The following is an edited transcript of my video How Long Does a Trademark Last?.
A trademark registration can last forever, as long as it is still being used. This is different from patents and copyrights, which have expiration dates.
This question came up recently, in a class I was teaching, and together we researched trademarks from the 1800s that are registered at the USPTO that are still active registrations today (there are 42), including:
- Tiffany and Company
- John Deere
- Coca-Cola
- Omega (watches)
- Hire’s Root Beer
- Heinz
- Budweiser
- Quaker oatmeal
The fact that a trademark and trademark registration can last for so long (and even forever) is one of the reasons that it’s such a tremendous investment, and why it’s important to take care of your renewal dates and to remember how and when to renew a trademark registration.