Renewal is the most avoidable loss in trademark practice. Businesses spend years and real money building a registered brand, then lose the registration because a reminder went to an agent they stopped using or an email address nobody monitors any more.
When renewal falls due
- Registration runs for a fixed term from a defined date, renewable indefinitely.
- Renewal is due before expiry of the current term.
- The renewal date derives from the registration, not from when you started using the mark.
- Each registration renews separately - marks in several classes may have different dates.
- A grace or restoration window generally exists after expiry, with additional fees.
- Confirm the exact dates against your registration certificate and the register.
The fourth point catches growing businesses. A brand registered in one class in 2015 and extended to two more classes in 2019 has three registrations with different renewal dates. Track them individually - a single diary entry for "the trademark" is how the others get missed.
How to renew
- Check the registration details on the register - number, classes, proprietor, expiry.
- Confirm the proprietor details are current - name, address, any assignment.
- File the renewal application with IPO Pakistan.
- Pay the prescribed fee for each registration renewed.
- Obtain the renewal certificate or confirmation.
- Verify the register reflects the renewal rather than assuming.
- Diarise the next renewal immediately.
Step two is worth doing properly at renewal, because it is the natural moment for it. Where the business has changed name, moved, restructured, or the mark has been assigned and never recorded, the register is out of date - and an out-of-date proprietor record causes problems in enforcement and in any sale of the business.
If you miss the deadline
| Stage | Position |
|---|---|
| Before expiry | Ordinary renewal, prescribed fee |
| Shortly after expiry | Generally renewable with an additional fee |
| After removal from the register | Restoration may be available on application |
| Long after removal | Restoration may no longer be available |
| Mark re-registered by another | Materially worse position |
Confirm the current windows and fees with IPO Pakistan - they are set by the registry and revised. Act as soon as you notice, since every stage down that table is worse and more expensive than the one above it.
Restoring a removed mark
- Establish the position on the register - removed, or merely expired.
- Check whether the restoration window is still open.
- Apply for restoration and renewal with the prescribed fees.
- Explain the circumstances where required.
- Check whether anyone has applied for the same or a similar mark meanwhile.
- Take advice where a third party has intervened.
Point five is the one that determines how bad the situation is. If a competitor spotted the lapse and filed for the mark, you are no longer dealing with an administrative problem but a contested one - and your continued use, reputation and prior registration all become relevant. See opposition proceedings.
What a lapse actually costs
- Loss of the registration that your enforcement depends on.
- You may no longer use the ® symbol - see the symbols guide.
- Weakened position against infringers during the gap.
- Exposure to a third-party filing for the same mark.
- Problems in due diligence if you sell or raise investment.
- Restoration fees exceeding what renewal would have cost.
- Difficulty in customs and platform enforcement, which rely on a live registration.
The due diligence point is worth flagging to founders. A lapsed or unrecorded trademark shows up immediately in any acquisition or investment process, and it is precisely the kind of finding that reduces valuation or delays a deal.
A renewal system that works
- List every registration with its number, classes, proprietor and renewal date.
- Diarise each date separately, with reminders at twelve, six and three months.
- Assign it to a named person, not to a role that changes hands.
- Use an address and email you control on the register, not an agent's alone.
- Review annually alongside your other statutory filings.
- Update the register whenever the proprietor's details change.
Point four is the single most common cause of lapses. Where the register carries only a former agent's address, renewal reminders go to a firm you no longer instruct, and nothing reaches you at all. Make sure at least one contact on the record is yours and monitored.
Renewal after a sale, merger or name change
Registrations frequently outlive the exact corporate entity that filed them, and the register does not update itself.
| What changed | What the register needs |
|---|---|
| Company changed its name | Record the change of name |
| Business sold, marks assigned | Record the assignment |
| Sole proprietor incorporated | Assignment from individual to company |
| Partner left an AOP | Check who holds the mark now |
| Proprietor died | Transmission to heirs or the estate |
| Registered address changed | Update it - this is where notices go |
Where the register shows a proprietor that no longer exists in that form, renewal becomes awkward and enforcement becomes arguable. An infringer's first move is often to question whether the party suing actually owns the registration.
The sole-proprietor-to-company transition is the one most often missed in Pakistan. A founder registers a mark personally, later incorporates, and the company then trades on a mark it does not own. Record the assignment - see company types.
Reviewing the portfolio at renewal
Renewal is a natural point to ask whether the registration still fits the business.
| Question | Possible action |
|---|---|
| Still trading under this mark? | If not, consider whether renewal is warranted |
| Classes still match what you sell? | File in new classes for expanded lines |
| Logo changed since registration? | The registered form may no longer match use |
| Trading in new territories? | Consider foreign filings |
| Proprietor details current? | Record any change or assignment |
| Anyone using a similar mark? | Consider a watch and enforcement |
The logo row matters more than businesses assume. Where a brand has been redesigned, the mark in use may differ from the mark registered - and enforcement is against what is on the register. See trademark classes.
Frequently asked questions
How long does a Pakistani trademark registration last?
It runs for a fixed term from a defined date and is renewable indefinitely, provided renewal is filed before expiry. Confirm the current term and fees with IPO Pakistan, as these are set by the registry.
What happens if I miss the renewal date?
Shortly after expiry the mark is generally still renewable with an additional fee. After removal from the register, restoration may be available on application within a limited window, after which it may not.
Can a removed trademark be restored?
Generally yes within the restoration window, on application with the prescribed fees. Check first whether anyone has applied for the same or a similar mark in the meantime, which changes the position materially.
Do all my trademarks renew on the same date?
No. Each registration renews separately, so a brand registered in one class and later extended to others has several registrations with different dates. Track each one individually.
Why do businesses miss renewals?
Most often because the register carries only a former agent's address, so reminders go to a firm no longer instructed. Make sure at least one contact on the record is yours and monitored.
What does a lapse actually cost me?
Loss of the registration enforcement depends on, inability to use the registered symbol, exposure to a third-party filing, problems in due diligence if you sell or raise investment, and restoration fees exceeding renewal.
What should I check at renewal?
That proprietor details are current, that the classes still match what you sell, whether the logo in use still matches the registered form, and whether anyone is using a similar mark.
My company has changed name since registering. Does that matter?
Yes. The register does not update itself, and a proprietor that no longer exists in that form makes renewal awkward and enforcement arguable - an infringer's first move is often to question ownership.
I registered the mark personally then incorporated. Is that a problem?
It is the most commonly missed transition in Pakistan. The company then trades on a mark it does not own. Record an assignment from the individual to the company.
Sources & official references
- IPO Pakistan - trademarks, copyright, patents and industrial designs
- Trade Marks Ordinance 2001 - trademark registration, opposition and infringement
- WIPO Madrid System - international trademark registration