It usually takes 6 to 8 months from the filing of an application to the publication of a registration. In the smoothest case, the process of filing a trademark application is as follows:
1.Notice of Acceptance
About one month from the filing date, the applicant receives a notice of acceptance, indicating that the application has been accepted by the State Trademark Office and has entered the substantive examination stage.
2.Substantive examination
It will take 2 to 3 months, and after passing the review, it will enter the preliminary review announcement stage.
3.Announcement of the preliminary examination
The Trademark Office issued a preliminary examination announcement, marking that the trademark has passed the preliminary examination. The announcement period is 3 months, during which objections can be raised.
4.Sign up for the announcement
When the announcement expires and there is no objection, the announcement of the trademark registration is issued, indicating that the official registration is successful.
5.Certificate of Registration
About a month later, the trademark registration certificate is issued to the applicant.
1.Censorship is stressful
The high number of applications per year and the limited number of examiners result in a slower processing speed.
2.Review Procedure
Trademark applications may face rejection, and the applicant needs to re-examine, which increases the time cost.
3.Opposition Procedure
During the announcement period, the right holder or interested party can raise an objection, which lengthens the registration process.
4.Litigation Procedures
If the trademark is refused, the applicant can sue the court, which increases the examination time.
1.Use is limited
During the application period, the use of the trademark is restricted, the exclusive right cannot be enjoyed, and it may infringe or violate the law.
2.Platform Limitations
Large-scale e-commerce platforms and supermarkets may require trademark registration certificates, which restricts the scope of trademark use.
3.Legal risks
The use of unregistered trademarks may infringe, violate legal provisions and face legal risks.
1.Standardized use
During the application period, the use of the trademark is regulated and evidence of use is retained.
2.Keep an eye on it
Pay attention to the acceptance notice, announcement and objection, and respond in a timely manner.
3.Reasonable expectations
The trademark registration process takes a long time, and the applicant needs to have reasonable expectations and patience.
The long process of trademark registration is mainly affected by factors such as examination pressure, procedural complexity and legal disputes. Applicants need to pay close attention to the process, standardize the use of trademarks, and deal with legal risks to ensure the smooth registration of trademarks.
Trademark registration process