8 countries covered for company formation and management
Marcaworld
Apply now
Home›Trademark›China trademark registration
🇨🇳CNIPA · People’s Republic of China

Trademark Registration in China

China is the country where filing is most urgent. First-to-file is applied strictly: using your mark for years does not stop someone else registering it. If you manufacture there, the risk is higher still. Let us plan the process and the subclass map together.

Get your price for China within 24 hoursA written quote by class and scope · see the fees and official charges ↓
1Free attorney checkWithin 24 hours
2Secure paymentCard or bank transfer
3CNIPA filing1 business day*
Start your application →Ask on WhatsApp
Read our Google reviews →
✓Free attorney check before filing

A free attorney check and filing for your brand

Share your mark and target goods or services, and we will check the risk of an obstacle before CNIPA, whether your mark is already registered by someone else, and which subclasses you need to cover — free of charge. You decide whether to proceed once you have seen the result.

✓The check is free and carries no obligation✓No documents required✓The result comes to you in writing

Application details

Step 1 / 2

Two short steps. We do not ask for a passport or identity document at this stage.

🇨🇳Country of protection: China
Applicant
Where you are now

Who needs a Chinese trademark registration?

In China, registration is not only for those selling there; it is a defensive necessity for anyone manufacturing there.

Brands manufacturing in China

Companies using contract manufacturers or sourcing from China. A supplier or a third party registering your mark is a real and common risk; without a registration your exports can be stopped at customs.

Brands selling into China

Sellers on Tmall, JD.com and other platforms. Opening a marketplace store generally requires a trademark registration or application.

Brands already being copied

Companies whose products are copied or sold under a similar name. Without a registration you cannot file platform complaints or record the mark with customs.

Exhibitors and those meeting suppliers

Companies showing products at fairs such as the Canton Fair. Squatting cases after such exposure are common.

Luxury, cosmetics and food brands

Categories where Chinese consumer interest is strongest. Imitation and squatting risk is markedly higher in these sectors.

Companies with a long-term Asia plan

A Chinese registration does not cover Hong Kong, Macao or Taiwan. A regional plan requires three separate filings.

First to file: China’s most critical difference

This is where most is lost on Chinese files. Using a mark does not make you its owner in China.

The rule

The filing date, not use

In China the right goes to whoever files first, not whoever used the mark first. A mark you have used for years at home may already be registered to someone else in China.

The risk

Trademark squatting

Actors register foreign marks pre-emptively and then try to sell them back. It could be your supplier, your distributor, or a third party you have never met.

The consequence

An export barrier

If your mark is registered to someone else in China, your own goods can be stopped at customs on the way out. For manufacturers this is the most concrete risk.

The answer

File early

The only effective defence is filing early. The process should start before manufacturing or sales discussions begin.

!If your mark is already registered to someone else in China, the options are limited: a cancellation action on grounds of three years of non-use, an invalidation action, or buying the right. All three take time and cost money. That is why the first thing our check looks at is whether your mark is already on the Chinese register.

The subclass system

China divides each Nice class into its own subclasses. It is the technical point missed most often, and it exists in no other major market.

◆Each Nice class is divided by CNIPA into subclasses, and protection is granted not to the whole class but to the subclasses you file in.
◆Similar marks in different subclasses of the same class may not conflict — meaning the same name can be registered to someone else in the same class.
◆The goods and services list therefore has to be written against the subclass map; a general list leaves gaps.
◆MarcaWorld prepares your file alongside a subclass map, identifying which subclasses are critical for your particular product.
We do not claim to run our own office in every country. Our service model rests on file preparation and coordination with authorised local representation.

Chinese-character marks and representation

Two further points need planning on a Chinese file: the Chinese version of your mark and the local agent requirement.

A Chinese mark is a separate sign

Your Latin-script registration does not cover the Chinese-character version. Chinese consumers will name your brand in their own language, and if you do not choose that name, the market chooses it for you.

Three translation approaches

Phonetic (close to the sound), semantic (translating the meaning) or a blend. The choice follows brand identity and is registered as a separate application.

A local agent is mandatory

Applicants not domiciled in China must be represented before CNIPA by an authorised local agent. That is not a requirement to form a company.

Examination and opposition

CNIPA examines earlier rights on its own motion and can refuse where a similar mark is found. Third-party opposition after publication is also possible.

CNIPA fees and costs that can arise later

In the table below, official fees and service fees sit on separate lines. Because the tariff is updated, we do not publish fixed amounts here.

Filing feePaid to the officePer classCalculated separately for each Nice class. A set number of goods or services items is included per class; going beyond that number triggers an extra charge.
Additional item feePaid to the officePer itemApplies once the included number of items per class is exceeded. This can rise quickly as you widen subclass coverage.
Chinese-character mark filingPaid to the officeA separate filingThe Chinese version is filed as a separate sign and fees are calculated again. It should not be skipped if you will sell into the local market.
Local agent feePaid to local representationBy file scopeMandatory for applicants not domiciled in China. The amount reflects class and subclass count and appears as its own line in the quote.
Review of a refusalAs it arisesCharged if incurredWhere CNIPA refuses, a request for review is prepared. Refusal rates in China are not low; this item should not be assumed to be zero.
Cancellation or invalidationAs it arisesCharged if incurredArises where your mark is registered to someone else. Cancellation for three years of non-use is the most common route and runs as its own proceeding.
MarcaWorld service feeMarcaWorldSet by quoteCovers the register search, the subclass map, the Chinese-mark strategy, file preparation and follow-up.
Reading the table
Amounts are in CNY. Official fees follow the CNIPA tariff and are not set by MarcaWorld. On a Chinese file the variable that really drives cost is not the class count but the number of subclasses and items covered. We do not publish a verified package price.
A quote for your file
Once the subclass map and the Chinese-mark decision are clear, we prepare a written quote showing the official fee and our service fee on separate lines.
Free check

China, Hong Kong, the Madrid route and the US

The four routes most often compared when entering the Asian market. Click a column heading to open that page.

🇨🇳ChinaCNIPA
🇭🇰Hong KongIPD🌍Madrid routeWIPO🇺🇸United StatesUSPTO
Coverage
Mainland China
Hong Kong only
Selected member states
United States
Basis of right
First to file (strict)
First to file
Depends on target
Declaration of use or intent
Class structure
Nice plus subclasses
Standard Nice
Depends on target
Standard Nice
Local-language mark
Chinese is a separate sign
Chinese widely used
Per country
Not required
Local representation
Mandatory
May be required
Basic application required
US attorney mandatory
Non-use risk
3 years
3 years
Per country
Filing in years 5–6
Does a Chinese registration cover Hong Kong?
No. Hong Kong and Macao have separate IP systems, and Taiwan is separate again. A mainland registration gives no protection in those three.
Madrid or a direct filing?
China can be designated through Madrid, but the subclass system can narrow your coverage. If China is a critical market, a direct national filing is usually safer.
Why the urgency?
First-to-file is applied less flexibly than elsewhere. Claiming a right on the strength of prior use is far harder in China; filing early is the only effective defence.

Documents and information

The document set on a Chinese file is light; the real work sits in the subclass map and the Chinese-mark decision.

✓Applicant detailsFor an individual, identity details and address; for a company, the commercial register extract, legal name and address. An English or Chinese translation is requested.
✓Power of attorneyA power of attorney to the authorised local agent. Notarisation is generally not required in Chinese practice, though a signed original may be requested.
✓Representation of the markFor a word mark, the wording; for a logo, an image file at adequate resolution. Where a Chinese version is planned, that is submitted as well.
✓Goods and services listA list written against the subclass map. Using CNIPA’s accepted standard wording rather than general descriptions lowers the risk of refusal.
✓Priority document (if any)To claim priority from an application in another country, the number, date and certificate of that application are required.

From filing to registration

Timelines depend on the office’s current workload and how the file develops; no fixed period is given on this page.

  1. 1Register search and risk checkThe first step is checking whether your mark is already on the Chinese register. If there is squatting, the strategy changes from the start.
  2. 2Subclass map and Chinese-mark decisionWe identify which subclasses your product falls into and assess whether a Chinese-character version is needed.
  3. 3FilingThe file is submitted to CNIPA through the authorised agent and an application number issues. An application number is not a registration certificate.
  4. 4Formal and substantive examinationThe office reviews formal requirements and earlier rights. Where a similar mark is found, a partial or full refusal can issue and a review must be requested in time.
  5. 5Publication and opposition windowAn accepted application is published in the official gazette and third parties may oppose within the period provided by law.
  6. 6RegistrationIf no opposition arrives, or it resolves in your favour, the certificate issues and protection runs for ten years.

After registration: use, customs recordal and renewal

In China, registration is the first link in the chain. The real effect comes through customs recordal and platform complaints.

3 years

Non-use risk

Three years after registration, an unused mark can be cancelled on a third party’s request. This rule can also work in your favour against a squatter.

After registration

Customs recordal

Recording the registered mark with the customs administration makes it possible to stop counterfeit goods at export. It is a separate and important step.

Ongoing

Platform protection

Enrolment in the IP programmes of Tmall, JD.com and Alibaba is done with the registration certificate. Takedowns of counterfeit listings become possible through it.

Year 10

Renewal

Protection renews in ten-year periods. Changes of name, address and ownership must also be recorded.

Frequently asked questions

Free check for your brandFree check
Expert team in your language · Mon–Fri 09:00–18:00

Have a question?
Call us right now.

Request a call back+90 312 232 23 50