Annual Technical Report on Trademark Information Activities in 2025 submitted by CNIPA

Please provide links to your website where the requested information can be found in English, French, or Spanish.  Alternately, you may provide text responses instead of URLs if desired.  If the information is not available on your website in an ATR language, then please provide text.

URLs in responses should meet the following requirements:

• Link to pages with information in English, Spanish, or French
• The URL will remain stable over time (at least three years, preferably more)
• Goes to the specific information requested, not to a general homepage
• If the URL goes to a long PDF document such as an annual report, please indicate which sections or pages contain relevant information.
• Provide additional instructions for using the URL if needed. For instance, if the page requires the user to login first, or if the requested information requires selecting certain options or filters on the page that can not be included in the URL. 

I. GENERAL OVERVIEW OF RECENT DEVELOPMENTS IN TRADEMARK INFORMATION ACTIVITIES CARRIED OUT BY THE OFFICE 

Information on the following topics is desired :

• Outline of main policies and plans aimed at development of trademark information activities and expected time frames for their realization 
• New projects launched or resumed this year in the context of the policies and plans mentioned above, short description:  aims, partners, tasks
• Main areas of trademark information activities and related information and communication technology (ICT) practices which were in the focus of attention last year  
• Statistics:  changes in terms of application filings and registrations with respect to previous year;  trends or areas experiencing rapid changes  
• Other matters and useful links (URLs):  annual report of the Office, news page, statistics, etc. 

1.Main policies and plans aimed at developing trademark information activities and their expected timeframes for implementation

Public trademark information policies and plans are published on the official website of the Trademark Office, CNIPA—China Trademark Office Online (https://sbj.cnipa.gov.cn/sbj/index.html)—primarily including “Work Updates” (https://sbj.cnipa.gov.cn/sbj/ssbj_gzdt/), “Notices & Announcements” (https://sbj.cnipa.gov.cn/sbj/tzgg/), and content from various business sections on the homepage.

The Notice of the National Development and Reform Commission on Issuing the 13th Five-Year Plan for National Government Informatization Projects(NDRC [2017] No. 1449) outlines the “Market Supervision Informatization Project.” The State Administration for Market Regulation is the lead construction department, with CNIPA as one of the co-constructing departments.

2.New projects launched or relaunched this year pursuant to the above policies and plans: brief description of objectives, partners, and tasks

In 2024, the Trademark Office prioritized the development of the Trademark Registration and Administration Platform, with core functionalities planned to be operational by the end of 2024 and full launch scheduled for 2025. This platform represents a major upgrade to the original Trademark Registration and Administration Automation System. The project objectives are: to realize intelligent upgrades to trademark examination, further improve examination quality and efficiency, stabilize and gradually shorten the trademark registration and subsequent business cycles, enable online filing for all public-facing services, and enhance the security level of the trademark business system. Specific tasks include:

(1) Renovating the ventilation system in the Maliandao server room of the Trademark Office.

(2) Constructing three support centers (Business Support Center, Data Support Center, Intelligent Support Center) and seven subsystems for the Trademark Registration and Administration Platform: Trademark Intelligent Examination System, Trademark Intelligent Quality Management System, Trademark Intelligent Search System, Trademark Intelligent Statistical Analysis System, Trademark Electronic Register System, Trademark Online Application Business Expansion System, and Trademark Online Intelligent Assistance System.

(3) Achieving intelligent upgrades to the trademark business system, realizing “One-Network Processing” (Yiwangtongban) for online trademark applications, and providing the public with an “image-based trademark search” service via the online service system.

(4) Construction in compliance with Class 3 Protection requirements under the Multi-Level Protection Scheme (MLPS) and Cryptography Application requirements.

(5) Building the foundational operating environment, including servers, storage, security hardware, system software, security software, and system integration services.

3. Statistics: Changes in filing and registration volumes compared to the previous year; areas experiencing rapid trends or changes

In 2024, the trademark filing volume was 6,970,559 cases, and the registration volume was 4,780,731 cases. In 2025, the trademark filing volume was 6,952,550 cases, and the registration volume was 4.206 million cases.

4. Other matters and useful links (URLs): Office annual reports, news pages, statistics, etc.

Statistics data URL: https://sbj.cnipa.gov.cn/sbj/sbsj/

Other relevant trademark information is published on China Trademark Office Online: https://sbj.cnipa.gov.cn/sbj/index.html

II. SERVICES AND ACTIVITIES RELATED TO TRADEMARK INFORMATION CARRIED OUT BY THE OFFICE

Information on the following topics is desired :

• Information and support provided by the Office to applicants regarding filing on paper and/or e-filing (instructions, seminars, etc.) – URLs
• Availability of the application dossier in electronic form
• Matters concerning classifying        
• Classification and reclassification activities;  classification systems used, e.g., International Classification of Goods and Services for the Purposes of the Registration of Marks (Nice Classification), International Classification of the Figurative Elements of Marks (Vienna Classification), other classification
• Use of electronic classification systems and pre-defined terms of the classification applied
• Matters concerning processing of different types of non-traditional marks (e.g., three-dimensional, motion, hologram, color mark, etc.)
• Other activities

1.Information and support (guidelines, seminars, etc.) provided by the Office to applicants regarding paper and/or electronic filing – provide URL

http://pub.sbj.cnipa.gov.cn/toas-pub-prod/portalui-pub-prod/systemJumpPage

https://sbj.cnipa.gov.cn/sbj/sbsq/sqzn/202211/t20221103_23079.html

2. Availability of application dossiers in electronic form

Electronic archives of trademark registrations are preserved long-term and can be stored online and offline with regular backups. Data security is ensured through measures such as data backup and off-site disaster recovery. External parties may inquire about relevant archives via the archive inquiry channel. Specific URL:

https://sbj.cnipa.gov.cn/sbj/sbsq/sqzn/201811/t20181115_589.html

3. Matters related to classification

(1) Classification and reclassification activities; classification systems used, e.g., International Classification of Goods and Services for the Purposes of the Registration of Marks (Nice Classification), Vienna Classification, other classifications

China is a member of the Nice Union and adopts the International Classification of Goods and Services for the Purposes of the Registration of Marks(Nice Classification). The Trademark Office divides the goods and services of the Nice Classification into similar groups and, combining this with actual circumstances, adds commonly used goods and service items in China to formulate the Similar Goods and Services Classification Table. The Nice Classification is revised annually, and the Similar Goods and Services Classification Tableis adjusted accordingly.

(2) Electronic classification systems and use of predefined terms in applied classifications

Applicants using the Trademark Online Service System to submit applications may utilize the electronic classification system to fill in goods and service items online. Applicants may also query acceptable goods and service items publicly released by the Office via the Trademark Query section on China Trademark Office Online.

(3) Treatment of different types of non-traditional marks (e.g., three-dimensional signs, motion marks, holograms, color marks, etc.)

According to the current Trademark Law, China currently accepts three types of non-traditional marks: three-dimensional signs, color combinations, and sound marks.

• Three-dimensional marks:​ Applicants applying for trademark registration with a three-dimensional sign shall declare this in the application form and explain the manner of use of the mark in the “Trademark Description” column of the Trademark Registration Application Form. The applicant must submit a representation capable of determining the three-dimensional shape, which shall contain at least three-view drawings.
• Color combination marks:​ Applicants applying for trademark registration with a color combination shall declare this in the application form, provide a textual description in the “Trademark Description” column explaining the color codes and the manner of use, and submit a representation showing the mode of the color combination or a graphical outline indicating the position where the colors are applied. This outline is not a constituent element of the trademark and must be represented by dashed lines, not solid lines.
• Sound marks:​ Applicants applying for trademark registration with a sound mark shall declare this in the application form, provide a description of the sound mark in the trademark representation box, submit a sound sample meeting requirements, and explain the manner of use in the “Trademark Description” column.

III. SOURCES OF TRADEMARK INFORMATION PROVIDED BY THE OFFICE

Information on the following topics is desired :

• Main types of publications in the field of trademark information, outline of the content and medium (on paper, on CDs, online – URLs)
• Official Gazettes:  main types of announcements, frequency of publication, medium (on paper, on CDs, online (URL), etc.
• Information products (coverage, medium, etc.) available to examiners, including external documentation and databases
• Information products (coverage, medium, etc.) and services available to external users; conditions of access (e.g., free of charge, subscription, etc.)
• Legal status information (kind of information, coverage, medium, etc.)
• Other sources

1.Overview of main types, content, and carriers (paper, CD-ROM, online – provide URL) of publications in the field of trademark information

Trademark Office-related information is published on China Trademark Office Online: https://sbj.cnipa.gov.cn/sbj/index.html.

2. Official Gazette: main types of announcements, frequency of publication, carriers (paper, CD-ROM, online (URL)), etc.

The Trademark Gazette is published electronically via China Trademark Office Online, releasing 4 issues per month. URL:   https://pub.sbj.cnipa.gov.cn/toas-pub-prod/portalui-pub-prod/brandNotice

Types of announcements include:

(1) Trademark Preliminary Approval Announcement;

(2) Collective Mark Preliminary Approval Announcement;

(3) Certification Mark Preliminary Approval Announcement;

(4) Trademark Registration Announcement (I);

(5) Trademark Registration Announcement (II);

(6) Collective Mark Registration Announcement;

(7) Certification Mark Registration Announcement;

(8) Trademark Assignment/Transfer Announcement;

(9) Announcement of Change of Name and Address of Trademark Registrant/Applicant;

(10) Announcement of Deletion of Goods/Services Items;

(11) Announcement of Change of Trademark Agency;

(12) Trademark Correction Announcement;

(13) Trademark Renewal Announcement;

(14) Announcement of Trademark Licensing Recordal;

(15) Announcement of Change of Trademark Licensing;

(16) Announcement of Termination of Trademark Licensing;

(17) Announcement of Trademark Pledge Registration;

(18) Announcement of Change of Trademark Pledge Registration Particulars;

(19) Announcement of Cancellation of Trademark Pledge Registration;

(20) Announcement of Cancellation of Registered Trademarks;

(21) Announcement of Cancellation of Registered Trademarks for Non-Renewal;

(22) Announcement of Revocation of Registered Trademarks;

(23) Announcement of Declaration of Invalidity of Registered Trademarks;

(24) Announcement of Withdrawal of Trademark Registration Applications;

(25) Invalid Announcement;

(26) Announcement of Loss Declaration of Trademark Registration Certificates;

(27) Service by Publication Announcement;

(28) Announcement of Change of Name/Address of Applicant for Collective/Certification Marks and Membership List/Management Rules;

(29) Announcement of Assignment/Transfer of Applicant for Collective/Certification Marks regarding Name/Address/Membership List/Management Rules;

(30) General Announcement.

3. Information products available to examiners (coverage, carriers, etc.), including external documentation and databases

Examiners primarily rely on the Trademark Registration and Administration Automation System to conduct examination and adjudication work. This system is deployed on the internal trademark examination network. After applications are submitted online or in paper form (and scanned for entry), structured data is stored in the examination database and unstructured data is stored in the electronic archive database for use by examiners.

4. Information products (coverage, carriers, etc.) and services available to external users; conditions for access (e.g., free, subscription, etc.)

External users can obtain trademark information services through the Trademark Online Service System, mainly including:

1. Online Query System:​ Provides functions such as trademark similarity search, comprehensive trademark query, trademark status query, and goods/services item query.
2. Online Gazette System:​ Provides comprehensive queries for information such as trademark preliminary approval announcements, registration announcements, assignment/transfer announcements, revocation announcements, and change announcements of registrants/applicants.
3. Online Public Notice System:​ Provides queries for trademark registration certificates.
4. Adjudication Document Disclosure System:​ Provides queries for trademark opposition documents, review documents, and partial trademark registration refusal documents.
5. Data Open Access System:​ Provides downloads of basic trademark data.

The above information products are free to use upon registration with the Trademark Online Service System. The system supports registration by individual users via Mainland Chinese mobile phone numbers, Resident Identity Cards of the People’s Republic of China, Mainland Travel Permits for Hong Kong and Macao Residents, Passports of the People’s Republic of China, and Foreign Permanent Resident ID Cards, as well as registration by legal entity users via Unified Social Credit Codes and Electronic Business Licenses.

5. Legal status information (types of information, coverage, carriers, etc.)

The Trademark Online Query System provides basic trademark information inquiries, including trademark status (valid/invalid) and trademark status icons. The Trademark Registration Certificate Public Notice System provides queries for certificate-type documents, including the status of such certificates (valid/invalid).

6. Other sources

The Trademark Online Application System provides users with data open download functionality.

IV. ICT SUPPORT TO SERVICES AND ACTIVITIES RELATED TO TRADEMARK INFORMATION CARRIED OUT BY THE OFFICE

Information on the following topics is desired :

• Specific software tools supporting business procedures within the Office:  general description, characteristics, advantages, possible improvements
• Hardware used to supporting business processes of the Office
• Internal databases:  coverage, updates, interlinks with external sources
• Establishment and maintenance of electronic search file:  file building, updating, storage, documents from other offices included in the search file
• Administrative management electronic systems (register, legal status, statistics, and administrative support)
• Other matters

1.Specific software tools supporting internal business processes: overview, features, advantages, possible improvements

The Trademark Registration and Administration Automation System is the primary system supporting internal business processes of the Trademark Office. It is divided into two parts: internal and external networks.

• Internal Network:​ Covers major trademark examination and adjudication businesses, including trademark registration examination, trademark opposition, review of refused trademark applications, declaration of invalidity, subsequent business for registered trademarks, Madrid international registration territorial extension, and subsequent business. Users include the Trademark Office of CNIPA, the Intellectual Property Retrieval and Consulting Center, and local Trademark Examination Collaboration Centers (Guangzhou, Shanghai, Chongqing, Jinan, Zhengzhou). The total number of system users is approximately 2,500, with over 2,000 active users across various businesses. The average daily system access count is around 8,000 times; the average daily usage of comprehensive queries in the core system is about 80,000 times; the average daily system disposition volume is about 100,000 cases; and the average daily similarity search query volume in the core system is about 350,000 times.
• External Network:​ Includes subsystems such as the Trademark Online Application System, Trademark Document Electronic Service System, Registration Certificate Public Notice System, Electronic Gazette System, Adjudication Document Disclosure System, and Online Query System. The most critical component, the Trademark Online Application System, handles 37 types of trademark businesses online, all of which support online submission, electronic service, response to rectification notices, payment, and invoice issuance. On weekdays, the external network part handles over 50,000 business applications daily. Online applications account for approximately 80% of the total application volume across various businesses, with the online application rate for registration applications reaching over 99.5%.

2.Establishment and maintenance of electronic search files: file construction, updating, storage, inclusion of other office’s documents in search files

The trademark electronic archive repository stores only data related to trademark applications and registrations filed in China; it does not store data from other offices. The data is constructed through two channels: 1) electronic files submitted by users via the Online Application System; and 2) electronic files formed by Trademark Office staff through data entry and scanning after users submit paper files. Data is stored separately according to structured and unstructured formats in the electronic archive repository (centralized storage) and the electronic archive repository (distributed storage).

3. Electronic systems for administration (registration, legal status, statistics, and administrative support)

Trademark Registration and Administration Platform.

V. PROMOTION ACTIVITIES AIMED TO SUPPORT USERS IN ACCESS AND EFFICIENT USE OF TRADEMARK INFORMATION

Information on the following topics is desired :

• Office’s library (if deals with trademark information):  equipment, collection management, network of libraries in the country, cooperation with foreign libraries
• Publications related to different business procedures and trademark information sources available to users, for example, books, brochures, Internet publications, etc.
• Cooperation with universities, technology and innovation support centers, etc.
• Education and training:  training courses, e-learning modules (URLs), seminars, exhibitions, etc.
• Other activities

No relevant inforamtion available.

VI. INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION ACTIVITIES IN THE FIELD OF TRADEMARK INFORMATION

Information on the following topics is desired :

• International exchange of trademark information in machine-readable form (e.g., Official Gazettes)
• Participation in international or regional activities and projects related to trademark information
• Assistance to developing countries
• Other activities

1.International exchange of trademark information in machine-readable form (e.g., Official Gazette)

• China-Japan-Korea Similar Goods and Services Classification Encoding Comparison Table.
• Trademark Information Exchange Agreement between the China National Intellectual Property Administration and the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO).

2. Participation in international or regional events and projects related to trademark information

Staff members delivered speeches at the WIPO Regional Seminar on “Transitioning to WIPO XML Standards and API Implementation” for the Middle East and Neighboring Regions, focusing on the topic “Practice of CNIPA in Implementing WIPO XML Standards.”

VII. ACTIVITIES RELATING TO THE IMPLEMENTATION OF WIPO STANDARDS CONCERNING TRADEMARK INFORMATION

Note: For each Standard listed below, please enter one of the following values: 

• "Fully implemented"
• “Partially implemented”
• "On implementation phase"
• "Planning to implement"
• “On assessment phase”
• "No plan to implement"

Implementation Status Definitions

"Fully implemented" 

The WIPO Standard has been implemented in a manner compliant or compatible with the Standard.

"Partially implemented" 

The WIPO Standard has been implemented in part.  The Office practice aligns with some, but not all, requirements of the Standard.

"On implementation phase"

The decision to implement the WIPO Standard has been made and it is currently being deployed, configured, or integrated into systems and workflows.

"Planning to implement"

The decision to implement the WIPO Standard has been made;  planning activities (resource allocation, timeline development, technical design) are underway before actual implementation begins.

"On assessment phase"

The WIPO Standard is under active evaluation to determine its feasibility, technical requirements, costs, benefits, and alignment with organizational needs before making an implementation decision.

"No plan to implement"

The WIPO Standard has been reviewed and there is currently no intention or plan to implement it.

WIPO Standard ST.2:  Standard manner for designating calendar dates by using the Gregorian calendar

No plan to implement

WIPO Standard ST.3:  Recommended standard on two-letter codes for the representation of states, other entities and intergovernmental organizations

Fully implemented

WIPO Standard ST.13:  Recommendation for the numbering of applications for industrial property rights (IPRs)

No plan to implement

WIPO Standard ST.60:  Recommendation concerning bibliographic data relating to marks

No plan to implement

WIPO Standard ST.61:  Recommendation for the exchange of trademark legal status data

No plan to implement

WIPO Standard ST.62:  Recommendation concerning standard abbreviation for “Vienna Classification”

No plan to implement

WIPO Standard ST.63:  Recommendation concerning the content and layout of trademark gazettes

No plan to implement

WIPO Standard ST.64:  Recommended search files for trademark search

No plan to implement

WIPO Standard ST.66:  Recommendation for the processing of trademark information using XML (extensible markup language)

No plan to implement

WIPO Standard ST.67:  Recommendations for the electronic management of the figurative elements of trademarks

No plan to implement

WIPO Standard ST.68:  Recommendations for the electronic management of sound marks

No plan to implement

WIPO Standard ST.69:  Recommendation for the electronic management of motion and multimedia marks

No plan to implement

WIPO Standard ST.90:  Recommendation for processing and communicating intellectual property data using web APIs (Application Programming Interfaces)

No plan to implement

WIPO Standard ST.91:  Recommendations on digital three-dimensional (3D) models and 3D images

No plan to implement

WIPO Standard ST.92:  Recommendations on the data package format for the electronic exchange of priority documents

No plan to implement

WIPO Standard ST.96:  Recommendation for the processing of intellectual property information using XML (extensible markup language)

No plan to implement

WIPO Standard ST.97:  Recommendation for processing of intellectual property data using JSON

No plan to implement

VIII. OTHER RELATED MATTERS 

None.