How to Renew Your Trademark in the European Union
23-05-10
Validity of an EU Trademark:
A European Union trademark is valid for ten years.
Process for Trademark Renewal:
- Notification: The EUIPO informs the owner or their representative six months before the expiry of the registration.
- Assessment: The legal representative assesses the trademark and determines if any updates are required.
- Renewal Request: A request for renewal can be made and the fees are to be paid within the six months before the expiry date of the registration.
- Renewal Period: The latest possible date for requesting renewal and paying the fee is the expiry date of the trademark. An additional six-month grace period for renewal starts on the day following the expiry date, with an additional fee of 25%.
- Late Renewal: If no request has been filed in time, late renewal is possible within an additional period of six months. The late request for renewal must be submitted, and the renewal fee plus a 25% surcharge paid within this grace period.
- Conversion: If the owner chooses not to renew the EU trademark but wants to maintain rights in certain Member States, an application for conversion can be filed within three months from the end of the additional renewal period.
Fate of Non-Renewal:
If no request for renewal is submitted, or it is submitted after the expiry of the grace period, the EUIPO informs the owner that the trademark has been canceled and removed from the Register, with a notice published in the EUTM Bulletin.
Partial Renewal:
An EU trademark may also be partially renewed, for example, if an owner seeks only to re-establish certain classes.
Note: Since leaving the EU on 31 January 2020, the UK’s transitional period ended on 31 December 2020; the UK is now separate from the EUIPO.
Read our blog about renewals in the USA.
