Last month, the USPTO announced a round of fee increases for trademark-related filings scheduled to take effect on January 18, 2025. Given these approaching fee increases, it highly recommended that all brand owners consider what trademark filings they may be able to submit now rather than later to avoid the additional costs.
The fee increases impact a wide range of trademark filings, for example and most notably:
For existing registrations:
- Declarations to maintain registrations and declare “incontestability” will go up: (a) from $300 to $325 for renewal applications, (b) from $225 to $325 for Declarations of Use, and (c) from $200 to $250 for Declarations of Incontestability, in each case per class.
For new applications:
- New applications will incur the following new fees based on the description of goods/services: (a) $200 per 1,000 characters beyond the first 1,000 characters per class, and (b) an additional $200 if the “free-form text box” option is used to enter the description of goods/services (instead of using the standard goods/service language provided by the USPTO).
- Applications filed on an “intent to use” basis will incur higher fees to confirm “use in commerce” prior to registration—from $100 per class to $150 per class.
- WIPO-based filings will also be going up for foreign-based brand owners, as will special Petition to the Director, including petitions to revive an abandoned application.
If you have any new trademark applications in mind to file, or if you are aware of any filings that are in need of a Statement of Use or renewal/maintenance declaration, consider acting now ahead of the January 18 fee increases. And if you have any questions or would like more information, contact John Halski at [email protected].
