Chapter II Application for Trademark Registration

Article 19 An applicant for the registration of a trademark shall, in a form, indicate, in accordance with the prescribed classification of goods, the class of the goods and the designation of the goods in respect of which the trademark is to be used.

Article 20 Where any applicant for registration of a trademark intends to use the same trademark for goods in different classes, an application for registration shall be filed in respect of each class of the prescribed classification of goods.

Article 21 Where a registered trademark is to be used in respect of other goods of the same class, a new application for registration shall be filed.

Article 22 Where the sign of a registered trademark is to be altered, a new registration shall be applied for.

Article 23 Where, after the registration of a trademark, the name, address or other registered matters concerning the registrant change, an application regarding the change shall be filed.

Article 24 Any applicant for the registration of a trademark who files an application for registration of the same trademark for identical goods in China within six months from the date of filing the first application for the trademark registration overseas may enjoy the right of priority in accordance with any agreement concluded between the People's Republic of China and the country to which the applicant belongs, or according to the international treaty to which both countries are parties, or on the basis of the principle whereby each acknowledges the right of priority of the other.

Anyone claiming the right of priority according to the preceding paragraph shall make a statement in writing when it or he files the application for the trademark registration, and submit, within three months, a copy of the application documents it or he first filed for the registration of the trademark; where the applicant fails to make the claim in writing or submit the copy of the application documents within the time limit, the claim shall be deemed not to have been made for the right of priority.

Article 25 Where a trademark is first used for goods in an international exhibition on sponsored or recognized by me Chinese Government, the applicant for the registration of the trademark may enjoy the right of priority within six months from the date of exhibition of the goods.

Anyone claiming the right of priority according to the preceding paragraph shall make a claim in writing when it or he files the application for the registration of the trademark, and submit, within three months, documents showing the title of the exhibition in which its or his goods was displayed, proof that the trademark was used for the goods exhibited, and the date of exhibition; where the claim is not made in writing, or the proof documents not submitted within the time limit, the claim shall be deemed not to have been made for the right of priority.

Article 26 The matters reported and materials submitted in the application for trademark registration shall be true, accurate and complete.

Chapter III Examination for and Approval of Trademark Registration

Article 27 Where a trademark the registration of which has been applied for is in conformity with the relevant provisions of this Law, the Trademark Office shall, after examination, preliminarily approve the trademark and publish it.

Article 28 Where a trademark the registration of which has been applied for is not in conformity with the relevant provisions of this Law, or it is identical with or similar to the trademark of another person that has, in respect of the same or similar goods, been registered or, after examination, preliminarily approved, the Trademark Office shall refuse the application and shall not publish the said trademark.

Article 29 Where two or more applicants apply for the registration of identical or similar trademarks for the same or similar goods, the preliminary approval, after examination, and the publication shall be made for the trademark which was first filed. Where applications are filed on the same day, the preliminary approval, after examination, and the publication shall be made for the trademark which was the earliest used, and the applications of the others shall be refused and their trademarks shall not be published.

Article 30 Any person may, within three months from the date of the publication, file an opposition against the trademark that has, after examination, been preliminarily approved. If no opposition has been filed after the expiration of the time limit from the publication, the registration shall be approved, a certificate of trademark registration shall be issued and the trademark shall be published.

Article 31 An application for the registration of a trademark shall not create any prejudice to the prior right of another person, nor unfair means be used to pre-emptively register the trademark of some reputation another person has used.

Article 32 Where the application for registration of a trademark is refused and no publication of the trademark is made, the Trademark Office shall notify the applicant of the same in writing. Where the applicant is dissatisfied, he may, within fifteen days from receipt of the notice, file an application with the Trademark Review and Adjudication Board for a review. The Trademark Review and Adjudication Board shall make a decision and notify ‘the applicant in writing.

Any interested party who is not satisfied with the decision made by the Trademark Review and Adjudication Board may, within thirty days from receipt of the notice, institute legal proceedings in the People's Court.

Article 33 Where an opposition is filed against the trademark that has, after examination, been preliminarily approved and published, the Trademark Office shall hear both the opponent and applicant state facts and grounds, and shall, after investigation and verification, make a decision. Where any party is dissatisfied, it or he may within fifteen days from receipt of the notification, apply for a re-examination, and the Trademark Review and Adjudication Board shall make a decision and notify both the opponent and applicant in writing.

Any interested party who is not satisfied with the decision made by the Trademark Review and Adjudication Board within thirty days from the date of receipt of the notice, may institute legal proceedings in the People's Court. The People's Court shall notify the other party to the trademark re-examination proceeding to be a third party to the litigation.

Article 34 Where the interested party does not, within the statutory time limit, apply for the re-examination of the adjudication by the Trademark Office or does not institute legal proceedings in respect of the adjudication by the Trademark Review and Adjudication Board, the adjudication takes effect.

Where the opposition cannot be established upon adjudication, the registration shall be approved, a certificate of trademark registration shall be issued and the trademark shall be published; where the opposition is established upon adjudication, the registration shall not be approved.

Where the opposition cannot be established upon adjudication, but the registration is approved, the time of the exclusive right the trademark registration applicant has obtained to use the trademark is counted from the date on which the three months expires from the publication of the preliminary examination.

Article 35 Any application for trademark registration and trademark re-examination shall be examined in due course.

Article 36 Where any trademark registration applicant or registrant finds any obvious errors in the trademark registration documents or application documents, it or he may apply for correction thereof The Trademark Office shall ex officio make the correction according to law and notify the interested party of the correction.

The error correction mentioned in the preceding paragraph shall not relate to the substance of the trademark registration documents or application documents.

Chapter IV Renewal, Assignment and Licensing of Registered Trademarks

Article 37 The period of validity of a registered trademark shall be ten years, counted from the date of approval of the registration.

Article 38 Where the registrant intends to continue to use the registered trademark beyond the expiration of the period of validity, an application for renewal of the registration shall be made within six months before the said expiration. Where no application therefore has been filed within the said period, a grace period of six months may be allowed. If no application has been filed at the expiration the grace period, the registered trademark shall be canceled.

The period of validity of each renewal of registration shall be ten years.

Any renewal of registration shall be published after it as been approved.

Article 39 Where a registered trademark is assigned, the assignor and assignee shall conclude a contract for the assignment, and jointly file an application with the trademark Office. The assignee shall guarantee the quality of the goods in respect of which the registered trademark is used.

The assignment of a registered trademark shall be published after it has been approved, and the assignee enjoys the exclusive right to use the trademark from the date of publication.

Article 40 Any trademark registrant may, by signing a trademark license contract, authorize other persons to use his registered trademark. The licenser shall supervise the quality of the goods in respect of which the licensee uses his registered trademark, and the licensee shall guarantee the quality of the goods in respect of which the registered Trademark is used.

Where any party is authorized to use a registered trademark of another person, the name of the licensee and the origin of the goods must be indicated on the goods that bear the registered trademark.

The trademark license contract shall be submitted to the Trademark Office for record.