There are some significant changes coming to the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) that will affect trademark filings beginning January 18, 2025. These changes include the introduction of the Trademark Center, new fees, and revised application requirements. Here is an overview of the key changes:
The End of TEAS and the Launch of Trademark Center
The USPTO will retire the TEAS system, which has been in use for over 20 years, and replace it with the new Trademark Center. This more efficient platform will streamline filing processes, improve user experience, and offer new features such as automatic saving of drafts.
New Application Fee Structure and Increases
The TEAS Plus filing option, previously priced at $250 per class, will be eliminated.
All new filings will now start as Base Applications, with a fee of $350 per class.
Additional fees may apply for:
$100 per class for failing to meet certain requirements.
$200 per class for not using the USPTO’s ID Manual to detail goods/services.
$200 for each additional 1,000 characters when the goods/services description exceeds the first 1,000.
Additionally, international filings under the Madrid Protocol will see an increase to $600 per class starting February 18, 2025.
These changes will require careful planning and budgeting for trademark filings. We recommend:
Reviewing and updating your filing strategy to avoid unnecessary fees.
Gathering all necessary information upfront, including translations, domicile address details, and any consent required for marks identifying living individuals.
Increase to Trademark Use and Maintenance Fees
While the application fee adjustments are the biggest story here, the USPTO has announced several other fees that will be increasing as well, including:
Fee Description
Current Fee
New Fee
Increase
§ 9 registration renewal application, per class
$300
$325
+$25
§ 8 declaration, per class
$225
$325
+$100
§ 71 declaration, per class
$225
$325
+$100
§ 15 declaration, per class
$200
$250
+$50
Amendment to Allege Use/ Statement of Use, per class
The holders of copyrights for newspapers, magazines, books, and other publications are involved in numerous legal battles with owners of AI modules over alleged copyright infringement. The plaintiff copyright owners claim that the AI large language modules have been trained on huge quantities of copyrighted materials without permission and — most importantly — without payment. […]
The owners of most small, closely-held businesses negotiate and sign some form of an “Owner’s Agreement.” An important part of such Agreements is the “Buy-Sell” provisions. These are often some of the most difficult to negotiate. The gist of the buy-sell part of the Owners’ Agreement is to establish the rules for what happens if […]
Social media content moderation by technology platforms was one of the “hot” legal topics in 2023-2024. Three States — California, Texas, and Florida — passed different statutes to either require more content moderation (California) or to limit such moderation (Texas and Florida). All the statutes, in one way or another, demanded more transparency and information […]
