Practical guides on Chinese trademark, patent, and IP practice, written by the ONECHINE team for brand owners, in-house counsel, and foreign law firms. General information, not legal advice — for a read on your specific matter, contact us.
China grants trademark rights to the first party that files, not the first that uses. What that means for foreign brands, the subclass trap, and a practical filing sequence.
Madrid designations are cheap and centralized; direct filings give subclass control and cleaner enforcement paperwork. How to choose, and the hybrid strategy we recommend.
What a Chinese registration actually costs, how long each stage takes, and the renewal and non-use clocks that keep running after the certificate issues.
The review deadline is 15 days from receipt — one of the shortest in Chinese IP practice. Refusal types, the arguments that work, and the parallel moves that win.
Opposition, bad-faith invalidation, non-use cancellation, or a negotiated buy-back: four recovery routes, how to choose between them, and how to prevent the sequel.
China Customs seizes counterfeits on export as well as import — but active protection effectively requires a GACC recordal first. How it works and what happens after a seizure.