Regulations for the Implementation of the Trademark Law of the People’s Republic of
China (Promulgated by Decree No.358 of the State Council of the People’s Republic of China
on August 3, 2002, and effective as of September 15, 2002)
Chapter I General Provisions
Article 1 These Regulations are formulated in accordance with the Trademark Law of
the People’s Republic of China (hereinafter referred to as the Trademark Law).
Article 2 Provisions regarding the goods trademarks in these Regulations shall apply to
service marks.
Article 3 The use of a trademark, as referred to in the Trademark Law and these
Regulations, shall include the use of the trademark on goods, packages or containers of the
goods or in trading documents, and the use of the trademark in advertising, exhibition or any
other business activities.
Article 4 Goods on which the State requires the use of a registered trademark, as
mentioned in Article 6 of the Trademark Law, refer to those on which a registered trademark
must be used as required by laws or administrative regulations.
Article 5 Where a dispute arises in the procedures of trademark registration or
trademark review and adjudication and the party concerned believes that its trademark
constitutes a well-known trademark, it may, in accordance with the provisions of the
Trademark Law and these Regulations, request the Trademark Office or the Trademark
Review and Adjudication Board to determine whether its trademark constitutes a well-known
trademark or not and to refuse the application for trademark registration which is in violation
of the provisions of Article 13 of the Trademark Law or to cancel the trademark registration
which is in violation of the provisions of Article 13 of the Trademark Law. When an
application for this purpose is filed, the party concerned shall submit evidence to prove that
its trademark constitutes a well-known trademark.
At the request of the party, the Trademark Office or the Trademark Review and
Adjudication Board shall, on the basis of ascertaining the facts, determine whether its
trademark is a well-known one or not in accordance with the provisions of Article 14 of the
Trademark Law.
Article 6 For geographical indications referred to in Article 16 of the Trademark Law,
applications may be filed to register them as certification marks or collective marks under the
provisions of the Trademark Law and these Regulations.
Where a geographical indication is registered as a certification mark, any natural
person, legal person or other organization whose goods satisfy the conditions under which the
geographical indication is used may request the use of the certification mark, and the
organization in control of such certification mark shall permit the use. Where a geographical
indication is registered as a collective mark, any natural person, legal person or other
organization whose goods satisfy the conditions under which the geographical indication is
used may request the membership of the society, association or any other organization that
has the geographical indication registered as a collective mark, and the society, association or
any other organization shall accept the membership in accordance with its articles of
association; those who do not request the membership of the society, association or any other
organization that has the geographical indication registered as a collective mark may
legitimately use the geographical indication, and the society, association or any other
organization is not entitled to prohibit such use.
Article 7 Where a party entrusts a trademark agency with the application for
registration of a trademark or with the handling of other trademark matters, a Power of
Attorney shall be submitted. The Power of Attorney shall state the contents and the scope of
powers; the Power of Attorney of a foreigner or foreign enterprise shall also state the
nationality of the principal.
Procedures for notarizing and authenticating the Power of Attorney and certifying
documents relating thereto of a foreigner or foreign enterprise shall be undertaken based on
the principle of reciprocity.
As mentioned in Article 18 of the Trademark Law, a foreigner or foreign enterprise
refers to a foreigner or foreign enterprise having no habitual residence or place of business in
China.
Article 8 The Chinese language shall be used in applying for trademark registration or
handling other trademark matters.
Where any certificate, certifying document or evidence submitted in accordance with
the provisions of the Trademark Law and these Regulations is written in a foreign language, a
Chinese translation shall be attached thereto; if no Chinese translation is attached, it shall be
deemed that the certificate, certifying document or evidence has never been submitted.
Article 9 In any of the following situations, a staff member of the Trademark Office or
the Trademark Review and Adjudication Board shall voluntarily recuse himself, and a party
or an interested person may demand his recusal:
(1) if he is a party, or a close relative of a party or an agent;
(2) if he has any other relation with a party or an agent that may affect impartiality; or
(3) if he has an interest with the application for trademark registration or the handling
of other trademark matters.
Article 10 Except as otherwise provided in these Regulations, the date on which a
party submits documents or papers to the Trademark Office or the Trademark Review and
Adjudication Board shall be the date of delivery if the documents or papers are submitted in
person, or be the mailing date indicated by the postmark if they are sent by mail, or, if the
mailing date indicated by the postmark is illegible or there is no postmark, be the date on
which all of the papers or documents are received in the Trademark Office or the Trademark
Review and Adjudication Board, except if the party can provide evidence of the exact date
indicated by the postmark.
Article 11 The documents of the Trademark Office or the Trademark Review and
Adjudication Board may be sent to a party by mail, in person or by other means. Where the
party entrusts a trademark agency, the documents shall be considered served on the party
once they are delivered to the trademark agency.
The date of service of any document on a party by the Trademark Office or the
Trademark Review and Adjudication Board shall, if the document is sent by mail, be the
receiving date indicated by the postmark on which the document is received; if the receiving
date indicated by the postmark is illegible or there is no postmark, the document shall be
considered served on the party 15 days after the date on which the document is sent. If the
document is delivered in person, the date of service shall be the date on which the document
is delivered. If the document cannot be sent by mail or delivered in person, it may be served
on the party by means of public notice, and the service of the document shall be considered
completed 30 days after the date on which the public notice is issued.
Article 12 Applications for international registration of trademarks shall be dealt with
in accordance with the relevant international treaties to which China has acceded. The
specific measures therefor shall be formulated by the authority of administration for industry
and commerce under the State Council.
Chapter II Application for Trademark Registration
Article 13 Anyone who applies for registration of a trademark shall file an application
based on the categories in the published Classification of Goods and Services. For each
application for registration of a trademark, the applicant shall submit to the Trademark Office
one copy of the Application for Trademark Registration and five copies of reproductions of
the trademark; if color or colors is or are designated, five copies of colored reproductions of
the trademark and one copy of the black and white design shall be submitted.
The reproductions of a trademark must be clear, easy to be pasted up, printed on
smooth and clear durable paper or use photographs as a substitute, and the length and breadth
of which shall be not more than ten centimeters and not less than five centimeters each.
If applying for the registration of a three-dimensional sign as a trademark, the applicant
shall make a statement in the application, and submit a reproduction thereof by which the
three-dimensional shape can be determined.
If applying for the registration of the combination of colors as a trademark, the
applicant shall make a statement in the application, and submit the descriptions thereof.
If applying for the registration of a collective mark or a certification mark, the
applicant shall make a statement in the application, and submit the documents certifying the
qualifications of the subjects and the rules on the administration of the use of the mark.
Where a trademark is, or consists of, foreign words, their Chinese meanings shall be
indicated.
Article 14 When applying for the registration of a trademark, the applicant shall submit
a duplicated copy of the valid credentials that can certify its identity. The name in which the
applicant has filed the application for trademark registration shall be consistent with that
shown in the credentials submitted.
Article 15 The goods or services shall be listed as specified in the Classification of
Goods and Services; where any goods or services are not included in the Classification of
Goods and Services, a description of the goods or services in question shall be attached to the
application.
Applications for trademark registration and other related documents shall be
typewritten or printed.
Article 16 Where an application is jointly filed for the registration of a trademark, a
representative shall be designated in the application; if no representative is designated, the
first person in order in the application shall be the representative.
Article 17 Where an applicant modifies its name, address, agent, or deletes the goods
designated, it may go through the formalities of modification with the Trademark Office.
Where an applicant assigns an application for trademark registration, it shall go
through the formalities of assignment with the Trademark Office.
Article 18 The filing date of an application for trademark registration shall be the date
on which the application documents are received by the Trademark Office. Where the
application formalities are complete and the application documents are filled in as required,
the Trademark Office shall accept the application and notify the applicant in writing. Where
the application formalities are not complete and the application documents are not filled in as
required, the Trademark Office shall not accept the application and shall notify the applicant
in writing and give the reasons therefor.
Where the application formalities are basically complete or the application documents
are basically in compliance with the provisions, but there is a need for supplements or
amendments, the Trademark Office shall notify the applicant to make supplements or
amendments, requesting it to make supplements or amendments to the specified parts and
deliver them back to the Trademark Office within 30 days from the date of receipt of the
notification. Where the supplements or amendments are made and delivered back to the
Trademark Office within the specified time limit, the filing date shall be retained; where no
supplements or amendments are made at the expiration of the specified time limit, the
application shall be considered abandoned and the Trademark Office shall notify the
applicant in writing.
Article 19 Where two or more applicants apply respectively on the same day for the
registration of identical or similar trademarks in respect of the same or similar goods, both or
all of the applicants shall, within 30 days from the date of receipt of the notification of the
Trademark Office, submit the evidence of prior use of such trademarks before applying for
registration. Where the use started on the same day or none is yet in use, both or all of the
applicants may, within 30 days from the date of receipt of the notification of the Trademark
Office, conduct consultations on their own and submit a written agreement to the Trademark
Office; if they are not willing to conduct consultations or they fail to reach an agreement
through consultations, the Trademark Office shall notify both or all of the applicants to
determine one of them by drawing lots and refuse the applications for registration filed by
others. Where an applicant has been notified by the Trademark Office but fails to participate
in the drawing of lots, the application filed by such an applicant shall be considered
abandoned, and the Trademark Office shall notify the applicant in writing who does not
participate in the drawing of lots.
Article 20 Where a priority is claimed in accordance with the provisions of Article 24
of the Trademark Law, the copies of the application documents submitted by the applicant for
the first time for registering the trademark in question shall be certified by the competent
trademark authority which accepts the said application, and the filing date and serial number
of the application shall be indicated.
Where a priority is claimed in accordance with the provisions of Article 25 of the
Trademark Law, the certifying documents submitted by the applicant shall be authenticated
by the institution specified by the authority of administration for industry and commerce
under the State Council, except that the international exhibition on which the applicant’s
goods are displayed is held within Chinese territory.
Chapter III Examination of Applications for Trademark Registration
Article 21 The Trademark Office shall, in accordance with the relevant provisions of
the Trademark Law and these Regulations, examine the applications for trademark
registration it has accepted, granting preliminary approval to those that are in compliance
with the provisions and to the applications for the registration of trademarks used on some of
the designated goods that are in compliance with the provisions, and publishing them; the
application that is not in compliance with the provisions and the application for the
registration of a trademark used on some of the designated goods that is not in compliance
with the provisions shall be refused, the applicant shall be notified in writing and the reasons
therefor shall be given.
Where the Trademark Office grants preliminary approval to an application for the
registration of a trademark used on some of the designated goods, the applicant may, before
the date on which the opposition period expires, apply to abandon the application for the
registration of the trademark used on some of the designated goods; where the applicant
abandons the application for the registration of a trademark used on some of the designated
goods, the Trademark Office shall withdraw the previous preliminary approval, terminate the
examination proceedings and republish it.
Article 22 Where an opposition is filed against a trademark which has been
preliminarily approved and published by the Trademark Office, the opponent shall submit in
duplicate an Application for Trademark Opposition to the Trademark Office. The Application
for Trademark Opposition shall specify both the issue number of the Trademark Gazette in
which the opposed trademark is published and the number of the preliminary approval. The
Application for Trademark Opposition shall state the requests and grounds in plain terms, and
the relevant evidence shall be attached thereto.
The Trademark Office shall promptly send a copy of the Application for Trademark
Opposition to the opposed party, who shall be requested to make a response within 30 days
from the date of receipt of the copy of the Application for Trademark Opposition. If the
opposed party fails to make a response, it shall not affect the Trademark Office’s ruling of the
opposition.
Where a party needs to supplement related evidence after filing an application of
opposition or making a response, it shall make a statement for this purpose in the application
or in the response made in writing, and submit the said evidence within three months from
the date on which the application is filed or the response is made in writing; if no evidence is
submitted at the expiry of the time limit, the party shall be considered given up the
supplementing of related evidence.
Article 23 A justified opposition referred to in the second paragraph of Article 34 of
the Trademark Law shall include the opposition that is justified for some of the designated
goods. If an opposition is justified for some of the designated goods, the application for the
registration of the trademark on this part of the designated goods shall not be approved.
Where an opposed trademark is already published as a registered trademark prior to
the entry into force of the ruling on the opposition, the publishing of the registration shall be
canceled, and the trademark the registration of which has been approved upon the ruling of
the opposition shall be republished.
Where the registration of a trademark has been approved upon the ruling of an
opposition, from the date of expiration of the opposition period to the date of entry into force
of the ruling on the opposition, it shall have no retroactive effect on the use by another party
of the marks that are identical or similar to the said trademark on the same or similar goods.
However, the user shall make compensation for any loss suffered by the trademark registrant
as a result of the user’s bad faith.
Where the registration of a trademark has been approved upon the ruling of an
opposition, the period for filing an application for review and adjudication thereof shall be
counted from the date on which the ruling on the opposition to the said trademark is
published.
Chapter IV Modification, Assignment and Renewal of Registered Trademarks
Article 24 Where the name or address of a trademark registrant or any other
registration matter is to be modified, the applicant shall submit an application for
modification to the Trademark Office. The Trademark Office shall, upon approval, issue a
corresponding certification to the trademark registrant and publish the modification; if no
approval is granted, the applicant shall be notified in writing and the reasons therefor shall be
given.
Where the name of a trademark registrant is to be modified, the modification
certification issued by the relevant registration authorities shall be also submitted. If the
modification certification is not submitted, it may be submitted within 30 days from the date
on which the application is filed; if it is not submitted at the expiry of the time limit, the
application for modification shall be considered abandoned and the Trademark Office shall
notify the applicant in writing.
Where the name or address of a trademark registrant is to be modified, the trademark
registrant shall make the modification in respect of all its registered trademarks in a lump; if
they are not so modified, the application for modification shall be considered abandoned and
the Trademark Office shall notify the applicant in writing.
Article 25 When a registered trademark is to be assigned, both the assignor and
assignee shall jointly send an application for assignment of the registered trademark to the
Trademark Office. The assignee shall go through the formalities for the application for
assignment of the registered trademark. The Trademark Office shall, upon approval of the
application for assignment of the registered trademark, issue the assignee a corresponding
certification and publish the assignment.
Where a registered trademark is to be assigned, the trademark registrant shall assign
in a lump all of its trademarks that are identical or similar to each other in respect of the same
or similar goods; if they are not so assigned, the Trademark Office shall notify it to rectify the
situation within a specified time limit; if it fails to ratify it at the expiry of the said time limit,
the application for assignment of the registered trademark shall be considered abandoned, and
the Trademark Office shall notify the applicant in writing.
With respect to applications for the assignment of registered trademarks, which may
produce misleading, confusing or other adverse effects, the Trademark Office shall refuse
them, and shall notify the applicants in writing and give the reasons therefor.
Article 26 Where the exclusive right to use a registered trademark is transferred due
to the reasons other than assignment, the party who accepts the transfer of the exclusive right
to use the registered trademark shall, by producing the relevant evidential documents or legal
instruments, go through the formalities of the transfer of the exclusive right to use the
registered trademark with the Trademark Office.
Where the exclusive right to use a registered trademark is transferred, the right holder
shall assign in a lump all of its trademarks that are identical or similar to each other in respect
of the same or similar goods; if they are not so transferred, the Trademark Office shall notify
it to rectify the situation within a specified time limit; if it fails to ratify it at the expiry of the
said time limit, the application for transfer of the registered trademark shall be considered
abandoned, and the Trademark Office shall notify the applicant in writing.
Article 27 Where the registration of a registered trademark needs to be renewed, an
application for renewal of registration of the trademark shall be submitted to the Trademark
Office. The Trademark Office shall, upon approval of the application for renewal of
registration of the trademark, issue a corresponding certification and publish the renewal.
The period of validity of a renewed trademark registration shall be calculated from the
day following the expiration of the previous period of validity of such a trademark.
Chapter V Review and Adjudication of Trademarks
Article 28 The Trademark Review and Adjudication Board shall accept applications
for trademark review and adjudication filed under Articles 32, 33, 41 and 49 of the
Trademark Law. The Trademark Review and Adjudication Board shall, on the basis of facts,
conduct review and adjudication according to law.
Article 29 As referred to in the third paragraph of Article 41 of the Trademark Law,
“a dispute against a registered trademark” means that a prior trademark registrant believes
that a trademark registered later by another party is identical or similar to its registered
trademark in respect of the same or similar goods.
Article 30 When applying for trademark review and adjudication, an application shall
be submitted to the Trademark Review and Adjudication Board, accompanied with the copies
corresponding to the number of the other party. If an application for review and adjudication
is filed on the basis of the decision or the ruling made by the Trademark Office, the copies of
such decision or ruling shall also be filed.
Upon receiving the application, the Trademark Review and Adjudication Board shall,
upon examination, accept it if the requirements for acceptance are satisfied; if the
requirements for acceptance are not satisfied, it shall not accept the application, and shall
notify the applicant in writing and give the reasons therefor. If the application needs to be
supplemented or corrected, the applicant shall be notified to make supplements or corrections
within 30 days from the date of receipt of the notification. If, after being supplemented or
corrected, the application still does not conform to the provisions, the Trademark Review and
Adjudication Board shall refuse it, and notify the applicant in writing and give the reasons
therefor; if no supplements or corrections are made at the expiry of the specified time limit,
the application shall be considered withdrawn and the Trademark Review and Adjudication
Board shall notify the applicant in writing.
If the Trademark Review and Adjudication Board finds that an application does not
satisfy the requirements for acceptance after it has accepted the application, it shall refuse the
application, notify the applicant in writing and give the reasons therefor.
Article 31 The Trademark Review and Adjudication Board shall, upon the acceptance
of the application for trademark review and adjudication, send in time the copy of the
application to the other party, who shall be required to make a response within 30 days from
the date of receipt of such copy. If no response is made at the expiry of the time limit, it shall
not affect the review and adjudication of the Trademark Review and Adjudication Board.
Article 32 Where a party needs to supplement related evidence after filing an
application for review and adjudication or making a response, a statement for this purpose
shall be made in the application or in the response, and the said evidence shall be submitted
within three months from the date on which the application is filed or the response is made; if
no evidence is submitted at the expiry of the time limit, the party shall be considered given up
the supplementing of related evidence.
Article 33 The Trademark Review and Adjudication Board may, at the request of a
party or on the basis of the practical needs, decide to review and adjudicate an application for
review and adjudication in public session.
Where the Trademark Review and Adjudication Board decides to review and
adjudicate the application for review and adjudication in public session, it shall notify in
writing the parties 15 days before the public review and adjudication, informing them of the
date, venue and persons conducting the public review and adjudication. The parties shall
make a response within the time limit specified in the written notice.
Where the applicant does not make a response nor appear at the public review and
adjudication, its application for review and adjudication shall be considered withdrawn, and
the Trademark Review and Adjudication Board shall notify the applicant in writing. If the
other party does not make a response nor appear at the public review and adjudication, the
Trademark Review and Adjudication Board may conduct the review and adjudication by
default.
Article 34 Where an applicant requests to withdraw its application before the
Trademark Review and Adjudication Board makes a decision or ruling, it may withdraw its
application after making an explanation of the reasons therefor in writing to the Trademark
Review and Adjudication Board; where an application is withdrawn, the review and
adjudication proceedings shall be terminated.
Article 35 Where an application for trademark review and adjudication has been
withdrawn, the applicant shall not file another application for review and adjudication on the
basis of the same facts and grounds. Where the Trademark Review and Adjudication Board
has already made a decision or ruling on an application for trademark review and
adjudication, no one shall file another application for review and adjudication on the basis of
the same facts and grounds.
Article 36 Where a registered trademark is canceled pursuant to Article 41 of the
Trademark Law, the exclusive right to use the said trademark shall be deemed as not existing
from the very beginning. A decision or ruling on canceling a registered trademark shall have
no retroactive effect on any judgment or order on any trademark infringement case made and
already enforced by the people's court before the cancellation, nor on any decision on any
trademark infringement case made and already enforced by the authority of administration for
industry and commerce before the cancellation, and nor on any trademark assignment
contract or trademark license contract already performed before the cancellation. However,
the trademark registrant shall compensate any loss caused to another person due to its bad
faith.
Chapter VI Administration of the Use of Trademarks
Article 37 Where a registered trademark is used, the characters “注册商标”or a
registration mark may be indicated on goods, packages of goods, descriptions of goods or
other ancillary items.
The registration mark includes 注 ，and R, which in the use of such registration mark,
shall be placed on the upper or lower right-hand corner.
Article 38 Where a Certificate of Trademark Registration is lost or damaged, an
application for reissuance shall be filed with the Trademark Office. Where a Certificate of
Trademark Registration is lost, a loss declaration shall be published in the Trademark
Gazette. The damaged Certificate of Trademark Registration shall be sent back to the
Trademark Office when the application for reissuance is submitted.
Where a Certificate of Trademark Registration is forged or altered, criminal liability
shall be investigated according to the provisions of the criminal law on the crime of forging
or altering certificates of State organs or other crimes.
Article 39 With respect to any of the acts referred to in Article 44 (1), (2) and (3) of
the Trademark Law, the authority of administration for industry and commerce shall order the
trademark registrant to rectify the situation within a specified time limit; where there is a
refusal to rectify, it shall report to the Trademark Office for the cancellation of the registered
trademark.
With respect to the act referred to in Article 44 (4) of the Trademark Law, any person
may apply to the Trademark Office for the cancellation of such registered trademark, and
state the relevant circumstances. The Trademark Office shall notify the trademark registrant
to, within two months from the date of receipt of the notification, provide evidence of use of
the trademark prior to the submission of the application for cancellation, or explain proper
reasons for non-use. If, at the expiry of the time limit, no evidence of use is provided or the
evidence provided is invalid and there are no proper reasons for non-use, the Trademark
Office shall cancel the registered trademark.
The evidence referred to in the preceding paragraph includes the evidence of use of the
registered trademark by the trademark registrant and the evidence of licensing another person
by the trademark registrant to use its registered trademark.
Article 40 For a registered trademark canceled under Article 44 or 45 of the Trademark
Law, the Trademark Office shall publish it, and the exclusive right to use the said registered
trademark shall be terminated from the date on which the Trademark Office makes the
decision of cancellation.
Article 41 Where a registered trademark is canceled by the Trademark Office or the
Trademark Review and Adjudication Board and the grounds for the cancellation involve
some of the designated goods only, the registered trademark used on such goods shall be
canceled.
Article 42 The amount of a fine imposed under Articles 45 and 48 of the Trademark
Law shall be not more than 20% of the volume of the illegal business or not more than two
times of the profit illegally earned.
The amount of a fine imposed under Article 47 of the Trademark Law shall be not more
than 10% of the volume of the illegal business.
Article 43 Where licensing another person to use its registered trademark, the licensor
shall, within three months from the date of conclusion of the license contract, submit the copy
of the contract to the Trademark Office for the record.
Article 44 Where anyone violates the provisions of the second paragraph of Article 40
of the Trademark Law, the authority of administration for industry and commerce shall order
it to make corrections within a specified time limit, or seize the representations of its
trademark if no corrections are made at the expiry of the specified time limit. Where it is
impossible to separate the representations of the trademark from the goods involved, both of
them shall be seized and destroyed.
Article 45 Where the use of a trademark is in violation of the provisions of Article 13
of the Trademark Law, the party concerned may request the authority of administration for
industry and commerce to prohibit such use. When filing an application for this purpose, the
party shall submit evidence proving that its mark constitutes a well-known trademark. If the
mark is determined as a well-known trademark by the Trademark Office pursuant to Article
14 of the Trademark Law, the authority of administration for industry and commerce shall
order the infringer to stop the act of using the well-known trademark in violation of the
provisions of Article 13 of the Trademark Law, seize and destroy the representations of the
trademark; where it is impossible to separate the representations of the trademark from the
goods involved, both of them shall be seized and destroyed.
Article 46 A trademark registrant applying for the removal of its registered trademark
or for the removal of the registration of its trademark used on some of the designated goods
from the Trademark Register shall submit an application for the removal of the trademark to
the Trademark Office and return the original Certificate of Trademark Registration.
Where a trademark registrant applies for the removal of its registered trademark or the
removal of the registration of its trademark on some of the designated goods from the
Trademark Register, the exclusive right to use the registered trademark or the effect of the
exclusive right to use the registered trademark on some of the designated goods shall be
terminated from the date on which the Trademark Office receives the application for removal.
Article 47 Where a trademark registrant dies or terminates, each and every person
may, at the expiry of one year from the date of death or termination, apply to the Trademark
Office for the removal of the registered trademark in question from the Trademark Register if
no formalities of transfer have been conducted with respect to the registered trademark. When
applying for the removal, the applicant shall submit the evidence certifying the death or
termination of the trademark registrant.
Where a registered trademark is removed from the Trademark Register due to the
death or termination of the trademark registrant, the exclusive right to use the registered
trademark shall cease from the date of death or termination of the trademark registrant.
Article 48 Where a registered trademark is canceled or removed from the Trademark
Register as provided in Articles 46 and 47 of these Regulations, the original Certificate of
Trademark Registration shall become invalid. Where the registration of the trademark on
some of the designated goods is canceled or the trademark registrant applies for the removal
of the registration of its trademark on some of the designated goods from the Trademark
Register, the Trademark Office shall make a note on the original Certificate of Trademark
Registration and return it to the registrant, or reissue the Certificate of Trademark
Registration and publish it.
Chapter VII Protection of the Exclusive Right to Use a Registered Trademark
Article 49 Where a registered trademark consists of the generic name, design or model
of the goods in question, or directly shows the quality, main raw materials, functions,
intended purposes, weight, quantity or other characteristics of the goods in question, or
consists of geographical names, the proprietor of the exclusive right to use the registered
trademark shall have no right to prohibit the fair use thereof by another person.
Article 50 Any of the following acts shall constitute an infringement on the exclusive
right to use a registered trademark referred to in Article 52 (5) of the Trademark Law:
(1) using any signs which are identical or similar to another person’s registered
trademark as the name of the goods or decoration of the goods on the same or similar goods,
thus misleading the public;
(2) intentionally providing facilities such as storage, transport, mailing, concealing, etc.
for the purpose of infringing another person’s exclusive right to use a registered trademark.
Article 51 Where the exclusive right to use a registered trademark is infringed upon,
each and every person may lodge a complaint with or report the case to the authority of
administration for industry and commerce.
Article 52 The amount of a fine imposed on an act infringing the exclusive right to use a
registered trademark shall be not more than three times of the volume of the illegal business.
If it is impossible to calculate the volume of the illegal business, the amount of the fine shall
be not more than 100,000 yuan.
Article 53 A trademark owner who believes that the registration of its well-known
trademark as an enterprise name by another person is likely to deceive or mislead the public
may apply to the competent registration authorities of enterprise names for the cancellation of
the registration of the enterprise name. The competent registration authorities of enterprise
names shall handle the case in accordance with the Provisions on Administration of
Enterprise Name Registration.
Chapter VIII Supplementary Provisions
Article 54 Service marks continuously in use to July 1, 1993, which are identical or
similar to any registered service marks of another person for the same or similar services,
may continue to be used; however, if such use is suspended for a period of three years or
more after July 1, 1993, it shall not be used any longer.
Article 55 The specific measures for the administration of trademark agency shall be
separately formulated by the State Council.
Article 56 The Classification of Goods and Services for trademark registration shall
be worked out and published by the authority of administration for industry and commerce
under the State Council.
The format of the documents for applying for trademark registration or for handling
other trademark matters shall be determined and published by the authority of administration
for industry and commerce under the State Council.
The rules on review and adjudication to be followed by the Trademark Review and
Adjudication Board shall be formulated and promulgated by the authority of administration
for industry and commerce under the State Council.
Article 57 The Trademark Office shall establish and keep the Trademark Register
recording registered trademarks and other registration matters.
The Trademark Office shall compile and issue the Trademark Gazette publishing
trademark registration and other related matters.
Article 58 Fees shall be paid for applying for trademark registration or for handling
other trademark matters. The items and standards for collecting fees shall be prescribed and
published by the authority of administration for industry and commerce under the State
Council jointly with the competent department for pricing of the State Council.
Article 59 These Regulations shall become effective as of September 15, 2002. The
Rules for the Implementation of the Trademark Law of the People’s Republic of China,
which was promulgated by the State Council on March 10, 1983, revised for the first time
with the approval of the State Council on January 3, 1988 and revised for the second time
with the approval of the State Council on July 15, 1993, and the Official Reply from the State
Council Concerning Papers Furnished as Attachments to Applications for Trademark
Registration, which was issued on April 23, 1995, shall be repealed simultaneously.