Trademark Maintenance: Monitoring, Renewing, and Auditing Marks to Ensure Brand Protection

Once a company has registered trademarks for its brand, it is critical to maintain those marks. Trademark monitoring is a critical element in ensuring trademark maintenance. Monitoring plays a role in preventing dilution of the mark and provides valuable information regarding potential infringement. The sooner a company addresses unauthorized use or infringement, the better they can protect the brand.

Renewal is another element of maintaining a trademark. Because registration covers the specific goods or services identified and then sold under the registered mark, failing to use the mark in connection with those goods or services could make the trademark susceptible to cancellation for non-use. While continued use is often clear cut, some circumstances may call into question whether there is continued use. If the mark is no longer associated with certain goods or services, then those goods and services should be deleted from the registration. Excusable non-use is the exception.

Counsel to trademark owners must conduct regular reviews of its trademark portfolio. From ensuring correct marking and use to considerations of foreign trademark protection, regular audits are critical to comprehensive protection.

Listen as our authoritative panel of trademark attorneys examines trademark maintenance and the monitoring of marks. They will also outline the trademark renewal process and guide counsel in navigating the pitfalls of the renewal process. The panel will discuss protecting a company's brand by conducting regular trademark audits, review recent case law, and provide best practices from the lessons learned from recent cases.