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A trademark protects brand identifiers such as logos, names and slogans, and can last indefinitely as long as it stays in use and is renewed. A patent protects a technical invention for a limited term, typically 20 years from filing.
| Trademark | Patent | |
|---|---|---|
| Protects | Brand names, logos, slogans, trade dress | Inventions, processes, technical improvements |
| Typical duration | Renewable every 10 years, indefinitely | Typically up to 20 years from filing |
| Ongoing fees | Renewal every 10 years | Renewal fees, annual in most countries |
| Extra upkeep | Proof of use in some jurisdictions | None beyond the fee |
| How it ends | Non-use, or a missed renewal | The term runs out, or a fee goes unpaid |
In most jurisdictions, including the EU and the US, a trademark owner renews every 10 years and can keep doing so indefinitely. The mark must stay in genuine use in commerce.
Some offices ask for evidence of that use. In the United States a Declaration of Use must be filed between years 5 and 6 after registration, separately from the renewal itself.
A patent has a hard end date. Renewal fees are due annually in most countries, they rise as the patent ages, and paying them cannot extend the patent past its maximum term.
Missing a payment ends protection in that country early, whatever the position elsewhere. Most jurisdictions allow a grace period with a surcharge, but not all of them do.
Often. A new appliance can hold a patent on the mechanism inside it and a trademark on the brand name printed on the outside. They protect different things and renew on completely different schedules, which is where portfolios that mix them tend to slip.
