What does a Cancelled or Expired Trademark refer to?

A Cancelled or Expired Trademark refers to a trademark that is no longer in effect. This means that either the registration has been formally cancelled by the owner or the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), or the registration has expired after the trademark owner failed to renew it in a timely manner. Trademarks can be cancelled for various reasons, such as abandonment or inability to maintain distinctiveness, while they often require renewal to remain active. Once a trademark is classified as cancelled or expired, it loses the legal protections and exclusive rights that were formerly associated with it, which can have implications for brand recognition and enforcement against infringers.

The other options represent states of a trademark that suggest active or pending statuses rather than a state of being no longer in effect. A trademark in the registration phase indicates an application still being processed. A successfully registered trademark means it is actively protected and enforceable. A trademark pending approval indicates that it is still under review by the USPTO and not yet granted. Thus, only the definition of a Cancelled or Expired Trademark appropriately captures the concept of a trademark lacking current effectiveness.