--- title: "Managing Your IP Deadlines | Pitch" description: "Which time limits matter in trademark, design and patent matters, which of them can be extended, what happens when one is missed, and how a reliable deadline…" url: https://www.pitch.law/academy/managing-your-ip-deadlines --- [pitch](https://www.pitch.law/) [Academy](https://www.pitch.law/academy) [Intellectual property](https://www.pitch.law/academy/topics/intellectual-property) # Managing Your IP Deadlines Which time limits matter in trademark, design and patent matters, which of them can be extended, what happens when one is missed, and how a reliable deadline process is built. - By By Bart Lieben, Attorney-at-Law - Published 25 February 2026 ## The legal framework Intellectual property law is full of time limits. Some run from an event, such as filing or publication. Some are fixed by an office in a letter. Others are set by statute and cannot be extended. The consequences of missing one range from a surcharge to the permanent loss of a right. ### Statutory periods These are the most important periods, and they are fixed by law. - **Priority**: 12 months from the first filing for patents and designs, and six months for trademarks, to file abroad with the same priority date (Paris Convention; Art. 87 EPC for patents). - **Opposition against an EU trademark**: three months from publication of the application (Art. 46 EUTMR). Benelux trademark oppositions must be filed within two months from publication. - **Opposition against a European patent**: nine months from the publication of the mention of grant (Art. 99 EPC). - **Appeal against an EPO decision**: two months from notification of the decision, with the statement of grounds due within four months (Art. 108 EPC). A similar appeal system applies to EUIPO decisions. - **Unitary effect**: one month from publication of the mention of grant. - **Renewal**: see [renewal management for IP portfolios](https://www.pitch.law/academy/renewal-management-for-ip-portfolios). - **Non-use of a trademark**: five years after registration, after which the mark becomes vulnerable to revocation. ### Periods set by an office Examination reports and objections come with a period for reply set by the office. The EPO, for example, sets the period for reply to communications in examination, often four months. Some of these periods can be extended on request, others cannot. The request for extension itself has a deadline, usually before the original period expires. ### Remedies Remedies exist but are limited. Further processing (Art. 121 EPC) can save an application from some missed time limits on payment of a fee and within a short period. Re-establishment of rights (Art. 122 EPC) requires proof that all due care was taken, and does not apply to every time limit. In trademark matters, EUIPO offers restitutio in integrum on similar conditions. Because both depend on showing diligence, the safest remedy is not to miss the date. ### Computing the date Dates are computed from the rules of the relevant instrument. A period "of three months" ends on the corresponding day of the third month after the event. If that day falls on a weekend or a day on which the office is closed, the period normally runs to the next working day. These rules vary by office and instrument, which is why every computed date must be checked by a person. ## In practice A Hasselt manufacturer learns that a competitor has applied for an EU trademark similar to its own. The application is published on 3 March. Opposition has to be filed before the end of the three-month period, that is by 3 June. No extension is available. If the date is missed, the company cannot oppose, and its only recourse is invalidity proceedings, which are more expensive and slower. The company's attorney records the publication date, computes the opposition deadline, has it confirmed by a second person and sets reminders at several points before the end. The same applies to the 12-month priority period. A start-up files its first patent application at its national office and wants protection in the US and Europe. If it files abroad on day 366, the priority claim is lost. The patent application is then judged against anything published in the meantime, including the start-up's own first application. A reliable process has a few elements: one single docket for all rights and all offices, so that nothing depends on a personal calendar; dates computed from the triggering event and checked by a second person; reminders that escalate as the date approaches and are sent to a named person; and recognition of incoming office correspondence, since a letter can start a new period. [Our portfolio and deadline system](https://www.pitch.law/technologies/portfolio-renewals) works this way, with four escalation levels and confirmation by a person, and you can follow the dates in [the client portal](https://www.pitch.law/technologies/client-portal). Where a deadline depends on a budget decision, [the cost estimator](https://www.pitch.law/technologies/ip-cost-estimator) provides the figure. ## Frequently asked questions ### Can I get an extension if I miss an opposition deadline? No. Opposition periods are statutory and cannot be extended. If the date has passed, other routes such as invalidity or cancellation may exist, but they are different and more costly. ### Does the office remind me of deadlines? Not as a rule, and where it does, there is no right to receive a reminder. The responsibility for the date is yours or your attorney's. ### What is the difference between further processing and re-establishment? Further processing is available for certain missed periods on payment of a fee and does not require a justification. Re-establishment requires showing that all due care was taken and is available only in specific cases. Neither covers every deadline. ### How do I know which dates apply to my portfolio? By recording each right with its filing date, status and office, and having the dates computed from those facts. A list of rights without their dates is not a deadline system. ## How this connects Deadline monitoring is a central element of [IP portfolio management](https://www.pitch.law/solutions/ip-portfolio-intelligence), where each computed date is confirmed by a person and escalated until it is dealt with. ## In short - Most IP deadlines cannot be extended - Different rights and offices set different periods - A missed date can end a right or a case - Dates should be computed, confirmed and escalated ## Related solutions - [Solutions](https://www.pitch.law/solutions/ip-portfolio-intelligence) ### [IP Portfolio Management](https://www.pitch.law/solutions/ip-portfolio-intelligence) [We keep your trademarks, designs, domain names and patents in one overview, follow every deadline and prepare each renewal decision with a cost estimate.](https://www.pitch.law/solutions/ip-portfolio-intelligence) ## Technology we use - [Technology](https://www.pitch.law/technologies/portfolio-renewals) ### [IP Portfolio, Renewals and Deadlines](https://www.pitch.law/technologies/portfolio-renewals) [Your trademarks, designs, domain names and patents in one view, with deadlines docketed, renewals batched and every computed date confirmed by a person.](https://www.pitch.law/technologies/portfolio-renewals) - [Technology](https://www.pitch.law/technologies/ip-cost-estimator) ### [IP Cost Estimator](https://www.pitch.law/technologies/ip-cost-estimator) [Multi-jurisdiction cost estimates for trademarks, designs and patents, split into official fees, professional fees and disbursements, with scenarios compared side by side.](https://www.pitch.law/technologies/ip-cost-estimator) - [Technology](https://www.pitch.law/technologies/client-portal) ### [Client Portal](https://www.pitch.law/technologies/client-portal) [A secure place where you follow your matters, instruct us on deadlines, work on registers with us and see your IP portfolio, in the same environment as our work.](https://www.pitch.law/technologies/client-portal) ## More in Intellectual property - ### [EUIPO Fast Track](https://www.pitch.law/academy/euipo-fast-track-filing) [Fast Track speeds up examination of EU trade mark applications that use pre-approved wording. This article explains what it is, what it does not change and when it makes sense.](https://www.pitch.law/academy/euipo-fast-track-filing) - ### [Finding the IP You Already Have](https://www.pitch.law/academy/hidden-intellectual-property-audit) [Most companies own more intellectual property than they have registered. This article explains which rights arise without registration, how an IP audit finds them, and why ownership matters.](https://www.pitch.law/academy/hidden-intellectual-property-audit) - ### [How to Value an IP Portfolio](https://www.pitch.law/academy/how-to-value-ip-portfolio) [Why and when an IP portfolio is valued, the three standard valuation approaches, and the legal facts that decide whether a right is worth what its owner thinks.](https://www.pitch.law/academy/how-to-value-ip-portfolio) - ### [IP Cost Planning for Multi-Jurisdiction Filings](https://www.pitch.law/academy/ip-cost-planning-budgeting-for-multi-jurisdiction-filings) [What a trademark portfolio costs depends on routes, classes and countries as much as on the number of marks. This article sets out the cost elements and how to plan them over the life of a mark.](https://www.pitch.law/academy/ip-cost-planning-budgeting-for-multi-jurisdiction-filings) - ### [IP Lifecycle Management](https://www.pitch.law/academy/ip-lifecycle-management) [Every intellectual property right has a life: it is created, protected, maintained, used and eventually ends. This article describes those stages, their legal terms and the decisions each one calls for.](https://www.pitch.law/academy/ip-lifecycle-management) - ### [Online Brand Protection: How Brand Monitoring Works](https://www.pitch.law/academy/online-brand-protection-how-brand-monitoring-works) [How infringements of a trademark are found online, which rules decide whether they are unlawful, and which routes exist to stop them.](https://www.pitch.law/academy/online-brand-protection-how-brand-monitoring-works) ## Let’s talk Tell us what you’re working on. We’ll get the right person on it and reply within one business day. The first chat is free. [Schedule a meeting](https://www.pitch.law/schedule)