A few years ago, I entrusted an intellectual property agency to register a trademark, and the trademark registration certificate has been issued. What I registered is a Class 18 trademark and a Class 25 trademark. Let me talk about trademark registration based on my trademark registration process.

From the time of applying for a brand name to obtaining the trademark certificate, it will take at least one and a half years at the earliest, and more than 2 years at the slowest time. When I had nothing to do during that time, I went to the Trademark Office website to check the progress. I was very anxious while waiting. Fortunately, I found an agency and didn't do it myself. It is recommended to apply for a registered trademark through an intellectual property agency. People who have been in this business for a long time are familiar with the procedures and the process will be smoother. If you do it yourself, it will cost money and time, but may also cause delays in trademark approval due to unfamiliarity with the application process and the provision of required documents.

The process of applying for trademark registration is roughly as follows:

1. First design your trademark, whether it is pure text, graphics, or text and graphics. There are two types of designs: color draft and black and white draft.

2. You can do it yourself or find an agency to conduct a trademark query at the Trademark Office of the State Administration for Industry and Commerce to see if your trademark infringes upon a registered trademark.

3. If there is no problem with the query, you can submit a trademark registration application to the Trademark Office of the State Administration for Industry and Commerce. You need to fill in several forms, including: a copy of the industrial and commercial license (either original or duplicate), A black and white draft of the trademark, trademark category, and a power of attorney for trademark registration must be stamped with the company's official seal.

4. The third step is to enter the formal review stage. This stage usually takes three months and mainly reviews whether your trademark violates laws and regulations. After the formal examination is completed, if it passes, the Trademark Office will issue a notice of acceptance. After receiving the written notice of acceptance, your trademark can be marked with the TM logo and used. However, it is not a registered trademark at this time, but can be used temporarily. At this time, there is a preliminary review announcement on the Trademark Office website, and you can check your trademark, and you already have a registration number, which is the future registration number.

5. Next comes the substantive review stage, which takes about 1 to 1.5 years. During this period, if your trademark complies with laws and regulations and no one raises any objections, you will move to the next stage: announcement.

6. The announcement period is generally 3 months. If nothing unexpected happens, after 3 months, the Trademark Office will print your trademark registration certificate and issue it to you through the agency. At this time, your trademark will be added with a ? logo.

The whole process will take about 1.5 to 2 years.

7. Infringement issues: When redesigning the font of a trademark, special attention should be paid to whether the font used is a copyrighted font. Some fonts are only allowed to be used in non-commercial fields. Once used commercially, commercial interests are involved. When your brand has a certain degree of popularity, they may come out to defend your rights and claim compensation.

In general, trademark registration is not troublesome, but the key is that it takes time. The design of the trademark name and trademark pattern will be more troublesome. As for the registration stage, it will take more time, so be patient.