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If my specimen gets accepted, what happens next?

Written by Jan Buza

Co-founder of Trama

If the Statement of Use and specimen are accepted, the USPTO formally registers the trademark and issues a registration certificate. This completes the registration process: the application has passed examination, cleared the opposition period, and demonstrated active commercial use in the US market.

From registration, the trademark is valid for 10 years from the original filing date. Between the 5th and 6th year after registration, a Declaration of Use must be filed confirming the mark remains in active US commercial use. The next scheduled maintenance is the 10-year renewal.

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