Yes. Even pure OEM manufacturing carries risk: if a third party registers your mark in China, your own production and export can be attacked, and factories or customs may refuse to handle goods bearing the mark. A registration in the manufacturing country is basic supply-chain insurance.
Almost always. Chinese consumers, media, and platforms will use a Chinese name for your brand whether you choose one or not — and whatever name emerges can be registered by someone else. Selecting and filing a Chinese-character mark alongside the Latin mark keeps control of both.
A smooth national application typically registers in roughly 8–12 months: about one month of formality examination, four to six months of substantive examination, and a three-month opposition period after publication. Refusals or oppositions add their own timelines.
Official fees are currently CNY 270 per class for an e-filed application covering up to ten items, plus a small surcharge per additional item. Professional fees depend on clearance scope and strategy. Filing broadly at the start is consistently cheaper than recovering a mark later.
Foreign applicants without a domicile or business establishment in China must file through a licensed Chinese trademark agency — which is one of the services we provide, acting for overseas brand owners and for foreign law firms on behalf of their clients.
China divides each Nice class into official subclasses and generally judges conflicts within, not across, subclasses. Coverage designed for other jurisdictions and copied into China often leaves subclass gaps that squatters exploit. Specifications for China should be engineered subclass by subclass.
No — but the route depends on the facts. Options include opposition (if the application is still within its three-month publication window), invalidation for bad faith or prior rights, cancellation for three years of non-use, and negotiated buy-back. Most successful recoveries combine two of these in parallel.
Once a Chinese registration is three years old, anyone may request its cancellation for three consecutive years of non-use. The registrant must then prove genuine use in China. It is a routine tool both for clearing blocking marks and a reason to keep dated use evidence for your own registrations.
No. Our International Department manages filings and disputes across 200+ countries and regions through long-term foreign associate relationships — inbound work for overseas brands entering China, and outbound programs for Chinese companies expanding globally.
Send us the mark (word and/or logo), the goods or services, the countries that matter, and any deadline or official notice you have received. We usually respond within one business day with a first read and a recommended next step. Initial consultations are free.
Chinese and English throughout the firm. Filings, official communications, evidence, and reporting are handled bilingually; several team members work with foreign associates daily.
Yes. A large part of our practice is acting as China counsel for foreign law firms and IP agencies — clearance, filing, prosecution, disputes, and enforcement, reported in the format your firm and client expect.
Send it to us directly — we usually reply within one business day.
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