The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) sends a single email — just one courtesy reminder — six months before your trademark expires. For many businesses each year, this lone notification gets lost to spam filters, outdated contacts, or the daily flood of messages that fill our inboxes.
The rules are simple: verify at five years, then renew every decade. Yet the USPTO’s records show a consistent pattern of missed deadlines across all sectors. While large corporations protect themselves with dedicated legal teams, smaller businesses often stake their brand’s future on catching that single reminder email.
If you miss the deadline and 6-month grace period, your protected trademark becomes public property — free for competitors to claim and use. The trademark renewal fee of a few hundred dollars is tiny compared to the cost of losing your brand rights.
Once your trademark protection expires, your brand identity becomes a free-for-all, and rebuilding what you lost can take years. The only way to avoid it is to understand trademark renewal.
What is Trademark Renewal?
Trademark renewal is your scheduled maintenance check with the USPTO. The trademark renewal definition is straightforward: it refers to the legal steps that you must take at regular intervals to ensure you maintain rights over your trademark.
Your trademark isn’t permanent; it requires ongoing protection. While it’s similar to renewing a passport or driver’s license, the stakes are higher. If your passport expires, you can’t travel. But if your trademark expires, you may lose exclusive rights to your brand identifiers, leaving them open for competitors to claim.
The renewal process proves to the USPTO that you’re actively using your trademark in commerce and wish to maintain your legal claim to it. It’s not automatic; you must take specific actions at set intervals — usually every decade — to keep your protection alive.
How is a Trademark Renewed?
Renewing a trademark involves electronically filing specific documents through the Trademark Electronic Application System (TEAS). You must submit a Declaration of Use and a Renewal Application.
The process requires proof that you’re actively using your mark in commerce. You’ll submit specimens, usually photos of your products or services showing the mark in use, along with the required fees.
Don’t wait until the last minute to start your renewal process. Check that your USPTO.gov account is active well before the deadline, gather your specimens early, and make sure your payment method is current.
When to Renew a Trademark
Your trademark has two critical maintenance deadlines to remember. First, you’ll file a Declaration of Use between years 5 and 6 after registration. Then comes your first renewal — along with another Declaration of Use — between years 9 and 10.
After that first renewal, the pattern simplifies: you’ll file renewals every 10 years for as long as you want to keep your trademark active. You don’t have to wait until the deadline to file.
In fact, the USPTO accepts renewal applications up to one year before they’re due. Being proactive helps you avoid last-minute rushes and potential technical issues that could delay your filing.
What Happens if You Forget to Renew a Trademark?
Missing your trademark renewal deadline isn’t immediately fatal, as the USPTO provides a six-month grace period for late filings. However, you’ll pay a penalty fee on top of the standard renewal fees. This grace period is your last chance to save your registration without starting over.
If you miss both the deadline and the grace period, the USPTO will cancel your trademark registration. This means losing federal protection for your mark, including the right to use the ® symbol and the ability to enforce your trademark rights against infringers.
Getting your registration back after cancellation isn’t simple. You’ll need to file a fresh trademark application, pay all the associated fees, and repeat the examination process. Plus, there’s no guarantee you’ll be able to register your mark, as someone else might have filed for a similar mark while yours was canceled.
How Much Does it Cost to Renew a Trademark?
Trademark renewal costs depend on how many classes of goods or services your mark covers. As of 2025, you’ll pay $525 for the combined Declaration of Use and Renewal Application for each class. So, if your mark covers two classes, expect to pay $1,050.
Filing late? The USPTO’s six-month grace period includes an additional $100 fee per class. That means a single-class renewal filed during the grace period will cost $625 instead of $525. While the grace period provides a safety net, it’s expensive.
Staying on Top of Trademark Renewal
Renewing your trademark might seem like just another administrative task, but it’s crucial for protecting your brand’s future. While the process requires attention to deadlines and proper documentation, it’s far simpler than losing your registration and starting over.
Regular renewals keep your trademark rights intact and help maintain the brand value you’ve worked so hard to build. Before filing your next trademark renewal, ensure you’re not heading for potential conflicts.
Save time and avoid costly issues by running a proper trademark search first. Check out our Trademark Research Services to get a clear picture of your mark’s status and identify any potential problems before they become expensive headaches.
