Ten years is the maximum time period for which your industrial design can be protected. A government maintenance fee must be paid five years after registration (or within six months after that upon payment of an additional late maintenance fee) in order to keep the registration valid. If it is not renewed at that time, the registration will expire and the protection will end. Your lawyer or patent agent can help ensure that your registration is maintained.
Once the ten-year registration period has expired, the registration cannot be renewed. The industrial design is no longer protected and other people may legally use the design without your permission.
