Can I renew a patent for an additional 20-year term?

No, you cannot renew a patent for an additional 20-year term. Utility patents have a 20-year term and design patents have a 15-year term. Patents rights are discharged discharged into the public domain when they expire.

Under some circumstances, the patent term may be extended. Our experienced patent attorneys can advise you on whether you have received or are entitled to an extension of your patent term.

A patent will also expire if the patent owner fails to pay the scheduled maintenance fees. Smith & Hopen employs a state of the art docket management system designed and built in-house to ensure that our clients never miss a maintenance fee.