China trademark resources
China trademarks: choose your next step
Choose the guide that answers your current question: how to search, what a record means, which names and products to protect, or how to apply. You can explore the tools yourself or ask for a free preliminary professional check when you are ready.
By Trademarkora · Updated
Choose your task
What do you need to do today?
- 1
I want to look up a name
Explore candidate records with Trademarkora Search. Prepare the proposed name, meaningful variants and the goods or services you want to protect.
- 2
I need to understand a result
Read the applicant, dates, status and specific goods or services together. A similar record or an empty result list does not decide whether your mark can be registered.
- 3
I need to plan names and products
Describe what you sell and consider English, Chinese-character and pinyin names separately. Check the class and similar-group questions that matter to that plan.
- 4
I am ready to plan an application
Review the published China filing fees, included scope and documents to prepare. You can request a free preliminary professional check without searching first.
First exact name free · Monthly email
After a search, keep watching your exact name
Request monthly updates on newly found exact-name records and changes in mainland China. Your first exact name is free per customer. Each additional name is US$20/month, with at least three months prepaid (US$60 per additional name). The team confirms your watch; similar names, logos and official deadlines are excluded.
China learning paths
Find the explanation you need
A trademark conflict in China
Someone else filed your brand name?
Start with the record’s status. Compare opposition, invalidation and non-use cancellation, and see which evidence to preserve.
Learn from public China trademark cases
Explore ownership, Chinese names, product scope and manufacturing through independent case studies. These are not Trademarkora client results.
China Trademark Case Studies →CNIPA database guide
How to Search the CNIPA Trademark Database Before Filing
For official China trademark records, start at the CNIPA Trademark Office’s online search entry. Prepare your proposed name, any Chinese version and a clear goods or services description. You can also explore candidates with Trademarkora, then ask for a free preliminary professional check when you need help deciding what to do next.
Read the guideRead China trademark records
How to Read China Trademark Search Results
Open the record behind the result. Confirm its number, compare the mark and listed goods or services, then read the dates and procedural history together. A match, an empty list or an inactive label cannot decide whether your proposed filing should proceed.
Read the guideChina classification guide
China Trademark Classes and Similar Groups
A Nice class is the international organizing layer; China's similar groups and specific item wording add the local filing detail. Choosing a class number alone is not enough. Start with what the business actually sells or provides, map it to official items, then have the final China scope confirmed.
Read the guideChina filing-route guide
Direct China Trademark Filing vs the Madrid System
Both routes can be used to seek trademark protection in China, but they are built differently. A direct application is filed into the China national system. A Madrid application travels through the applicant's Office of Origin and creates an international registration or application framework with designated members. The better route depends on the applicant's existing portfolio, target markets, mark and goods-or-services scope.
Read the guideChina brand-name strategy
Should You Register a Chinese Name for Your Brand?
An English mark, a Chinese-character name and a pinyin form are separate signs and can raise separate search and protection questions. The right China plan begins with how customers, distributors and media will actually refer to the brand, then coordinates naming, searching, classes and professional filing review.
Read the guideChina filing at a glance
Know the office, priority rules and likely timing
Office
CNIPA
China is a separate jurisdiction scope. A multi-country plan creates separate country decisions, never one combined government application.
Priority framework
First-to-file, with rule-specific qualifications
Current facts support orientation only. Case-specific rights, earlier marks and exceptions require professional review.
Planning timeframe
6–8 months
Published timing is a planning measure, not a deadline or outcome promise for an individual application.
Class and similar-group scope
A class number is a starting point, not a China filing scope
Describe the products and services the business actually offers or plans to offer. The AI Class Finder can suggest candidate Nice classes and official wording. China similar groups, acceptable item wording and commercial coverage stay outside automated confirmation and must be reviewed for the case.
English and Chinese brand assets
Plan the name customers may actually use
A Latin-character mark, pinyin form and Chinese-character name can carry different visual, phonetic and commercial signals. Record the intended versions instead of treating translation or transliteration as automatic. A professional can then assess which signs need separate searches and applications.
Filing-route context
National route first; Madrid as a secondary option
Direct CNIPA national route
A direct application requires China-specific applicant, mark and goods/services preparation. A professional confirms the proposed scope, and you approve the final application before it is filed.
Madrid designation to China
This is a secondary option for an eligible international portfolio through an Office of Origin. China still examines the designation, and China-specific scope and brand decisions remain relevant.
Scope before price
Use pricing after countries and classes are clear
Review the published China filing fees and what the standard package includes. Confirm the applicant, mark and goods or services before deciding to proceed; disputes or other additional work require a separate scope.
From records to advice
Evidence is not a recommendation
Trademarkora is an independent service, not CNIPA. Search records help identify questions; a professional considers your proposed name and filing scope before making a recommendation. You decide whether to purchase filing services and approve the final application.
Ready for help with a proposed China filing?
Share your proposed name, target market and goods or services for a preliminary professional check. No payment is required to request it. An existing dispute or official notice needs a separate service assessment.