The competent authority for trademarks is the my country Intellectual Property Office. Applicants who want to apply for trademark registration have four options to choose from. One is to submit at the window, the other is to choose a local agency, and the third is to Go to the local agency window to submit (some domestic cities have agency windows). Fourth, the enterprise sets up its own system to apply online.

Trademark process:

(1) Trademark query: First go to the official website of the China Trademark Office and select trademark similarity query to query the success rate. You can also entrust a reliable agency to conduct inquiries. Based on professional experience, the accuracy rate will be more accurate than searching by yourself. (If your own brand consists of Chinese, English, graphics, etc., be sure to check the success rate separately. The review of trademark registration is very strict, and the slightest mistake will be rejected.)

(2) Document preparation

⒈ If applying in the name of an enterprise, a copy of the business license must be provided; if applying in the name of an individual, a self-employed business license must be provided.

⒉ Provide a picture of the trademark name in JPG format.

⒊ Confirm the international classification to which your products belong, and select specific product items. For example, electronic products belong to category 9, and so on. (Searchable: "Classification Table of Similar Goods and Services")

⒋ If there is an entrusted agency, the power of attorney also needs to be stamped or signed.

(3) Application submission: The address filled in must be consistent with the business license, and the corresponding email and contact information must be provided. After the process is successfully submitted, pay on site or wait for the payment notice.

(4) Fee payment: At present, the official domestic fee for one trademark and one category is 270 yuan (10 product items). If you choose an agency to handle the matter, the general service fee ranges from a few hundred to a thousand, with charges based on different professional levels.

(5) Waiting for review results: It will be accepted within 3-4 weeks after submission, and the official acceptance notice will be issued (it does not mean that registration has been approved). The official will conduct a substantive review 5-6 months after receiving the application.

(6) There are three types of review results: preliminary announcement (passing the review), total rejection (all product items cannot be registered), and partial rejection (some product items can be registered, but some cannot). We will provide popular science on how to deal with rejection and the reasons for rejection in separate articles.

(7) Announcement period: Regardless of the rejection, if it passes the official review, the preliminary announcement will take 3 months. During this period, if there is no objection from the public, the trademark registration certificate can be issued.

(8) Obtain the certificate successfully: After successful registration, the official will first issue an electronic registration certificate, and then issue a paper registration certificate. If the whole process goes smoothly, it will take 8-9 months to get the certificate.

Note: The trademark is valid for 10 years and needs to be renewed every ten years. The scope of protection is the mainland of my country, excluding Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan.

Legal basis:

Trademark Law

Article 3

A trademark approved and registered by the Trademark Office is a registered trademark, including Commodity trademarks, service trademarks, collective trademarks, and certification marks; trademark registrants enjoy exclusive rights to trademarks and are protected by law. The term "collective trademark" as mentioned in this Law refers to a mark registered in the name of a group, association or other organization for use by members of the organization in commercial activities to indicate the user's membership in the organization. The term "certification trademark" as used in this Law refers to a trademark controlled by an organization with the ability to supervise a commodity or service and used by units or individuals other than the organization to certify the origin of the commodity or service. , raw materials, manufacturing methods, quality or other signs of specific quality. Special matters concerning the registration and management of collective trademarks and certification marks shall be stipulated by the industrial and commercial administration department of the State Council.