"Accepted & Advertised" — Trademark Status Meaning
The status "Accepted & Advertised" means your trademark passed examination and has been published in the Trade Marks Journal. A four-month window now opens for third parties to oppose it. If no valid opposition is filed, your mark proceeds to registration. This is a strongly positive, late-stage status.
"Accepted & Advertised" is one of the best statuses you can see. It means your trademark has cleared the examiner and is now published for the public to see. Only one hurdle remains — the opposition window — before registration. Here is what it means and what to watch for.
What does "Accepted & Advertised" mean?
Once an examiner is satisfied that a mark is registrable (either at first examination or after your objection reply/hearing succeeded), the application is accepted and advertised — published in the Trade Marks Journal, the Registry's official weekly gazette. Publication serves a public-notice purpose: it gives anyone who believes your mark conflicts with theirs a chance to formally object before it is registered. Reaching this stage means the substantive examination is behind you. The mark is now in a four-month public-review period, after which, absent opposition, it moves to registration.
What you should do now
No filing is required, but you should stay alert during the opposition window. Monitor your status for any opposition notice, and keep your evidence of use organised in case you need to defend the mark. This is also a good time to prepare for the ™-to-® switch you will be entitled to make once registered. If you receive a Notice of Opposition, you must respond with a counter-statement within the prescribed time (generally two months) — missing that deadline can cause the application to be deemed abandoned, so treat any opposition as urgent.
What happens next
If the four-month window passes with no opposition, your status advances to "Registered" and the Registry issues your registration certificate — at which point you can use the ® symbol and enforce the mark fully. If someone files an opposition, the status becomes "Opposed" and a quasi-judicial proceeding begins (evidence, arguments, and a decision). Most advertised marks are not opposed and proceed smoothly to registration.
"Accepted & Advertised" means the hard part — examination — is done, and your trademark is published for a four-month opposition window. Nothing is required unless someone opposes it. Watch your status closely during this period, and get ready to move from ™ to ® once the mark registers.
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Frequently Asked Questions
After publication in the Trade Marks Journal, there is a four-month opposition window. If no opposition is filed, the mark typically proceeds to registration and the certificate is issued in the following weeks to a few months, depending on Registry processing.
Yes — that is the purpose of advertisement. For four months from the date of publication in the Journal, any third party can file a Notice of Opposition. If they do, your status changes to "Opposed" and you must file a counter-statement within the prescribed time.
No filing is required. Just monitor your status through the opposition window and be ready to respond quickly if a Notice of Opposition is filed. Keep your evidence of use organised as a precaution.
Not yet. The ® symbol may only be used after the mark is actually registered and the certificate is issued. Until then you continue to use ™. Using ® before registration is an offence under the Trade Marks Act.
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