On January 24th, the China National IP Administration (CNIPA) announced the results of the 2021 implementation of the reform of the mechanism for the examination and approval of trademark registration.
In 2021 CNIPA finished a total of 10.57 million substantive examinations of trademark registration applications. In addition, 170,000 trademark opposition examinations, and a total of 383,000 various review and adjudication cases were heard and issued throughout the year.
A special remark in the report goes to bad faith applications. Last year, CNIPA cumulative cracked down on 482,000 applications for trademark registration in bad faith with no intention to use.
More than 1,700 registered trademarks were declared invalid ex officio, and 1,111 trademark registration applications, that were likely to cause major adverse effects, were quickly rejected.
A big improvement also in the time management:
- the average examination period for trademark registration has been maintained at 4 months,
- the average examination period for trademark oppositions has been compressed to 11 months, and
- the average trial period for rejecting and reviewing complex cases has been compressed to 5.5 months and 9 months respectively.
While the examination of online requests for recording changes is kept within 24 days, renewals within 12 days, and assignments within 2 months, four new circuit review courts have been established in Tianjin, Jinan, Chengdu and Yantai to provide fast and accurate services.
After the application to the Madrid System has been made fully electronic in China, the online application rate for Madrid trademark registration submitted by Chinese applicants has reached 97% in 2021.
Read the official Chinese news here: http://sbj.cnipa.gov.cn/gzdt/202201/t20220124_339344.html
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