Direct competitor | 70% |
| 7 | Unitrade Management Services | Retailer's own brands | 63% |
| 8 | Massmart | Retailer's own brands | 31% |
| 9 | Tweed | Other field | 71% |
| 10 | Discovery | Other field | 13% |
Similarity of trademark activity since 2015 (classes and words used in marks). Retailers appear where their own brands compete on the shelf.
BAT – relevant export countries
South Africa exported US$991 m of the goods BAT's main classes cover in the last year – tobacco; cigarettes; liquids; matches (class 34); computer software; cases; batteries; chargers (class 9); books; pens; calendars; brochures (class 16); jewellery; bracelets; necklaces; earrings (class 14); backpacks; handbags; umbrellas; wallets (class 18). Combining where these goods are exported, imported, growing and made (and copied), and what protection costs, these are the markets where BAT's trademarks matter most.
Adjust the weightings
These weightings decide how the countries below are ranked. Change any value and the others adjust to keep the total at 100%.
Worldwide
| # | Market | Score | SA exports | Import growth / yr | Route | Cost, 5 classes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United States of America | 83 | US$214 m | +6% | National | US$3,425 |
| 2 | European Union | 75 | US$73 m | +3% | National | US$2,388 |
| 3 | United Kingdom | 68 | US$15 m | +4% | National | US$1,371 |
| 4 | Japan | 61 | US$171 k | +5% | National | US$1,774 |
| 5 | Hong Kong SAR | 61 | US$6.5 m | -3% | National | US$1,715 |
| 6 | Canada | 61 | US$998 k | +4% | National | US$2,192 |
| 7 | Australia | 60 | US$5.7 m | +11% | National | US$2,380 |
| 8 | Mexico | 59 | US$746 k | +14% | National | US$3,050 |
| 9 | Nigeria | 57 | US$23 m | -9% | National | US$1,015 |
| 10 | Namibia | 57 | US$107 m | +8% | ARIPO | US$450 |
Africa
| # | Market | Score | SA exports | Import growth / yr | Route | Cost, 5 classes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nigeria | 57 | US$23 m | -9% | National | US$1,015 S&Z |
| 2 | Namibia | 57 | US$107 m | +8% | ARIPO | US$450 S&Z |
| 3 | OAPI (17 states) | 54 | US$28 m | -3% | National | US$1,563 S&Z |
| 4 | Morocco | 53 | US$448 k | +22% | National | US$1,408 |
| 5 | Botswana | 53 | US$71 m | -6% | ARIPO | US$450 S&Z |
| 6 | Eswatini | 52 | US$34 m | -5% | National | US$446 |
| 7 | Lesotho | 52 | US$30 m | -2% | National | US$326 |
| 8 | Mozambique | 52 | US$55 m | +2% | ARIPO | US$450 S&Z |
| 9 | Egypt | 52 | US$309 k | +15% | National | US$2,278 |
| 10 | Uganda | 49 | US$2.9 m | +3% | ARIPO | US$450 S&Z |
SA exports = South Africa's exports of these goods to the market in the last year. Ranked with the default weightings. Score 0–100 from South Africa's exports of the goods to the market, net imports, import growth, foreign trademark filings, where the goods are made, market size and the cost of protection. Costs are total fees (official and professional) to file in 5 classes; ARIPO costs are per country, plus US$301 once per ARIPO application; S&Z = S&Z's own all-in price. Goods are taken from the classes and specifications, so the ranking is indicative.
Trade data: CEPII BACI (version 202601, trade flows 2022–2024), Licence Etalab 2.0; aggregated and combined with other data by S&Z.
Protecting its top brands in Nigeria and OAPI with S&Z
| Brand | Classes | Nigeria | OAPI (17 states) |
|---|---|---|---|
| CONSULATE | 30 | US$6,090 | US$6,180 |
| ROTHMANS | 23 | US$4,669 | US$4,887 |
| DUNHILL | 3 | US$609 | US$1,194 |
| ROTHMANS OF PALL MALL | 15 | US$3,045 | US$3,410 |
| ROTHMANS CUP | 14 | US$2,842 | US$3,225 |
S&Z all-in prices per brand in its number of classes, filing to registration.
TM Country Selection Rank the countries for your own goods and get the quotes.
Word marks you may have considered opposing
For BAT's five most-filed brands: word marks of other companies (not BAT's own group) that our similar word mark search, SimTM, found in the brand's own classes, and that we consider confusingly similar – from the earliest match found to today.
Similar to CONSULATE (classes 9, 14, 16, 34, 35; searched 2018-05-30 to 2026-11-07)
No confusingly similar marks of other companies found in this period.
Similar to ROTHMANS (classes 9, 14, 16, 34; no close matches in the search)
No confusingly similar marks of other companies found.
Similar to ROTHMANS OF PALL MALL (classes 9, 14, 16, 34, 35; searched 2019-04-24 to 2026-11-07)
No confusingly similar marks of other companies found in this period.
Similar to ROTHMANS CUP (classes 9, 14, 16, 34; searched 2018-01-31 to 2026-11-07)
No confusingly similar marks of other companies found in this period.
Similar to DUNHILL (classes 9, 34, 42; no close matches in the search)
No confusingly similar marks of other companies found.
Similarity of the words only. Whether a mark could have been opposed depends on the goods and services, the reputation of the brand and the facts – S&Z can advise. New marks like these are what SimTM watch reports as they are published.
How S&Z can help you
S&Z does not just file trademarks. We are a technology-first firm that manages trademarks – analysing your data, monitoring competitors and making sure your trademark assets remain protected.
We manage your trademarks – not just file them
Analysing your data, monitoring competitors and making sure your trademark assets remain protected:
Filing and renewal at fixed, all-inclusive prices
S&Z prices – South African trademarks
| Filing, first class – incl. official fee, examination report, routine office action, acceptance, publication, registration and e-certificate | US$240 |
| Each additional class of the same mark, filed at the same time | US$225 |
| Renewal online, per class (every 10 years from filing) | R1,027 ≈ US$62.29 |
Renewal in rand; US$ at R16.49 per US$.
BAT's next five years of renewals
312 of BAT's registered marks reach their ten-year renewal date in 2027–2031. Renewed online with S&Z, that costs about US$19,435 over the five years.
BAT: frequently asked questions
What should BAT consider for its trademarks?
- Where to file next: its goods sell strongly in Nigeria, Namibia and OAPI (17 states) – markets where South African exports of the same goods are large or growing, and where S&Z files at its own all-in prices (see “BAT – relevant export countries”).
- Fewer new brands: new brand names fell from 25.8 to 14.0 a year – worth reviewing whether planned launches are being protected early enough.
- Renewals and use: keep track of the ten-year renewal dates and of marks that are no longer used – unused marks can be challenged after five years, and some may no longer be worth renewing.