# Renewing and maintaining your titles

Source: https://luatbanquyen.com/en/registration-guide/renewal-and-maintenance · Updated: 2026-08-17 · Reviewed: 2026-08-17

Every right is maintained differently — trademarks renew forever, patents pay annually, designs cap at 15 years. Forgetting a fee is the most common way to lose a right.

A protection title is not "grant once, use forever". Each right is maintained differently, and forgetting a fee is the single most common reason a right lapses early. The table below groups the mechanism for each type.

## Maintenance by right type

| Right | Term | What you must do to keep it |
|---|---|---|
| Copyright and related rights | Life + 50 years, 75/100 years, or 50 years | No renewal, no maintenance fee |
| Patent | 20 years from filing | Pay an **annual maintenance fee**; cannot extend beyond 20 years |
| Utility solution | 10 years from filing | Pay an annual maintenance fee; non-renewable |
| Industrial design | 5 years, renewable twice × 5 = 15 years max | Pay a renewal fee before each 5-year cycle |
| Trademark | 10 years, renewable indefinitely | Pay a renewal fee before each 10-year cycle |
| Geographical indication | Indefinite | No renewal, while the conditions for protection remain met |
| Plant variety | 20/25 years from grant | Non-renewable |

## Trademarks — unlimited renewals with a hidden condition

The trademark is the only right that can last forever: renew every 10 years, with no limit. But there is an important hidden condition: a mark **unused for five consecutive years** can be cancelled on a third party's request. Paying every renewal is not enough — the mark must also be genuinely used.

## Patents — annual fees, no renewal

A patent has no concept of "renewal" beyond 20 years. Instead the owner pays an **annual maintenance fee** from grant. This is an ongoing operating cost many businesses forget to price in when deciding to file — and the reason many patents lapse well before 20 years.

Note too that a patent's effect runs from grant but the 20-year clock runs from the filing date — examination time eats into the real term. The longer examination takes, the shorter the effective monopoly.

## Industrial designs — two renewals of five years

A design starts at 5 years, renewable at most twice consecutively for 5 years each — 15 years maximum in total. Renew before each 5-year cycle; missing one cycle forfeits the later ones.

## If you miss a fee deadline

Several maintenance and renewal fees may be paid late within a defined window with a surcharge. But the surcharge, the late window and their scope must be **checked against current rules** at the IP Office and Circular 263/2016/TT-BTC before you rely on them — this is not a place to guess.

## Set the calendar when you file

Rather than remembering "when is it due", record the milestones the moment you file: trademark renewals every 10 years, design renewals every 5 years, and patent maintenance as an annual task. The [term calculator](/tools/protection-term) computes each expiry date; combining it with calendar reminders avoids a loss that is entirely preventable.

## Cited documents

- [Consolidated document 67/VBHN-VPQH — Law on Intellectual Property](/en/legal-documents/ip-law-consolidated) — In force
- [Circular 263/2016/TT-BTC on industrial property fees and charges](/en/legal-documents/circular-263-2016-industrial-property-fees) — Partly in force

## Sources

- [Circular 263/2016/TT-BTC — maintenance and renewal fees for protection titles](https://vanban.chinhphu.vn/default.aspx?pageid=27160&docid=188038) (263/2016/TT-BTC)
- [Article 93 of the IP Law — terms of protection for each type of title — Điều 93](https://thuvienphapluat.vn/van-ban/So-huu-tri-tue/Van-ban-hop-nhat-67-VBHN-VPQH-2026-Luat-So-huu-tri-tue-700846.aspx) (67/VBHN-VPQH)

- Previous: [Filing internationally — PCT, Madrid and The Hague](/en/registration-guide/filing-internationally-pct-madrid-hague)
- Next: [When to engage an industrial property representative](/en/registration-guide/when-to-hire-an-ip-representative)

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Reference material only; it does not replace legal advice on a specific matter.