Registry and Renewals Map · WCN Brand Portal

WCNREGISTRY & RENEWALS MAP

09 · LEGAL → F

Registry & renewals · F

Keeping
it alive.

IP lapses when no one is watching the calendar. This cluster is the register and renewal discipline that keeps every mark, domain and license current. Tap any card to open its spec.

RENEWALS

PROOF

CHAIN

AUDIT

REGISTRY COVERAGE

0 shipped

0 in progress

5 planned

09F01 IP asset register PLANNED

You can’t protect what you haven’t inventoried. The IP asset register is the single list of everything WCN owns or licenses — marks, domains, copyrights, contracts — in one place.

SCOPEAll IP FIELDSType · owner · status SOURCEOne OWNERSteward

F01.1 · SCOPE

Everything that’s IP.

Trademarks, domains, copyrights, design assets, licenses and contracts — every intangible the brand relies on has a row. If it has IP value, it’s listed.

MARKSYes

DOMAINSYes

LICENSESYes

VALUE= listed

F01.2 · THE FIELDS

What each row says.

Type, identifier, owner, jurisdiction, status, key dates, and a link to proof. Consistent fields let the register answer questions, not just hold names.

COREType · ID

WHOOwner

WHEREJurisdiction

PROOFLinked

F01.3 · ONE SOURCE

The single list.

There is exactly one register. Filings, the renewal calendar and audits all read from it — so there’s never a question of which list is current.

ONERegister

FEEDSCalendar · audit

CURRENTAlways

FORKSNone

F01.4 · OWNERSHIP

Someone keeps it.

The brand steward owns the register and keeps it current as IP is created or retired. An unmaintained register is just a snapshot that ages into fiction.

OWNERSteward

UPDATESOn change

REVIEWAt audit

STALE= fiction

DON'T

Don't omit “obvious” assets — List domains and copyrights too.

Don't keep parallel lists — One source of record.

Don't skip the proof link — A name isn’t evidence.

Don't let it age — Update on every change.

“You can only renew, defend or sell the IP you’ve actually written down.”

09F02 Renewal calendar PLANNED

Trademarks lapse, domains expire, licenses end — all on dates that arrive whether or not anyone is watching. The renewal calendar is the early-warning system that keeps IP alive.

TRACKSAll deadlines ALERTSWell ahead COVERSMarks · domains OWNERNamed

F02.1 · WHAT IT TRACKS

Every deadline.

Trademark renewals, domain expiries, license terms, proof-of-use deadlines — every date that, if missed, costs the brand a right. All pulled from the register.

TMRenewals

DOMAINSExpiry

LICENSESTerm end

FROMRegister

F02.2 · LEAD-TIME ALERTS

Warned early.

Alerts fire well ahead — months for trademarks, weeks for domains — so action happens with room to spare, not in a last-minute scramble or after the fact.

TMMonths ahead

DOMAINSWeeks ahead

ROOMTo act

NOTLast minute

F02.3 · COVERAGE

Nothing slips.

Defensive domains, every jurisdiction’s trademark, library licenses — the calendar covers the obscure ones too, because those are exactly what gets forgotten.

DEFENSIVEIncluded

ALLJurisdictions

OBSCUREToo

FORGOTTENPrevented

F02.4 · OWNERSHIP

A name on each date.

Every deadline has a named owner responsible for acting on it. A calendar that alerts no one in particular is a calendar everyone assumes someone else is watching.

OWNERNamed

ACTSOn alert

BACKUPDefined

ELSENobody acts

DON'T

Don't alert too late — Lead time, generous.

Don't skip defensive domains — They lapse silently.

Don't leave dates unowned — A name on each.

Don't track it offline — Pull from the register.

“Most IP isn’t lost in court — it’s lost to a missed renewal date.”

09F03 Proof-of-use PLANNED

Trademarks must be used to stay valid — and renewal often requires proof. The proof-of-use archive collects dated evidence that each mark is genuinely in commerce.

WHYMaintain rights CAPTURESpecimens PERMark · class DATEDYes

“

F03.1 · WHY IT MATTERS

Rights fade unused.

In most jurisdictions a trademark not used in commerce can be cancelled. Proof of use defends against that — and is required to renew in markets like the US.

UNUSEDCancellable

DEFENDSAgainst challenge

REQUIREDUS renewal

ONGOINGConcern

F03.2 · SPECIMENS

Show it in the wild.

A specimen is real-world evidence — the mark on the product, the site, packaging. The archive collects strong specimens per mark as a matter of routine.

SPECIMENReal use

EXAMPLESProduct · site

STRONGPreferred

ROUTINECollected

F03.3 · PER MARK & CLASS

Cover every filing.

Proof is needed per mark and often per class. The archive is organised to match the register, so the right specimen is findable when a renewal asks for it.

PERMark · class

MATCHESRegister

FINDABLEOn demand

GAPSFlagged

F03.4 · DATED

Time-stamped truth.

Specimens are dated and archived continuously, building a timeline of use. A contemporaneous record is far stronger than evidence assembled in a hurry at renewal.

DATEDEach

TIMELINEBuilt

CONTINUOUSYes

STRONGERThan rushed

DON'T

Don't wait for renewal — Collect continuously.

Don't use weak specimens — Show real commerce.

Don't miss a class — Proof per mark and class.

Don't leave it undated — Timestamps make it real.

“A trademark is a promise you’re using it — keep the receipts.”

09F04 Ownership chain PLANNED

For WCN to truly own its IP, there must be a clean, documented chain from every creator to the company. A single gap in the chain can undermine ownership of an entire asset.

CHAINAssignments FROMCreators TOWCN GAPSNone

F04.1 · CHAIN OF TITLE

Every link, recorded.

Chain of title traces an asset from whoever created it to WCN, through each assignment. For the mark, that’s designer → agency → WCN, all on paper.

TRACESCreator → WCN

VIAAssignments

EXAMPLEDesigner → WCN

PAPERAll

F04.2 · ASSIGNMENTS

The links themselves.

Each link is an assignment document — contributor agreement, work-for-hire, acquisition. The register stores them so the whole chain can be reconstructed on demand.

LINK= assignment

TYPESCLA · WFH

STOREDRegister

REBUILDOn demand

F04.3 · NO GAPS

A break is a risk.

A missing assignment — an early freelancer, an acquired asset — is a gap that can cloud title. Gaps are actively hunted and closed with confirmatory assignments.

GAPClouds title

SOURCESEarly · acquired

HUNTEDActively

CLOSEConfirmatory

F04.4 · AUDIT

Tested periodically.

The chain is checked in the annual audit — pick an asset, trace it to WCN. If the trace breaks, that’s a finding to fix before it matters in a deal.

CHECKAnnual

METHODTrace asset

BREAK= finding

FIXBefore deals

DON'T

Don't assume ownership — Document every link.

Don't ignore acquired assets — They need clean title too.

Don't leave gaps open — Close with confirmatory assignment.

Don't skip the trace test — Audit the chain yearly.

“You own an asset only as far back as the chain is unbroken.”

09F05 Annual IP audit PLANNED

Once a year, the brand’s entire IP position is reviewed in one deliberate pass — confirming the register is complete, rights are current, and nothing has quietly lapsed.

CADENCEAnnual CHECKSAll IP FINDSGaps · lapses OUTAction list

F05.1 · THE AUDIT

One pass, everything.

The audit reviews the whole IP portfolio at once — register, filings, renewals, chain of title, licenses. A standing annual date ensures the review actually happens.

SCOPEWhole portfolio

INCLUDESFilings · chain

DATEAnnual · fixed

HAPPENSReliably

F05.2 · SCOPE

Five checks.

Is the register complete? Are renewals current? Is proof-of-use collected? Is the chain unbroken? Are licenses compliant? Each cluster of this map is a checklist item.

1Register complete

2Renewals current

3Proof · chain

4Licenses clean

F05.3 · FINDINGS

What’s wrong.

The audit surfaces gaps — an unregistered asset, a near-deadline, a missing assignment. Findings are documented with severity, not buried in a verbal “mostly fine.”

SURFACESGaps

EXAMPLESLapses · gaps

SEVERITYRated

VERBALNever

F05.4 · ACTION

From audit to fixed.

Each finding becomes an owned, dated action. The next audit confirms last year’s actions closed — turning the audit into a loop that strengthens the position over time.

FINDING→ action

OWNEDDated

NEXTConfirms closed

LOOPStrengthens

DON'T

Don't skip a year — Fixed annual cadence.

Don't audit selectively — Whole portfolio, every cluster.

Don't soften findings — Rate severity honestly.

Don't shelve actions — Own, date, confirm closed.

“An annual reckoning is how a brand keeps its rights from rotting quietly.”

Scoped

The discipline to keep.

Fully scoped, not yet started. The register and renewal calendar are the foundation — without them, the filings in cluster A can quietly expire.

WCN Registry & Renewals Map · 5 topics · F01–F05

09 · LEGAL · F · v1.0