Revised Trademark filing requirements come into force on July 1, 2010

Due to the irregularly filing of the trademark application form, nearly 20,000 trademark applications are not accepted by Chinese Trademark Office (CTMO) per year. The requested application date is unable to retain, and the prior right can not be guaranteed.

In order to protect the lawful rights and interests of the applicant and to improve and standardize procedures for trademark applications, the revised filing requirements on various application formalities are announced by CTMO and come into force on July 1, 2010. The individual applicant and trademark agency shall pay special attention to those changes. One of the most important changes is “Signature/Seal on various forms”: the applicant must sign and/or affix the company seal on the application forms. Though this requirement was strongly objected by many trademark agents, the new rules will be strictly executed. The rest are minor changes.

If the application does not meet the revised filing requirements, CTMO will not give acceptance. For further information, please contact us.