CARTOONS ABOUT TRADEMARKS How Long is a Trademark Registration Valid For? When to Renew a Trademark Registration

How long is your trademark certificate valid in Canada?

Learn all about it in this cartoon:

THINKING OF TRADEMARKING YOUR BRAND?

NARRATOR: Karen owns a small company making and selling plush toys for kids. Karen just received her trademark registration for SOFT FRIENDY.

NARRATOR: Karen just received an email from her trademark agent.

KAREN: Blah-blah-blah, blah-blah-blah... Oh, here is where it gets important: in Canada, trademark registration is valid for 15 years from the registration date, and can be renewed indefinitely for further 15 year periods.

KAREN: 15 years is a loooong time!

TRADEMARK FACTORY: Hello Karen, your trademark is due to be renewed. We need your instructions. Please call me back as soon as possible.

KAREN: Oh no, I forgot to tell my lawyer to renew my trademark.

KAREN: Hello, this is Karen I was away and forgot to tell you to renew my mark. Did I just lose my precious brand?

TRADEMARK FACTORY: It's good that you got back to me now. Because you did not renew your trademark before the expiration of the 15-year deadline, a Renewal Notice was issued that gives you a 6-months grace period to request renewal and pay the fee.

KAREN: So we're still within the 6-months grace period?

TRADEMARK FACTORY: Yes. Otherwise, you'd need to file your trademark application from scratch and someone could beat you to it. But we caught it just in time!

KAREN: I am so relieved. Let's renew.

TRADEMARK FACTORY: Are you still the owner of the mark?

KAREN: Yes, why are you asking?

TRADEMARK FACTORY: Well, if a trademark is sold to another company or another individual, then before the renewal is filed we would need to properly record an assignment. But this is a whole other topic.

KAREN: No, I still own the mark.

TRADEMARK FACTORY: Great. To renew your registration, you will need to pay the government fees.

KAREN: Is it expensive?

TRADEMARK FACTORY: The government fee for an online renewal is $350 per trademark.

KAREN: So a $350 fee buys me another 15 years of protection?

TRADEMARK FACTORY: Amazing, isn't it?

KAREN [dreamily]: Yeah!

BE UPDATED ON THE LATEST TRADEMARKING NEWS

Disclaimer: Please note that this post and this video are not and are not intended as legal advice. Your situation may be different from the facts assumed in this post or video. Your reading this post or watching this video does not create a lawyer-client relationship between you and Trademark Factory International Inc., and you should not rely on this post or this video as the only source of information to make important decisions about your intellectual property.

WhatsApp Message Us