A trademark you spent months registering can be cancelled by the USPTO if you miss a single filing window. Set a reminder before each Section 8 and Section 9 deadline and get emailed before the window opens, not after it closes.
Done in seconds. No sign-up required.
The deadlines come up rarely, the consequences are severe, and the system that exists to remind you wasn't built for individual owners.
years between registration and your first required filing — long enough that owners forget the system entirely
USPTO Section 8 declaration window
grace period after each missed deadline, with extra fees, before the registration is cancelled
USPTO trademark maintenance rules
refund or reinstatement available once a registration is cancelled — you reapply from scratch
USPTO — Keeping your registration alive
The first filing isn't due until at least five years after registration. By the time the Section 8 window opens, the original filing attorney may have left the firm, the firm itself may have changed, the owner's email address may have changed, and the registration paperwork is buried in a drawer or a dead email account. The deadline arrives in a quiet inbox no one is watching.
The USPTO sends courtesy email reminders, but they go to the attorney of record. If you filed pro se, you only get them at the email you put on the original application. If your attorney retired, switched firms, or stopped representing you, the reminder lands in someone else's inbox. The USPTO is explicit that these emails are a courtesy, not a guarantee.
The result is a long quiet stretch followed by a hard deadline. The renewal isn't difficult — it's a Section 8 declaration of use plus a fee. The hard part is remembering it exists.
A trademark renewal reminder works ahead of each filing window, not at it. Set yours for two to three months before the start of the window — that gives you time to gather specimens of use, prepare the declaration, and coordinate with an attorney if you use one. You receive an email with advance notice and follow-ups if you haven't acted yet.
Use your registration date as the anchor. Add reminders for the 5-year, 9-year, and every 10 years after that. Each reminder is a separate item.
Receive an email a few days before each filing window opens. Enough lead time to prepare specimens and file without rushing or paying a late fee.
If you don't mark the reminder done, BoldRemind follows up. The reminder doesn't quietly disappear after one email.
Trademark cancellation isn't reversible. Reapplying isn't the same as renewing.
Miss the grace period and the USPTO cancels your registration. The mark goes back into the public pool. You can reapply, but you start over with a new filing date.
What happens if you miss it →Section 8 at year 5–6, combined Section 8 and Section 9 at year 9–10, then every 10 years after that. Each has its own paperwork and fee.
See the full timeline →Scammers scrape USPTO records and mail official-looking renewal invoices. Some demand thousands of dollars for services that aren't required.
How to spot fakes →Everything else about keeping your registration alive — the details live here.
Yes, but only as a courtesy. The USPTO sends a reminder on the first day of each filing window — for example, on the 5th anniversary of registration for the Section 8 declaration. The email goes to the attorney of record, or to the owner directly if you filed pro se. If your attorney has changed, retired, or your email on file is stale, the message may never reach you. The USPTO is clear that missing the deadline is your responsibility regardless of whether the courtesy email arrived.
There are three filing windows. A Section 8 declaration of use is due between the 5th and 6th year after registration. A combined Section 8 and Section 9 renewal is due between the 9th and 10th year, and again every 10 years after that. So practically: year 5–6, year 9–10, year 19–20, year 29–30, and so on.
There's a six-month grace period after the deadline, during which you can still file with an additional fee. Miss the grace period and your registration is cancelled. You'd have to reapply from scratch, lose your priority filing date, and risk someone else registering the same mark in the meantime. See the full breakdown of consequences for more.
Set it for several months before the start of each filing window, not the deadline. The Section 8 window opens at the 5-year mark — set a reminder for year 4 month 9 so you have time to gather specimens of use, prepare the filing, and account for any shipping or attorney coordination. Then set another for the year 9 window, and another for every 10-year cycle after that.
No. BoldRemind is a personal email reminder tool. It doesn't file anything with the USPTO, doesn't represent you, and doesn't charge any USPTO fees. You set a reminder for your own renewal dates, and you receive an email before each window. Filing is still done through USPTO.gov or your own attorney.
Trademark renewal windows open four to ten years after registration. By then, calendars get migrated, phones get replaced, and sticky notes get lost. A reminder tied to your email address — not your device, calendar app, or law firm — is harder to lose track of across a decade.
Free. No account. Takes 30 seconds. You'll get an email before your filing window opens — and follow-ups if you haven't filed yet.
Create Trademark Renewal ReminderLast modified: