Registering a trademark is not a one-off task. Every mark has an expiry date, and missing it undoes years of protection.
When your first term runs out
A newly registered trademark is valid for 7 years from the filing date. That clock starts on the date you filed, not the date the certificate finally arrived.
Mark that date somewhere you will actually see it. A first term measured in years is easy to lose track of, especially for a mark nobody in the business touches day to day.
The renewal fee and where to pay it
Renewing costs ₦15,500, paid on the same portal used for filing and searches, portal.iponigeria.com. The fee is charged per class, matching however many classes your registration covers.
This is a separate figure from the fees paid at first registration. If you registered more than one class, budget the renewal fee for each one, not just the class you use most.
How long a renewal lasts
Once renewed, protection runs for 14 years. Unlike the shorter first term, this period repeats indefinitely, as long as each renewal is filed on time.
There is no cap on how many times a mark can be renewed. A brand still trading decades later simply keeps paying the fee on schedule.
Renewing before versus after expiry
Filing before expiry is straightforward: pay the fee, and the term extends without a break in protection. Filing after expiry is possible for a limited window, but it brings a late fee. The Trademarks Registry's fee table does not say whether that late fee replaces or adds to the standard charge.
Waiting until after expiry also risks a gap where the mark technically has no protection, even if you renew it soon after. Filing ahead of the date avoids that gap altogether.
What happens if you miss the date
A trademark that is never renewed simply lapses. The protection it gave disappears, and the name becomes available for someone else to register in the same class.
For a business built around a name, this is the costlier mistake compared with an early renewal fee. Losing the mark means starting over: a fresh availability search, a fresh application, and the multi-month wait that follows.
Common mistakes
- Not tracking the expiry date anywhere. A trademark's term is measured in years, long enough for the date to be forgotten entirely.
- Waiting until after expiry to renew. The grace window exists, but it adds a late fee, and the Trademarks Registry does not say if that replaces or adds to the standard charge.
- Renewing only one class when the registration covers several. Each class needs its own renewal fee.
- Assuming a lapsed mark can simply be reinstated. Once it lapses, someone else can register a similar name in your place.
Keep renewal dates alongside your other filing deadlines with the compliance calendar. The rest of this series is on the SME regulators hub.