IP renewal management: what to look for in a renewals platform
Renewals are the most predictable deadlines in IP, and still the ones most often missed. They are years apart, easy to forget and spread across many countries. Here is how firms track them, and what good renewal software actually does.
How companies track IP renewal deadlines today
Most portfolios are tracked in one of four ways:
- Spreadsheets and calendars. Cheap and familiar, but nothing checks the dates and nothing reminds anyone unless someone sets it up by hand.
- Renewal service providers. Companies that pay renewal fees on your behalf. Useful for large patent portfolios, though you still need your own record of what is due and what was instructed.
- IP management or docketing software. The portfolio, its deadlines and the reminders live in one system.
- Your law firm’s system. Many brand owners rely on their IP firm to remind them, which is why a firm’s renewal process is part of its service.
The features a renewals platform needs
Dates that come from the record
The renewal date should sit on the mark itself, next to the filing and registration dates it comes from, not in a separate calendar that can drift.
Several reminders, at intervals you choose
A single reminder is easy to lose. Look for several windows, such as 90, 60 and 30 days before, that you can change to suit your practice.
Reminders to the right person
For a direct client, the reminder goes to the client. When the work came from a foreign associate, it should go to the associate, who gets instructions from the owner.
One email per client, not one per mark
A client with twelve marks due should get one clear email listing all twelve, not twelve emails.
An upcoming and an overdue view
The team needs to see everything due in the next 30, 60 or 90 days, and everything that has passed without action.
Madrid renewals handled differently
An international registration is renewed centrally at WIPO, not at each national office. The system must make that clear, or the same mark gets renewed, and billed, twice.
Patent and design annuities
Patents and many designs need annual fees, often with a grace period after the due date. They belong in the same place as trademark renewals.
A record of what was sent
When a client says they were never told, you should be able to show the reminder, the date and the address it went to.
Instruction and invoice in the same place
The client’s instruction to renew, and the invoice for it, should sit on the same record as the renewal.
Reports you can export
Renewals by client, country and month, exportable for budgeting and for the client’s own planning.
How renewals work in IPBases
- A daily scheduled job checks every mark and sends reminders in the windows you set; by default 90, 60 and 30 days before the renewal date.
- Client reminder emails can be switched on in the automation settings; your team gets in-app notifications either way, and each person can choose which windows they receive.
- Reminders go to the associate when the client came through one, and to the client otherwise.
- The renewals report shows what is due in a window you choose, or what is overdue, and sends one grouped reminder per client listing all their marks. It exports to CSV.
- Madrid marks are labelled as a WIPO central renewal in reminders.
- Patent, trademark and design annuities have their own due dates, grace dates, reminders and a link to the invoice.
- Every email sent is kept in the mail log.
A note on WIPO trademark renewals
A Madrid international registration lasts ten years. It can be renewed up to six months before expiry, with a six-month grace period after it that carries a 50% surcharge. Renewal is made online through WIPO’s eMadrid service. Our Madrid Protocol guide covers the details.
Renewals checklist
- Every mark has its renewal date on its own record
- Several reminder windows, set by you
- Reminders reach the client or the associate who instructs
- One grouped email per client
- An overdue view checked every week
- Madrid renewals marked as central WIPO renewals
- Annuities with grace periods tracked
- A log of every reminder sent
Frequently asked questions
What software do companies use to track IP renewal deadlines?
Spreadsheets and calendars for small portfolios, renewal service providers that pay fees for them, and IP management or docketing software that keeps the portfolio, deadlines and reminders in one system. Many brand owners also rely on their IP law firm to remind them.
What features should I look for in an IP renewals platform?
Renewal dates kept on each record, several reminder windows you can set, reminders to the right client or associate, one grouped email per client, upcoming and overdue views, correct handling of Madrid renewals, annuities with grace periods, a log of reminders sent, and exportable reports.