How to Register a Trademark in Connecticut (2026)
Reviewed by DocDraft Legal Team · Connecticut · Last updated August 12, 2026
Trademark registration in Connecticut is handled by the Connecticut Secretary of the State under the state trademark statute, Conn. Gen. Stat. 35-11a et seq. (Chapter 621a). A state certificate of registration costs $50 and covers a single class of goods or services, so a mark used in multiple classes needs a separate application for each. A Connecticut registration lasts five years and is renewable for successive five-year terms for $100. State registration protects the mark only within Connecticut, so businesses selling across state lines usually register federally with the USPTO instead of, or in addition to, filing with the state.
How much does a trademark registration cost in Connecticut?
The Connecticut Secretary of the State charges $50 for a certificate of registration of a trade or service mark under Conn. Gen. Stat. 35-11c. Only one class may be claimed per application, so a mark used across two classes means two $50 filings. Renewal costs $100. The fee is not refundable.
How long does a Connecticut state trademark last?
A Connecticut mark registered with the Secretary of the State is effective for five years from the date of registration under Conn. Gen. Stat. 35-11e. You may renew it for successive five-year terms by filing within the six months before the term expires and paying the $100 renewal fee, keeping proof the mark is still in use.
Should I file with Connecticut or with the USPTO?
Connecticut registration protects a mark only inside the state and cannot stop out-of-state use. If you sell across state lines or online, federal registration with the USPTO gives nationwide priority and the right to use the registered symbol. A Connecticut filing is cheaper and faster and suits a purely local business.
Where do I file a trademark application in Connecticut?
You file with the Connecticut Secretary of the State using the Application for a Certificate of Registration of a Trade or Service Mark. The form is downloaded from the state business services site and submitted by mail or in person with the $50 fee and specimens showing actual use of the mark in Connecticut commerce.
Connecticut's five-year term and its incontestability rule
Connecticut's trademark statute, Chapter 621a of Title 35 (Conn. Gen. Stat. 35-11a to 35-11s), is modeled on the older Model State Trademark Act rather than the federal ten-year cycle, so a state registration runs for just five years and renews in five-year blocks under Conn. Gen. Stat. 35-11e. A distinctive feature is Conn. Gen. Stat. 35-11m, which makes a registrant's right to use the mark incontestable within Connecticut once the mark has been in continuous use for five consecutive years after registration and remains in use. The Secretary of the State keeps the register through its business services division, examines each application under Conn. Gen. Stat. 35-11c to 35-11d, and requires a separate $50 application for every class claimed rather than allowing multiple classes on one form. Applicants must submit specimens showing the mark actually used in Connecticut, because the statute protects marks used in commerce within the state, not merely reserved names.
Relevant Laws
Connecticut Trademark and Service Mark Act, Conn. Gen. Stat. 35-11a et seq. (Chapter 621a)
The Connecticut statute governing state registration of trade and service marks, including application (35-11c), examination (35-11d), the five-year effective term and renewal (35-11e), and incontestability after five years of use (35-11m).
Connecticut Secretary of the State: Trademarks and Service Marks Forms and Fees
The official state business services page for registering a trade or service mark. The certificate of registration fee is $50 (one class per application) and renewal is $100. Forms are filed by mail or in person.
Connecticut Uniform Trade Secrets Act, Conn. Gen. Stat. 35-50 to 35-58 (Chapter 625)
Connecticut's adoption of the Uniform Trade Secrets Act, providing civil remedies including injunctions, damages, and attorney's fees for misappropriation of trade secrets. Connecticut expanded the definition of a trade secret and of improper means.
Lanham Act (Trademark Act of 1946), 15 U.S.C. 1051 et seq.
The federal trademark statute administered by the USPTO. Federal registration gives nationwide priority and the registered symbol, which a Connecticut state registration cannot provide. Most businesses selling beyond Connecticut register federally.
Regional Variances
Connecticut state registration vs. federal and common law
Connecticut (Secretary of the State)
Registration under Conn. Gen. Stat. 35-11a et seq. costs $50 for a single class and lasts five years, renewable for $100. Protection is limited to Connecticut, and the right becomes incontestable after five years of continuous use under 35-11m.
Federal (USPTO)
Registration under the Lanham Act costs $350 per class and lasts ten years, renewable indefinitely. It gives nationwide priority, the registered symbol, and federal-court enforcement, none of which a Connecticut filing provides.
Common law (use alone)
Rights arise from actual use in a trading area without any filing. In Connecticut this is often the practical baseline before a business registers with the state or the USPTO, but it is the hardest form to prove and enforce.
How Connecticut's term and classing differ from the USPTO
Registration term
Connecticut: five years, renewable in five-year terms (Conn. Gen. Stat. 35-11e). Federal USPTO: ten years, renewable in ten-year terms. Connecticut's shorter cycle means more frequent renewals.
Classes per application
Connecticut: one class per $50 application; multi-class marks need multiple filings. Federal USPTO: a single application can cover multiple classes at $350 each.
Related Connecticut statutes
Trade secrets are covered by the Connecticut Uniform Trade Secrets Act (Conn. Gen. Stat. 35-50 to 35-58). Right of publicity is common law only; Connecticut has no publicity statute.
Suggested Compliance Checklist
Verify actual use of the mark in Connecticut
Before filing days after startingConfirm the mark is in use in commerce within Connecticut and gather specimens, since the Secretary of the State registers used marks under Conn. Gen. Stat. 35-11a et seq., not reserved names.
Search Connecticut and federal mark records
Before filing days after startingSearch the Connecticut Secretary of the State's trade and service mark records and the USPTO database for confusingly similar marks on related goods or services before committing to the mark.
Assign the correct single class
Before filing days after startingIdentify the one international class per application that Connecticut permits. Plan a separate $50 application for each additional class your mark covers.
File the Certificate of Registration application
When ready days after startingSubmit the Application for a Certificate of Registration of a Trade or Service Mark to the Connecticut Secretary of the State by mail or in person with the $50 fee and specimens.
Calendar the five-year renewal window
Within 6 months before the 5-year expiry days after startingRenew the Connecticut registration under Conn. Gen. Stat. 35-11e by filing within the six months before it expires, with proof of continuing use and the $100 renewal fee, to keep the mark for another five years.
| Task | Description | Document | Days after starting |
|---|---|---|---|
| Verify actual use of the mark in Connecticut | Confirm the mark is in use in commerce within Connecticut and gather specimens, since the Secretary of the State registers used marks under Conn. Gen. Stat. 35-11a et seq., not reserved names. | - | Before filing |
| Search Connecticut and federal mark records | Search the Connecticut Secretary of the State's trade and service mark records and the USPTO database for confusingly similar marks on related goods or services before committing to the mark. | - | Before filing |
| Assign the correct single class | Identify the one international class per application that Connecticut permits. Plan a separate $50 application for each additional class your mark covers. | - | Before filing |
| File the Certificate of Registration application | Submit the Application for a Certificate of Registration of a Trade or Service Mark to the Connecticut Secretary of the State by mail or in person with the $50 fee and specimens. | trademark-application | When ready |
| Calendar the five-year renewal window | Renew the Connecticut registration under Conn. Gen. Stat. 35-11e by filing within the six months before it expires, with proof of continuing use and the $100 renewal fee, to keep the mark for another five years. | - | Within 6 months before the 5-year expiry |
Frequently Asked Questions
No. The Connecticut Secretary of the State allows only one class of goods or services per application. If your mark identifies goods or services in several classes, you must complete and pay for a separate $50 application for each class, unlike the federal system where one USPTO application can cover multiple classes for a per-class fee.
No. A registration with the Connecticut Secretary of the State under Conn. Gen. Stat. 35-11a et seq. gives rights only within Connecticut. It cannot stop use of a similar mark in other states. For protection across state lines you need a federal registration with the USPTO, which provides nationwide priority and the registered symbol.
Under Conn. Gen. Stat. 35-11m, once a Connecticut-registered mark has been in continuous use in the state for five consecutive years after registration and is still in use, the registrant's right to use the mark in Connecticut for those goods or services becomes incontestable, subject to the statute's limited exceptions. This is a distinctive feature of the state's Chapter 621a scheme.
Yes. Connecticut adopted the Connecticut Uniform Trade Secrets Act, codified at Conn. Gen. Stat. 35-50 to 35-58 (Chapter 625). It lets owners of a trade secret sue for misappropriation and seek injunctions and damages. Connecticut's version broadens the definition of a trade secret to include items such as customer lists and cost data where they meet the criteria.
No. Connecticut has no statutory right of publicity; several bills have been introduced but none enacted. Instead, protection comes from common law through the tort of appropriation of a person's name or likeness, recognized under the Restatement (Second) of Torts. Federal courts applying Connecticut law have treated the right of publicity as part of that appropriation tort.
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