How to Register a Trademark in Maine (2026)
Reviewed by DocDraft Legal Team · Maine · Last updated August 12, 2026
Trademark protection in Maine works on two levels. A federal registration through the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office gives nationwide rights, while a Maine state registration through the Department of the Secretary of State, Bureau of Corporations, Elections and Commissions, protects a mark used inside Maine. State marks are governed by 10 M.R.S. 1521 et seq., the Registration and Protection of Marks chapter. The state fee is $60 for the first class plus $10 for each additional class, and a Maine registration lasts ten years and is renewable. Maine businesses that sell only locally often start with a state filing, then move to the USPTO as they grow.
How much does it cost to register a trademark in Maine?
The Maine Secretary of State charges $60 to register a mark in one class, plus $10 for each additional class. That is the state filing fee only. A federal USPTO application is separate and costs $350 per class. Expedited state service is available for a $50 additional fee. State fees apply to the trademark or service mark application form.
How long does a Maine state trademark registration last?
A mark registered with the Maine Secretary of State is valid for ten years under 10 M.R.S. 1521 et seq. It is renewable, and you may file the renewal at any time during the six months before it expires. Keeping the registration current requires ongoing use of the mark in Maine and timely renewal every ten years.
Should I register my trademark with Maine or the USPTO?
A Maine registration protects a mark only within Maine and suits purely local businesses. If you sell across state lines or online, a federal USPTO registration gives nationwide priority and the right to use the registered symbol. Many Maine owners file with the state first for its low $60 fee, then register federally as they expand.
Which office handles trademark filings in Maine?
State marks are filed with the Department of the Secretary of State through the Bureau of Corporations, Elections and Commissions. The bureau reviews the application, the samples of the mark, and the fee. Maine is not the USPTO, so a state filing does not create federal rights or allow use of the federal registered symbol outside Maine.
Maine's Registration and Protection of Marks chapter
Maine trademark law lives in Title 10, Chapter 301-A of the Maine Revised Statutes, the Registration and Protection of Marks, beginning at 10 M.R.S. 1521. Section 1521 sets the definitions and section 1522 governs registration through the Department of the Secretary of State. What makes the Maine system approachable is its cost and simplicity. The filing fee is only $60 for the first class plus $10 per additional class, among the lowest in the country, and applicants must submit three samples of the mark text or design with the application. A Maine registration runs for ten years and may be renewed during the six-month window before expiration. Maine has no separate right-of-publicity statute. Claims for unauthorized use of a person's name or likeness are handled under the common-law appropriation tort recognized in Nelson v. Maine Times, 373 A.2d 1221 (Me. 1977), rather than by a dedicated publicity statute.
Relevant Laws
Maine Registration and Protection of Marks, 10 M.R.S. 1521 et seq.
Title 10, Chapter 301-A of the Maine Revised Statutes. Section 1521 sets definitions and section 1522 governs state trademark and service mark registration through the Secretary of State.
Maine Secretary of State, Marks Information
The official page for registering a trademark or service mark in Maine through the Bureau of Corporations, Elections and Commissions. State fee is $60 for one class plus $10 per additional class; term is ten years, renewable.
Maine Uniform Trade Secrets Act, 10 M.R.S. 1541 to 1548
Maine's adoption of the Uniform Trade Secrets Act in Title 10, Chapter 302. Defines trade secrets and provides injunctive relief, damages, and attorney's fees for misappropriation.
Lanham Act (Trademark Act of 1946), 15 U.S.C. 1051 et seq.
The federal trademark statute administered by the USPTO. Maine businesses selling across state lines register federally for nationwide rights, in addition to or instead of a state filing.
Regional Variances
Trademark protection for a Maine business: three routes
Maine state mark (10 M.R.S. 1521)
Filed with the Secretary of State's Bureau of Corporations, Elections and Commissions. $60 for the first class plus $10 per additional class, plus three samples of the mark. Valid ten years, renewable, but protects only within Maine.
Federal (USPTO)
Nationwide priority, presumption of ownership, the registered symbol, and federal-court enforcement. $350 per class under the Lanham Act, lasting ten years and renewable indefinitely with maintenance filings.
Common law (use in Maine)
Rights arise automatically from using a mark in a Maine trading area. Free, but limited to where you actually operate and harder to enforce than a registered Maine or federal mark.
Related Maine intellectual-property and identity law
Trade secrets in Maine
Maine adopted the Uniform Trade Secrets Act at 10 M.R.S. 1541 to 1548, giving injunctive relief, damages, and attorney's fees for misappropriation. This underpins enforceable Maine non-disclosure agreements.
Right of publicity in Maine
No right-of-publicity statute. Unauthorized use of a person's name or likeness is handled through the common-law appropriation tort recognized in Nelson v. Maine Times, 373 A.2d 1221 (Me. 1977).
Suggested Compliance Checklist
Confirm in-state use and search Maine records
Before filing days after startingVerify you are using the mark in Maine and search Maine Secretary of State records plus the USPTO database for confusingly similar marks on related goods or services.
Map goods or services to classes
Before filing days after startingList exactly what you sell and group it into classes. Class count sets the Maine fee: $60 for the first class plus $10 for each additional class.
Prepare three samples of the mark
Before filing days after startingAssemble three clean samples showing the mark text or design as used in Maine, such as labels, tags, or advertising, to submit with the application.
File the Maine mark application and fee
When ready days after startingSubmit the application to the Department of the Secretary of State, Bureau of Corporations, Elections and Commissions, with the $60 first-class fee plus $10 per additional class. Add $50 for expedited service.
Calendar the ten-year Maine renewal
Six months before expiration days after startingA Maine registration lasts ten years and is renewable during the six-month window before it expires. Diary the date and keep using the mark in Maine so the registration stays valid.
| Task | Description | Document | Days after starting |
|---|---|---|---|
| Confirm in-state use and search Maine records | Verify you are using the mark in Maine and search Maine Secretary of State records plus the USPTO database for confusingly similar marks on related goods or services. | - | Before filing |
| Map goods or services to classes | List exactly what you sell and group it into classes. Class count sets the Maine fee: $60 for the first class plus $10 for each additional class. | - | Before filing |
| Prepare three samples of the mark | Assemble three clean samples showing the mark text or design as used in Maine, such as labels, tags, or advertising, to submit with the application. | trademark-application | Before filing |
| File the Maine mark application and fee | Submit the application to the Department of the Secretary of State, Bureau of Corporations, Elections and Commissions, with the $60 first-class fee plus $10 per additional class. Add $50 for expedited service. | trademark-application | When ready |
| Calendar the ten-year Maine renewal | A Maine registration lasts ten years and is renewable during the six-month window before it expires. Diary the date and keep using the mark in Maine so the registration stays valid. | - | Six months before expiration |
Frequently Asked Questions
Maine marks are governed by Title 10, Chapter 301-A of the Maine Revised Statutes, the Registration and Protection of Marks, starting at 10 M.R.S. 1521. Section 1521 defines the key terms and section 1522 covers the registration process handled by the Department of the Secretary of State.
No. A Maine registration only protects your mark within Maine. To gain nationwide priority and the right to use the registered symbol across the country, you need a federal registration from the USPTO. Many Maine businesses hold both, using the state filing for local protection and the federal one for expansion.
A Maine registration lasts ten years and is renewable. You may file the renewal at any time during the six months before the registration expires. The renewal is filed with the Department of the Secretary of State, and the mark must still be in use in Maine to remain valid.
Yes. Maine adopted the Uniform Trade Secrets Act, codified at 10 M.R.S. 1541 through 1548, in Title 10, Chapter 302. It defines a trade secret and provides for injunctive relief, damages, and attorney's fees when a trade secret is misappropriated, which supports Maine non-disclosure agreements.
No. Maine has no dedicated right-of-publicity statute. Claims for unauthorized commercial use of a person's name or likeness proceed under the common-law appropriation branch of the invasion-of-privacy tort, recognized in Nelson v. Maine Times, 373 A.2d 1221 (Me. 1977). Protection is therefore judge-made rather than statutory.
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