When can I get my China trademark certificate?

Apr 30, 2018 | Trademark Blog

For the past year, this is maybe the question that all the trademark agent in China had been asked repeatedly.

Generally, it will take 8-12 months for the trademark office to release the decision. If an approval is released, 3 months after the publication date, the trademark will be officially registered. After a trademark is registered, it will take about 1-2 month for the trademark office to print the certificate.
Well, it may sound impossible, but a far as I know for the past 8 months, the trademark office has not sent out any certificate.

Why?

Simply because the China trademark office is running out of paper!!!
They ran out of paper in August 2015, and finally sign a new supplier in January 2016, but no one receives any certificate still.

Why is this matter?

There is no official request that you have to have a registered trademark in order to do any business in China, but in many cases, there will be problems that cost you if you don’t have a trademark certificate even the trademark is registered.

For example, if you want to sell your product through the local supermarket, mall or online shop, chances are you will be asked to provide the trademark certificate because those companies don’t want to be charge for trademark infringement by providing your product.

And it is impossible to file a Customs record for intellectual property protection. Theoretically, you can submit an application to Customs for an adoption of protective measures, this gives you the right to applies for impoundment of goods suspected of infringing. The fact is when you apply for Customs record, you have to upload (color scan) trademark certificate to the system or your application will be rejected.

Because the delay of releasing the certificate, business plans are forced to postpone and damage is piling up.

After this disaster is been reported, finally the trademark office respond by promising all the certificate will be print and sent by the end of May.2016.

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