Annual Technical Report 2006 on Trademark Information Activities submitted by China (SCIT/ATR/TM/2006/CN)
Where URLs are requested below, it is preferred that either URLs which are likely to remain stable over time (three years or more) are provided, or home (main) page URLs are provided with a short explanation of how to access the corresponding information.
I. Evolution of registration activities
In 2006, China’s application for trademark registration kept soaring and hit a new height. CTMO in total accepted 766,319 applications for goods and service marks registration, 102,302 more than that of 2005 (664,017), increased by 15.4%. Among them, 669,276 were domestic applications, accounting for 87.34% of the total, 12.79% more than that of 2005; Foreign applications reached 97,043 (40,203 of them were Madrid applications for territorial extension), making up 12.66% of the total, 37.39% more than that of 2005.
In 2006, CTMO approved 275,641 applications for registration, 17,109 or 6.62% over that of 2005. By the end of 2006, the accumulative number of China’s registered trademarks had reached 2.77 million.
II. Matters concerning the generation, reproduction, and distribution of secondary sources of trademark information, i.e., trademark gazettes
The CTMO extracts text and image data by the process of scanning, typing and proofreading to generate two kinds of trademark electronic archives. In the succeeding procedure of trademark registration, the trademark image and text information will automatically be sent to the desktop of the staff and the trademark notification system from the central database.
In addition to the 4 issues of Official Gazette in paper published by the CTMO regularly every month，China Trademark Website (http://www.ctmo.gov.cn/) was open to the public to offer the trademark-related information, and release the latest 12 issues of Trademark Gazette.
III. Matters concerning classifying, reclassifying and indexing of trademark information
The CTMO employs “International Classification of Goods and Services for the Purposes of the Registration of Marks” (Nice classification) for classification of goods and services, and makes detailed reclassifications on goods and services on the basis of Nice Classification (eighth edition). The CTMO also uses “Vienna Agreement Establishing an International Classification of the Figurative Elements of Marks” for indexing the figurative elements of design marks.
The CTMO has established the computer aided classification system to promote the automation of trademark information management.
IV. Trademark manual search file establishment and upkeep
The CTMO has set up its trademark archives depot with the computer assisted management.
V. Activities in the field of computerized trademark search systems
There operates two independent trademark electronic databases in CTMO intranet. In 2004, Online Searching System, which provides searching services to the public, was finished and was in trial use now since January 2005. In December 2005, CTMO began to open online search system of trademark registration information to the whole public, realizing overall search of trademark registration information.
VI. Administration of trademark information products and services available to the public (relating to facilities, e.g., for lodging applications, registering trademarks, assisting clients with search procedures, obtaining official publications and registry extracts)
The CTMO has been constantly improving trademark services. China Trademark Website (http://www.ctmo.gov.cn) was open to the public to offer the trademark-related information, and release the latest 12 issues of Trademark Gazette. On December 2005, trademark registration information online searching system was open to the public, and the newly revised Trademark Examination and Adjudication Guideline was made available on China Trademark Website. On December 2006, the pilot operation of trademark online filing system was initiated and the newly enacted Rules for Trademark Substantive Examination was published as well.
VII. Matters concerning mutual exchange of trademark documentation and information
The tapping points on “China Trademark Website” in 2006 exceeded 10.4 billion times, which was 6.3 times as that of 2005 (170 million).The number of clicks on the online trademark searching reached 520 million.
VIII. Matters concerning education and training including technical assistance to developing countries (please indicate URLs of web pages of the Office’s website wherever appropriate)
CTMO propagandizes trademark knowledge through the wide use of such media as television, radio, newspaper, magazine and Internet. The Exhibition of China’s Achievements for Intellectual Property Protection was held in Beijing by some relevant authorities from April 16 to 23, 2006.
In addition, in 2006, the CTMO hosted 64 visiting foreign delegations, dispatched 39 missions abroad all together, introducing to some countries our trademark processing procedure and technique and offering detailed explanation to the questions that visitors concerned.
IX. Other general information related to the Office that is available on the Internet -- URLs of web pages of the Office’s website that:
There are laws, regulation, annual report, news and statistics about China’s Trademark available on China Trademark Website (http://www.ctmo.gov.cn/).
X. Other relevant matters