How to Register a Trademark in Alaska (2026)
Reviewed by DocDraft Legal Team · Alaska · Last updated August 12, 2026
Trademark registration for nationwide use is federal, handled by the USPTO, but Alaska offers a state registration for marks used within the state under AS 45.50.010 et seq. The registration is filed with the Corporations Section of the Division of Corporations, Business and Professional Licensing, part of the Department of Commerce, Community, and Economic Development. Alaska charges a $50 filing fee per class of goods or services, and a state registration lasts five years, renewable for additional five-year terms. State registration protects your mark only inside Alaska, so businesses selling across state lines usually pair it with, or skip it in favor of, a federal filing.
How much does it cost to register a trademark in Alaska?
Alaska charges a $50 filing fee for each class of goods or services you register under AS 45.50.010. The fee is paid to the Division of Corporations, Business and Professional Licensing when you submit the state trademark application. If your brand spans several classes, you pay $50 for each one, so a two-class mark costs $100.
How long does an Alaska state trademark last?
An Alaska registration is effective for five years from the date of registration, one of the shorter terms among the states. You can renew it for additional five-year periods by filing a renewal with the Division of Corporations before it expires. This differs from a federal USPTO registration, which runs for ten years per term.
Where do I file a trademark in Alaska?
You file with the Corporations Section of the Division of Corporations, Business and Professional Licensing, part of the Alaska Department of Commerce, Community, and Economic Development. Alaska has no separate Secretary of State office. The Division uses a dedicated state trademark application form and maintains a searchable trademark database on its website.
Does an Alaska trademark protect me outside the state?
No. A registration under AS 45.50.010 protects your mark only within Alaska. To secure nationwide priority, the right to use the registered symbol, and federal-court enforcement, you must register with the USPTO under the Lanham Act. Many Alaska businesses that sell online or ship out of state file federally instead of, or in addition to, the state registration.
Alaska's trademark statute and its trade-secret companion
Alaska governs state trademarks under AS 45.50.010 et seq., the trademark and service mark provisions of Title 45 (Trade and Commerce). Rather than a Secretary of State, filings go to the Corporations Section of the Division of Corporations, Business and Professional Licensing, housed in the Department of Commerce, Community, and Economic Development. A distinctive feature of the Alaska system is its short five-year registration term, renewable in five-year increments, which is half the ten-year federal cycle and requires owners to calendar renewals more often. The same Title 45 chapter also codifies the Alaska Uniform Trade Secrets Act at AS 45.50.910 through 45.50.945, Alaska's enactment of the model UTSA that lets a business sue for injunctive relief and damages when a trade secret is misappropriated. Alaska has no separate right-of-publicity statute, so claims for the commercial misuse of a person's name or likeness rest on the common-law privacy tort of misappropriation, which Alaska courts analyze under the Restatement (Second) of Torts.
Relevant Laws
Alaska Trademark Registration Act, AS 45.50.010 et seq.
The Alaska statute governing state registration of trademarks and service marks, including eligibility, the application, the five-year term, and renewal. Administered by the Division of Corporations, Business and Professional Licensing.
Division of Corporations, Business and Professional Licensing (Trademark Registration)
The Alaska Department of Commerce, Community, and Economic Development office where state trademark and service mark applications are filed. Charges $50 per class and hosts a searchable trademark database.
Alaska Uniform Trade Secrets Act, AS 45.50.910 - 45.50.945
Alaska's enactment of the Uniform Trade Secrets Act, providing injunctive relief and damages for misappropriation of trade secrets such as formulas, methods, and customer data kept reasonably secret.
Lanham Act (Trademark Act of 1946), 15 U.S.C. §1051 et seq.
The federal statute governing nationwide trademark registration through the USPTO, including the likelihood-of-confusion standard. Relevant to Alaska businesses that sell across state lines or online.
Regional Variances
Registering in Alaska vs. federally vs. common law
Alaska (Division of Corporations)
Filed under AS 45.50.010 with the Division of Corporations, Business and Professional Licensing. $50 per class; five-year term, renewable in five-year increments. Protects the mark only within Alaska.
Federal (USPTO)
Filed under the Lanham Act. $350 per class; ten-year term, renewable indefinitely. Gives nationwide priority, the registered symbol, and federal-court enforcement. Best fit for out-of-state or online sales.
Common law (use alone)
Rights arise automatically from use in a trading area, no filing or fee. Limited to where you actually operate in Alaska and hardest to enforce, with no registered symbol.
Alaska trade-secret and publicity rights compared
Trade secrets (AS 45.50.910 - 45.50.945)
Alaska adopted the Uniform Trade Secrets Act, so misappropriation of a formula, method, or customer list can support injunctive relief and damages, separate from any trademark registration.
Right of publicity (common law)
Alaska has no publicity statute. Commercial misuse of a name or likeness is addressed through the common-law misappropriation tort under the Restatement (Second) of Torts, making claims more fact-specific.
Renewal cadence
Alaska's five-year term is half the federal ten-year cycle, so state registrants renew twice as often and should docket the registration anniversary closely.
Suggested Compliance Checklist
Confirm actual use of the mark in Alaska
Before filing days after startingAlaska registration under AS 45.50.010 requires the mark to be in use on goods or services within the state. Verify you have real sales or services and a specimen before applying.
Search the Alaska and federal trademark databases
Before filing days after startingSearch the Division of Corporations trademark database for Alaska conflicts and the USPTO for federal marks, looking for confusingly similar names on related goods or services.
File the Alaska trademark or service mark application
When ready days after startingSubmit the Division's state Trademark or Service Mark Registration form with the owner, mark, class, first-use date, and specimen, and pay the $50-per-class fee to the Division of Corporations.
Consider a parallel federal USPTO filing
If selling out of state days after startingIf you sell across state lines or online, file with the USPTO under the Lanham Act for nationwide priority. State registration alone protects the mark only inside Alaska.
Calendar the five-year Alaska renewal
Before the 5-year anniversary days after startingAn Alaska registration expires after five years. Docket a reminder and file the Division's renewal form to extend protection for another five-year term before it lapses.
| Task | Description | Document | Days after starting |
|---|---|---|---|
| Confirm actual use of the mark in Alaska | Alaska registration under AS 45.50.010 requires the mark to be in use on goods or services within the state. Verify you have real sales or services and a specimen before applying. | - | Before filing |
| Search the Alaska and federal trademark databases | Search the Division of Corporations trademark database for Alaska conflicts and the USPTO for federal marks, looking for confusingly similar names on related goods or services. | - | Before filing |
| File the Alaska trademark or service mark application | Submit the Division's state Trademark or Service Mark Registration form with the owner, mark, class, first-use date, and specimen, and pay the $50-per-class fee to the Division of Corporations. | trademark-application | When ready |
| Consider a parallel federal USPTO filing | If you sell across state lines or online, file with the USPTO under the Lanham Act for nationwide priority. State registration alone protects the mark only inside Alaska. | - | If selling out of state |
| Calendar the five-year Alaska renewal | An Alaska registration expires after five years. Docket a reminder and file the Division's renewal form to extend protection for another five-year term before it lapses. | - | Before the 5-year anniversary |
Frequently Asked Questions
If you sell only within Alaska, the $50-per-class state registration is a cheap, fast way to record your rights. If you sell across state lines or online, federal registration with the USPTO is usually the better choice because it gives nationwide priority, the registered symbol, and federal-court enforcement. Some businesses do both, but the federal filing carries the most weight.
Alaska's trademark and service mark registration provisions appear at AS 45.50.010 et seq., within Title 45 on Trade and Commerce. The statute is administered by the Corporations Section of the Division of Corporations, Business and Professional Licensing rather than a Secretary of State, because Alaska has no separate Secretary of State office.
Yes. Alaska enacted the Alaska Uniform Trade Secrets Act, codified at AS 45.50.910 through 45.50.945. It lets a business obtain injunctive relief and damages for misappropriation of a trade secret, defined broadly to include formulas, methods, and customer information that derive value from not being generally known and are subject to reasonable secrecy efforts.
Alaska has no dedicated right-of-publicity statute. A person whose name or likeness is used commercially without consent would generally rely on the common-law privacy tort of misappropriation, which Alaska courts analyze under the Restatement (Second) of Torts. This makes such claims more fact-dependent than in states with a specific publicity statute.
Every five years. An Alaska registration is valid for five years from its registration date and can be renewed for additional five-year terms by filing a renewal with the Division of Corporations before expiration. This is a shorter cycle than the federal ten-year term, so Alaska owners should docket renewals carefully.
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