We often find a logo next to a trademark on the products around us, indicating that the trademark has been registered and is protected by law. After a trademark is registered, a certain product, service, or related individual or organization will be prominent. identification mark. So what are the specific procedures for trademark application? How long does it take to obtain a trademark application certificate? 1. Application for registration ⒈ Only individuals or groups meeting the following conditions can apply for a trademark in China: Applicants for trademark registration must be: Enterprises, institutions, and societies established in accordance with the law Groups, individual businessmen, individuals, partnerships, or foreigners or foreign enterprises from countries that have signed an agreement with China or participated in international treaties with the Chinese Communist Party or that are subject to the principle of reciprocity meet the above conditions and need to obtain the exclusive right to use a trademark. The Trademark Office files an application for trademark registration. 2. File an application according to the classification of goods and services: China’s Trademark Law implements the International Classification of Goods, which divides more than 10,000 kinds of goods and services into 45 categories, including 34 categories of goods and 11 categories of services. When applying for trademark registration, the category of goods or services for which the trademark is used should be determined according to the classification of the goods and services classification table. If the same applicant uses the same trademark on different categories of goods, he should apply for registration in different categories according to the commodity classification. ⒊ Determination of the trademark application date: It is very important to establish the application date. Since China's trademark registration adopts the first-to-file principle, once the application date occurs, it becomes the legal basis for determining the trademark rights. The application date for trademark registration is determined by the receipt of the application documents by the Trademark Office. The date shall prevail. 2. Formal review Formal review is when the trademark registration authority examines whether there are any errors in the written documents of the trademark registration application and some formal requirements, such as the application form and the power of attorney. For trademark applications that pass formal examination, a trademark application acceptance notice will be issued. The applicant can mark "TM" on the trademark. 3. Trademark review Trademark review is a series of activities that the trademark registration authority conducts to check whether the trademark registration application complies with the provisions of the Trademark Law, retrieves, analyzes, compares, investigates and studies, and decides to give preliminary approval or reject the application. 4. Approval of the preliminary announced trademark It refers to the decision to allow registration of a trademark registration application that complies with the relevant provisions of the Trademark Law after review. And be announced in the "Trademark Announcement". If no one raises any objection to a preliminary approval trademark within three months from the date of publication of the preliminary approval announcement, the trademark will be registered and a registration announcement will be published at the same time. 5. Registration Announcement Trademark registration is a trademark legal procedure. The trademark registration applicant submits an application, and after review by the Trademark Office, a preliminary review and announcement will be made. If no one raises an objection within three months or the objection is ruled to be invalid, the trademark will be registered and effective, protected by law, and the trademark registrant will enjoy the trademark. exclusive rights. It takes about two to three years for a trademark to be approved for registration. The validity period of a registered trademark is ten years, starting from the date of approval of registration. If the registered trademark expires and you need to continue to use it, you can apply for trademark renewal registration. 6. Receive the certificate. If you use an agent, the agent will send the "Trademark Registration Certificate" to the trademark registrant. If trademark registration is handled directly, the trademark registrant should go to the Trademark Office to obtain the trademark registration certificate within three months after receiving the "Notice of Obtaining the Trademark Registration Certificate". A newly applied trademark generally takes two to three years from application to issuance, of which approximately six months are needed for application acceptance and formal review, approximately two years for substantive review, and three months for the opposition period before the approval announcement is issued. The certificate takes about two months. Trademark registration takes a long time from the first step of preparing materials to the final receipt of the "Trademark Registration Certificate", but each step is crucial. Applicants can apply for trademark registration in person at the registration hall, or they can entrust relevant agencies to do it on their behalf. handle. This article has introduced you to the specific process of trademark application in detail, and answered the question of how long does it take to obtain a trademark application certificate.