By Ms. Haoyu Feng of Chofn IP
Effective as of May 20, 2020, non-standard specification is permitted by the China National IP Administration (CNIPA) for online filing. I strongly recommend filing new trademark applications online in mainland China because of the advantages listed below:
1) The official fees per mark per class will be lowered to CNY270, with a 10% discount included. The discount is also applicable to the additional items beyond the basic ten. That is, if more than ten items are designated, each additional item beyond the basic ten will incur an extra cost of CNY27 per item, with the 10% discount included, beginning from the eleventh item;
2) The application # will be immediately available on the next working day, much sooner than paper filing; and
3) When and if an application is rejected, the applicant will enjoy a 30-day period to appeal rather than 15 days for paper filing.
Nevertheless, if the designated goods or services are not in the CNIPA’s list of standard and acceptable items, updated every year, official actions for amendment or clarification might arise as usual.
