China Trademark Office Announces to Simplify Trademark Applications, Optimize Procedures and Shorten Examination Period
The number of trademark applications in China has been increased rapidly in recent years, and in 2017 the number exceeded 5 million. To bring more convenience to trademark applicants, China Trademark Office (CTMO) has decided to further simplify application materials, optimize working procedures, and shorten the examination of modification, renewal applications. Please see below the details of the notice:
l As from today, for filing a color combination mark or word/device mark with color, the applicant does not need to submit a mark sample in black and white. If such sample is needed in the following examination, CTMO will inform the application to supplement.
l As from today, when filing multiple modification applications in paper documents, the applicant now only needs to submit one identity certificate and POA, in addition to the previous requirement of one modification certificate. On the applicant form, the applicant should clearly mark to which application these related documents are attached, and all the related marks should be marked in the submitted POA.
l For filing multiple trademark applications, assignments, renewals, withdrawals, recordals of license, corrections and obtaining extra registration certificates, the applicant could also follow above simplified requirements.
l As from today, for filing multiple modifications of applicant name/address of International Registrations, the applicant can submit one application. Same rules also apply to multiple assignment applications with the same assignee for International Registrations.
l Start from February 9, 2018, the formal and substantial examination of modification application will be unified. From April 1, 2018, the formal and substantial examination of renewal application will be unified. After unification, the procedures to issue filing receipt and notification of rejection of the application will be canceled to raise the examination efficiency.
l From February 14, 2018, for online multiple modification applications, the applicant only need to submit the information and documents for the first application, and the system will automatically bring such information and documents to the next one to avoid repeated filling and uploading. In this way, online filing will become more efficient and convenient.
l From April 1, 2018, CTMO will finish the first examination of trademark modification application within one month as receipt of the application. From June 1, 2018, the first examination of renewal application will be finished within one month.
February 7, 2018