Lower cost per country, one renewal date, easy expansion by subsequent designation.
Subclass control, a Chinese registration certificate on issue, faster local handling of refusals.
Madrid goods descriptions auto-mapped into subclasses, leaving coverage gaps.
Core market China: file direct. Broad secondary markets: Madrid works well.
Send us the mark, the market, and any deadline. We will route it to the right practice lead within one business day.
Contact UsA foreign brand can protect a mark in China either by designating China in a Madrid international registration, or by filing a national application directly with CNIPA through a licensed Chinese agency. Both end up on the same Chinese register, but they behave differently along the way — and afterwards.
For a portfolio covering many countries, Madrid is efficient: one application, one language, one renewal date, and government fees that are usually lower than direct filings country by country. Adding countries later by subsequent designation is straightforward. For secondary markets where you want baseline protection at a controlled cost, it is often the right tool.
The friction appears in the details of Chinese practice. Goods descriptions from your home application are mapped into Chinese subclasses by the examiner, not designed around them — so the coverage you actually receive may have gaps you never see until a dispute. A Madrid designation of China also does not automatically come with the Chinese registration certificate that platforms like Tmall, JD, and Douyin, as well as customs and local enforcement authorities, routinely ask for; obtaining proof of protection is an extra step and a recurring administrative annoyance.
Refusals add another layer: a provisional refusal of a Madrid designation must still be answered before CNIPA through a Chinese agent, on the same short deadlines as a national case — you lose the cost saving exactly when things go wrong. And for the first five years, the international registration stands or falls with your home application: a successful central attack takes China down with it.
A direct national application lets you draft the goods list subclass by subclass, pick up a paper registration certificate on issue, handle office actions inside the local system without WIPO in the middle, and keep the Chinese right independent of your home registration. For the market where you manufacture, sell, or enforce most, that control is usually worth the extra cost.
Treat China as a core market and file there directly with a subclass-engineered specification, while using Madrid to blanket secondary markets economically. If you already hold a Madrid designation of China, have the actual subclass coverage audited; a supplementary national filing can patch gaps for far less than a dispute would cost. This is the day-to-day work of our International Department — we run both routes side by side for most portfolio clients.
This article is general information about Chinese IP practice, not legal advice for a specific matter. Rules, fees, and timelines change; confirm current requirements before acting. For advice on your situation, contact our team.