China is a first-to-file jurisdiction. Whoever registers first owns the right. We handle trademark, design patent, and invention patent filing before you disclose any product information to a supplier — because once disclosed without registration, your IP is unprotected.
In common law jurisdictions like the US and UK, trademark rights arise from use in commerce, not registration. In China, the opposite rule applies: trademark rights arise from registration, not use. If you have not registered your mark in China, you do not have rights in China — regardless of how long you have used the mark elsewhere or how well-known it is globally.
This fundamental difference is the root cause of countless IP disasters: a foreign buyer discloses a brand, product design, or technical specification to a Chinese supplier during sourcing discussions. The supplier — or an employee, or a competitor who learns of the disclosure — files for registration in China before the buyer does. The buyer later discovers that its own brand cannot be used in China without infringing someone else's registration — often the supplier's.
Recovering a mark or patent from a bad-faith registrant is possible but expensive, slow, and uncertain. The far better approach: register first, disclose second.
Key Rule: Register your IP in China before any of the following: (a) sending product specifications or design drawings to a potential supplier; (b) exhibiting at a trade fair in China; (c) listing products on Alibaba, Global Sources, or other platforms accessible in China; (d) sending samples to a supplier for quotation; or (e) discussing your brand or product concept with anyone in China who is not bound by a strong NDA. Any of these actions can create a prior disclosure that a bad-faith filer can exploit.
Your brand name, logo, product name, and slogan in key Nice Classification classes. For most consumer goods, Classes 9 (electronics), 20 (furniture), 25 (clothing), 28 (toys), and 35 (retail/advertising) are essential. Chinese-language versions of your mark are also critical — even if you never use them, a supplier can register them to block you.
Timeline: 12-18 months to registrationProtection for the ornamental appearance of your product — shape, pattern, color, or combination. Design patents are relatively inexpensive and fast to obtain in China. They are your primary tool against suppliers who copy your product's look and feel. File before showing 3D renderings or samples to any supplier.
Timeline: 6-10 months to grantInvention patents protect technical innovations — new products, methods, or improvements. They require substantive examination and take longer. Utility model patents are faster and cheaper but protect only incremental improvements with a shorter term. Consider filing a utility model as a rapid first step while an invention patent application proceeds in parallel.
Invention: 2-4 years | Utility Model: 12-18 months| Factor | Madrid Protocol (WIPO) | Direct China Filing |
|---|---|---|
| Process | File through your home-country trademark office, designate China | File directly with the China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) |
| Cost | Lower upfront — single application covers multiple countries | Higher per-country cost but no dependency on home registration |
| Speed | 12-18 months — CNIPA must examine within 12 months under Madrid rules | 12-18 months — similar timeframe in practice |
| Dependency | ⚠ Dependent on home-country registration for 5 years — if home registration is cancelled, China designation is cancelled too | Fully independent — not affected by any foreign registration |
| Scope of Protection | Protection scope tied to home registration — if home registration is narrow, China protection is narrow | Can draft specifications tailored to Chinese law and Chinese market |
| Chinese-Language Mark | Can be included but limited to transliteration of the home mark | Full flexibility to register a carefully chosen Chinese brand name |
| Best For | Buyers needing protection in multiple countries simultaneously | Buyers whose China business justifies a dedicated, China-optimized registration |
Important: CNIPA has strengthened its approach to bad-faith filings under the 2019 amendments to the Chinese Trademark Law. Applications filed in bad faith without intent to use may be rejected or invalidated. However, the burden of proving bad faith is on you — and the process takes 12-24 months. Registration upfront is always cheaper and faster than litigation afterward.
Registering in your product class but not in the classes your supplier might exploit. An electronics brand in Class 9 (electronics) should also consider Class 35 (retail, online sales) and Class 42 (design, R&D) to block supplier exploitation pathways.
For design patents, photographs or drawings that are too general leave gaps that a copyist can exploit. Designs should show the product from multiple angles with enough detail to capture the distinctive features — but not so much detail that minor changes evade the protection.
A foreign buyer registers only its English-language mark, but in China, consumers and the market know the brand by its Chinese name. A supplier registers the Chinese equivalent — and now owns the name your Chinese customers actually use. Register both.
Exhibiting at the Canton Fair or a Shanghai trade show creates a public disclosure that can be used to challenge the novelty of a design patent or establish prior use. File your designs before the fair, not after.
A Chinese trademark can be cancelled for non-use if not used in China for three consecutive years. If you register but do not begin selling in China within three years, your registration is vulnerable. Plan your market entry timeline around this requirement.
Copyright arises automatically under the Berne Convention, but voluntary recordation with the Chinese copyright authorities creates a public record that is useful in enforcement. Record your product designs, logos, and packaging artwork as copyrighted works for an additional layer of protection.
A German kitchenware brand registered its trademark and key design patents in China before approaching three potential suppliers for quotation. During negotiations, one supplier attempted to register a similar mark in Class 21. CNIPA rejected the application based on the buyer's prior registration. The buyer had invested approximately $3,000 in registration — a fraction of what a cancellation action would have cost.
A UK fashion brand sourced from a Guangdong garment factory for two years without registering its trademark in China. When the buyer attempted to switch to a new supplier, the original factory registered the brand in Classes 25 and 35 and demanded GBP 50,000 for assignment. The buyer spent 18 months and over GBP 30,000 in legal fees pursuing a bad-faith cancellation — ultimately successful, but at enormous cost and delay.
A US consumer electronics company filed Chinese design patents for a new product before production began. Three months after launch, an identical product appeared on Alibaba from a different factory. The design patent registration enabled an immediate takedown complaint through Alibaba's IP protection platform and a cease-and-desist letter — the listing was removed within 5 days.
A Scandinavian furniture designer's products gained popularity in China through grey-market imports. By the time the designer sought registration, a Chinese competitor had already registered both the brand name and the key design patents. The designer was unable to sell in China under its own brand and was forced to adopt a different brand for the Chinese market — losing years of accumulated brand equity.
Trademark registration in one class typically costs $800-1,500 including official fees and professional fees. Design patent filing costs $1,000-2,000 per design. Invention patent filing costs $3,000-6,000 depending on complexity. These are estimates — contact us for a tailored quote based on your specific IP portfolio and product categories.
Immediately. Trademark applications can be filed within days of receiving your instructions. Design patent applications take 1-2 weeks to prepare. The key principle: file before any disclosure to a supplier, trade fair, or online platform accessible in China. If you are even thinking about sourcing from China, start the registration process now.
Technically yes — foreign applicants can file directly with CNIPA. However, CNIPA requires Chinese-language submissions, specific formatting, and responses to office actions within strict deadlines. A poorly drafted specification can result in a registration that is too narrow to be useful, or a rejection that costs you priority. Professional filing ensures the registration actually protects what you need it to protect.
Yes. Trademark rights are territorial. A US trademark registration gives you rights in the United States — nowhere else. China does not automatically recognize foreign trademark registrations. You must register separately in China to have rights in China. The Madrid Protocol provides a streamlined route if you already have a home-country registration, but the China registration remains a separate grant.
Copyright recordation is the voluntary registration of a copyrighted work (logo, product design drawing, packaging artwork) with the Chinese copyright authorities. While copyright exists automatically upon creation, recordation creates an official record that is valuable in enforcement — it shifts the burden of proof in an infringement case and enables Chinese customs to detain suspected infringing goods. It is an inexpensive and useful additional layer of protection.
We work alongside your existing IP counsel. Your home-country counsel typically handles the home-country filings; we handle the China filings. We coordinate to ensure consistency of specifications and filing dates, and to align strategies — for example, timing a Madrid Protocol designation to coincide with a direct China filing for Chinese-language marks. We provide regular status updates in English that you can share with your home-country team.