Scope of service
What we do — and what we do not.
Stating the boundary plainly is part of earning trust. An agency that claims to do everything is usually telling you something about its marketing rather than its practice.
What we do
- Act as your trademark agency before the CNIPA — availability searches, applications, examination responses, recordals and renewals
- Prepare, translate and file all application documents on your behalf
- Oppositions, invalidation and non-use cancellation — filed for you, or answered when filed against you
- Give you a written opinion you can rely on, including — when that is the honest answer — advice not to file
- Work in English throughout, and keep you informed at every stage of the file
What we do not do
- We are a trademark agency, not a law firm, and nothing we provide is legal advice
- We do not represent clients in court litigation — where a matter calls for it, we will say so and can work alongside qualified Chinese counsel
- We cannot guarantee a particular examination outcome; the CNIPA decides each application on its own merits
- We do not act for applicants without a signed Power of Attorney
- We do not act outside mainland China — our filings are made before the CNIPA Trademark Office
Practice areas
Every stage a Chinese trademark passes through.
The work is grouped the way a trademark's life is grouped: getting it on the register, keeping it there, and defending it when someone contests it.
Availability searches
Searches against earlier Chinese filings and registrations, in the classes and sub-classes that match how you actually use the mark.
Applications
Preparing the application, checking class and goods wording, translating the mark where required, and filing before the Trademark Office.
Examination & refusals
Following the file through examination, and responding in writing to objections, partial refusals and other office actions within the deadlines.
Oppositions
Opposing a conflicting application before it registers, or defending your own application when it is opposed by someone else.
Invalidation & cancellation
Invalidation actions against marks that should not have registered, and non-use cancellation against registrations sitting unused.
Recordals & renewals
Change of name or address, assignment, licence recordal and renewal — keeping the register aligned with your business as it changes.
Where the work happens
One office, one register, one language.
Every matter we take on is prosecuted in one place — the China National Intellectual Property Administration in mainland China — and documented in English for you.
Territory. Our practice is mainland China. Every application we file is made before the CNIPA Trademark Office, and our reporting to you stays inside that scope.
- ForumCNIPA Trademark Office, mainland China
- Working languageEnglish; Chinese for documents that must be filed in Chinese
- EngagementWritten scope and Power of Attorney before filing
- ReportingStage-by-stage written updates and copies of filings
- Foreign counselWe work alongside your own attorney or agent where you have one
How engagements start
Simple, in writing, before any cost is incurred.
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Step 1
You describe the mark
Send us the mark, the goods or services it covers, and where you use or intend to use it in China.
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Step 2
We search and report
You receive a written search result — what we found, what it means for your chances, and the classes we recommend.
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Step 3
You confirm the scope
Nothing proceeds until you have a written scope and a Power of Attorney in place. Only then is the application prepared and filed.
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Step 4
We report every stage
Filing receipt, examination updates, publication, and registration — each one sent to you in English as it happens.
Not sure whether your mark is worth filing?
Ask us. An honest search result before you spend anything is more useful than an optimistic one after.