Yes. A trademark is an asset rather than just a cost. It can appear on the balance sheet, and it can be sold, licensed, charged or inherited. Buyers check who owns the brand early in due diligence, so a registered trademark held by the right owner supports the value of the business, while an unregistered or wrongly owned name can reduce the price.

The brand is often a large part of what is being bought, so due diligence looks at it early. The trademark belongs to whoever is named as proprietor on the register, not whoever paid for it or thought of the name. If it sits with a founder personally or a third party, fixing that during a sale means negotiating at the moment they have most to gain from saying no.