Trademark Expiration - What you should know in 2026

We’ve previously discussed the trademark application process and how to select a good trademark name.

But after your trademark is registered by the US Trademark Office (USPTO), you will need to submit periodic maintenance filings to ensure it remains valid.

When is the Trademark filing due?

The first maintenance filing is due between the 5th and 6th year following the registration date of your trademark (6-year filing).

The trademark will then need to be renewed between the 9th and 10th year following registration, and every ten years thereafter. The process is similar to the 6-year filing, with the exception of a Section 9 renewal instead of a Section 15 declaration.

If you miss the 1-year term for these filings, there is an additional 6-month grace period to make the submission, though the USPTO filing fee will increase during this term.

What needs to be filed to renew your trademark?

The USPTO requires that you submit a declaration of use under Section 8, to show that your trademark is used to market the products included under your registration. This is the mandatory portion of the filing to keep your trademark alive and needs to be done for every class (category) of products listed under your registration which you wish to keep. Evidence of use can be active selling pages or photos of the product or packaging, depending on the type of trademark (Word or Design).

For the 6-year filing, it is recommended to also include the optional Declaration of Incontestability under Section 15 along with the Section 8 declaration. This can be done under one filing, as a Combined Declaration of Use and Incontestability Under Sections 8 and 15.

The benefit of including Section 15 is to protect your mark from third party attempts to cancel the registration. Following the filing and approval of a Section 15 declaration, the trademark becomes incontestable. Once a trademark is incontestable, certain aspects of the registration cannot be challenged by third parties (such as the trademark’s validity).

What happens if I let my trademark expire?

If you fail to make the submission in time your trademark registration will be cancelled. So, it is important to make sure these filings are handled in time!

To conclude, it is recommended to make note of the maintenance filing deadlines once your trademark is registered and to consult an attorney so that the filings are timely handled.

Can You Renew an Expired Trademark?

If a trademark has expired, the original registration cannot be renewed*. Once a mark reaches the final expiration date and the grace period has ended, the registration is considered dead and removed from the trademark register.

However, that does not mean the end of the road for brand protection. You can still protect the brand and recover your rights by taking one of these actions:

Act Fast: Reapply for the Trademark

The most common solution is to file a new trademark application. This creates a new registration date and starts the process again from the beginning. When you reapply, make sure the details correctly reflect the current commercial use of the brand. Refiling is also an opportunity to include any goods that are now sold under the brand but were not listed in the original application.

It’s best not to delay refiling. After a trademark is classified as expired, anyone else can apply for it if it appears available. Another entity could file its own similar or identical mark before you do, and its application could block yours from registering. Acting quickly helps preserve your rights and reduces the risk of losing the brand to another filer.

Keep Using the Trademark to Preserve Common Law Rights

Even if your registration has expired, you may still hold common law rights (in the United States and certain other regions) if you continue using the brand in commerce. However, common law rights are much harder to enforce, especially in today’s online marketplace. For example, most e-commerce platforms and brand protection programs require a registered trademark to remove infringing listings or assert ownership. While common law rights may offer limited protection within your existing geographic market, they do not provide the same level of nationwide or platform-based enforcement as a registered mark.

*In theory, it is possible to file a Petition to the Director under special circumstances to request relief from an expired or abandoned application. However, petitions are granted only in rare situations. The processing time can be very long, and the official fee is $400 compared to $350 for filing a new application in one class. For this reason, the recommended approach is usually to file a new application.