22,650 UK trademarks expire in April 2026. Does yours?

According to the complete UK trademark register, 22,650 trademarks are due to expire in April 2026.

That's 22,650 brands whose protection runs out next month unless their owners renew. Across the whole of Q2 2026 (April to June), the number rises to 59,103.

What happens when a trademark expires

UK trademarks last 10 years from the filing date. After that, the owner must renew or the mark expires. There's a 6-month grace period after expiry where you can still renew (with a late fee), but after that, the registration is removed from the register.

Once a trademark expires and the grace period passes, the name is no longer protected. Someone else can file an application for the same or a confusingly similar mark. The cost of re-filing is minor compared to the cost of losing a brand name that customers already associate with your business.

The marks most likely to lapse

The trademarks expiring in April 2026 were filed in 2016. Many of those businesses will have changed hands, changed direction, or simply forgotten about the registration. Some will have changed contact details, meaning IPO renewal reminders go to old addresses.

This isn't a theoretical risk. It's 22,650 specific registrations with specific expiry dates and specific owners who may or may not be paying attention.

A question for accountants and business advisers

Are you checking your clients' trademark renewal dates as part of annual reviews? A 2-minute check could save a client from losing brand protection they've held for a decade. If your client registered a trademark when they started the business 10 years ago, that mark is coming up for its first renewal right now.

Check your renewal date

TMGuard's free renewal checker at tmguard.uk/renew lets you look up any UK trademark and see when it expires. If your mark is due for renewal, you'll see the deadline and what to do next.

59,103 trademarks expire in the next 3 months. Make sure yours isn't one of them.