We send courtesy email reminders to registration owners of upcoming post-registration maintenance filing deadlines for Sections 8 and 71 declarations and Section 9 renewals. We send these reminders to registration owners only for registrations that are “live” or active on the date the email reminder is sent. However, if we are not able to deliver the email reminder for some reason, we generally don’t resend or otherwise make any follow-up communication attempts. The USPTO is not obligated to send reminders of these deadlines, and failure to receive a reminder does not excuse you from meeting your statutory filing obligations.
When are these emails sent and to whom?
We send courtesy email reminders on the first day of the statutory filing period for the maintenance filing (e.g., 5-year anniversary from your registration date, 9-year anniversary date, 19-year anniversary date, etc.) to all email addresses of record in the Correspondence and Current Owner(s) Information fields.
What information is included in an email reminder?
We include the following in the courtesy email reminder:
- The registered mark
- The corresponding serial and registration numbers
- The date of registration
- The owner(s) of record in the USPTO's Trademark database
- The maintenance filing currently due (e.g., Section 8 declaration, Section 71 declaration, or Section 8 declaration and Section 9 renewal application), along with the anniversary filing deadline, the grace period deadline, and the filing fee per class.
In addition, courtesy email reminders include links to the USPTO website for general information on registration maintenance requirements, as well as direct links to Trademark Electronic Application System (TEAS), Trademark Status & Document Retrieval (TSDR) database, and Assignment Center.
How do I make sure I receive an email reminder?
You should add the USPTO to your safe senders list and confirm that your email service accepts our emails and does not treat them as junk mail or spam.
To verify, update, add, or delete email address information, registration owners and their attorneys should use the TEAS Change Address or Representation (CAR) form, as necessary, to ensure reminder emails are received by the registration owner(s) and any legal representative they elect to receive them.
What happens if I do not receive an email reminder?
Registration owners will not be excused from their statutory registration maintenance obligations if they do not receive an email reminder from the USPTO or the USPTO does not send one. If you do not file a timely maintenance document, your registration will be canceled or expire.
Can an attorney who no longer represents a registration owner opt out of receiving a courtesy email reminder?
Yes. If legal representation will not be ongoing, use the TEAS CAR form to (1) remove attorney email address(es) from the USPTO's Trademark database and (2) ensure that the email address(es) of the registration owner(s) is up to date.