(Promulgated by the State Council on 3 August 2002)

Chapter I. General Provisions

Article 1. These Implementing Regulations are formulated in accordance with the Trademark Law of the People's Republic of China (hereinafter referred to as the Trademark Law).

Article 2. The provisions made in these Implementing Regulations concerning goods marks shall apply to service marks.

Article 3. The use of trademarks referred to in the Trademark Law and these Regulations include, among other things, the use of trademarks on goods, packages or containers thereof and commodity trading instruments, or use of trademarks in advertisements, exhibitions and other commercial activities.

Article 4. Goods required to bear registered trademarks as prescribed by the State mentioned in Article 6 of the Trademark Law refer to goods in respect of which registered trademarks must be used as prescribed by law and administrative regulations.

Article 5. Under the Trademark Law and these Regulations, when an interested party believes his trademark constitutes a well-known trademark when a dispute arises in the course of trademark registration or trademark review and adjudication, he may file a request with the Trademark Office or the Trademark Review and Adjudication Board to establish it as a well-known trademark, to reject the trademark registration application contrary to the provision of Article 13 of the Trademark Law, or to cancel the trademark registration contrary to the provision of Article 13 of the Trademark Law. When filing an application, an interested party shall submit proofs that his trademark constitutes a well-known trademark.

At the request of the interested party, the Trademark Office or the Trademark Review and Adjudication Board shall, on the basis of ascertained facts, establish whether his trademark constitutes a well-known trademark pursuant to the provision of Article 14 of the Trademark Law.

Article 6. Applications may be filed for registration of geographic indications provided for in Article 16 of the Trademark Law as certification marks or collective marks in accordance with the provisions of the Trademark Law and these Regulations.

Where a geographic indication is registered as a certification mark, the natural person, legal person or other organization whose goods has met the requirement imposed on the geographic indications may request for using the certification mark, and the organization having control on the certification mark shall give its permission. Where a geographic indication is registered as a collective mark, the natural person, legal person or other organization whose goods has met the requirement imposed on the geographic indications may request for membership of the body, association or other organization having the geographic indication as its collective mark. The body, association or other organization shall accept him or it as its member according to the articles of constitution thereof. Any person who does not ask to join the body, association or other organization having the geographic indication as its collective mark may also duly use the geographic indication, and the body, association or other organization does not have the right to prohibit the use.

Article 7. An interested party entrusting a trademark agency with the filing of an application for trademark registration or attending to other trademark matters shall submit a Power of Attorney. The Power of Attorney shall indicate such contents and competence as authorized; the Power of Attorney from a foreign person or foreign enterprise shall, in addition, indicate the nationality of the entruster.

Notarization and legalization of the Power of Attorney and other relevant certificates from a foreign person or foreign enterprise shall be done based on the principle of reciprocity.

The foreign person or foreign enterprise mentioned in Article 18 of the Trademark Law refers to the foreign person who or foreign enterprise which does not have its habitual residence or place of business in China.

Article 8. The Chinese language shall be used in applying for trademark registration or attending to other trademark matters.

Where the various certificates, certifying documents and proofs submitted under the Trademark Law and these Regulations are in a foreign language, the Chinese translation thereof shall be attached; where the Chinese translation is not attached, the certificates, certifying documents and proofs shall be deemed not to have been submitted.

Article 9. In any one of the following circumstances, any staff member of the Trademark Office and the Trademark Review and Adjudication Board shall withdraw, or a party or interested party may request him to withdraw:

(1) he is a party or a close relative to a party or agent;

(2) he is related in such ways with a party or agent insofar as the relation would affect impartiality;

(3) he has interests in an application for trademark registration or any other trademark matters.

Article 10. Unless otherwise provided for in these Regulations, where any document is sent to the Trademark Office or the Trademark Review and Adjudication Board, the date of receipt shall be the date of delivery where it is delivered personally, or the date of posting indicated by the postmark if it is sent by post; where the date of posting indicated by the postmark is illegible, or there is no postmark, the date of receipt shall be the date on which the Trademark Office or the Trademark Review and Adjudication Board actually receives the document, except that the interested party is able to present evidence as to the actual date of posting indicated by the postmark.

Article 11. Any document of the Trademark Office or the Trademark Review and Adjudication Board may be served by post, by personal delivery or by other means. Where an interested party entrusts a trademark agency, delivery of the document to the trademark agency shall be deemed delivery thereof to the interested party.

Where any document is sent to an interested party by the Trademark Office or the Trademark Review and Adjudication Board, the date of receipt shall be the date of receipt indicated by the postmark on which the interested party receives it if it is sent by post; where the date of posting indicated by the postmark is illegible, or where there is no postmark, the document shall be deemed to have been delivered to the interested party on the fifteenth day from the date of posting the document; the date of receipt shall be the date of delivery if it is delivered personally. Where any document cannot be sent by post or by personal delivery, the document may be served by making an announcement. At the expiration of the thirtieth day from the date of the announcement, the document shall be deemed to have been served.

Article 12. Where an application is filed for international registration, it shall be done in accordance with the relevant international treaties to which China has acceded. The specific measures shall be prescribed by the administrative department for industry and commerce under the State Council.

Chapter II. Application for Trademark Registration

Article 13. When applying for the registration of a trademark, a separate application shall be filed in respect of each class of goods or service according to the published Classification of Goods and Services. For each application for the trademark registration, an Application for Trademark Registration shall be filed with the Trademark Office, accompanied by five copies of the reproduction of the trademark; if color is claimed, five copies of the color reproduction of the trademark shall be attached, so shall be a black and white design of the trademark.

The reproduction of the trademark must be clear and easy to paste and shall be printed on smooth and clean durable paper or substituted by a photograph. Its length or breadth shall not be more than 10 cm and less than 5 cm each.

Where an application is filed for the registration of a three-dimensional sign as a trademark, a statement shall be made in the application, and the reproduction capable of defining the three-dimensional shape be submitted.

Where an application is filed for the registration of a combination of colors as a trademark, a statement shall be made in the application, and an explanation thereof be submitted in writing.

Where an application is filed for the registration of a certification mark or collective mark, a statement shall be made in the application, and the certificates of the qualification of the applicant and regulations for the administration of the use thereof be submitted.

Where a trademark is in a foreign language or contains lexical elements in a foreign language, explanation of its meaning shall be made.

Article 14. Filing an application for the registration of a trademark, the applicant shall submit a copy of effective certificate capable of proving his identification. The name of the applicant for trademark registration shall be consistent with the certificate submitted.

Article 15. The goods or services shall be listed in the application according to the Classification of Goods and Services. If the goods or services are not listed in the Classification of Goods and Services, a description of the said goods or services shall be attached.

The documents relating to an application for trademark registration shall be typewritten or printed.

Article 16. If an application is jointly filed for registration of the same trademark, a representative shall be designated in the application; if such representative is not designated, the first person listed in the application shall be the representative.

Article 17. If an applicant changes his name, address, agent, or deletes or reduces designated goods, he may go through the formalities for the change with the Trademark Office.

An applicant who assigns his application for trademark registration shall go through the formalities for the assignment with the Trademark Office.

Article 18. The filing date of an application for trademark registration shall be the date on which the Trademark Office receives the application documents. Where the formal requirements of the application are fulfilled and the application form is filled out according to the relevant rules, the Trademark Office will accept the application and notify the applicant in writing. Where the formal requirements are not fulfilled or the application form is not filled out according to the relevant rules, the Trademark Office will not accept it, and it shall notify the applicant in writing and explain the reason.

Where the formal requirements are basically fulfilled or the application form filled out basically according to the relevant rules, but amendments are required, the Trademark Office shall notify the applicant to make the amendments and require him to do so according to the contents prescribed and re-submit it to the Trademark Office within thirty days from the date on which he receives the notification. Where the application is amended and re-submitted to the Trademark Office within the time limit, the date of filing shall be retained. Where the application is not amended within the time limit, the application shall be deemed to have been abandoned, and the Trademark Office shall notify the applicant in writing.

Article 19. Where two or more applicants respectively apply for the registration of identical or similar trademarks used on the identical or similar goods on the same day, each applicant shall, within thirty days from the date of receipt of the notification of the Trademark Office, submit a proof of his prior use of the mark in respect of which he has applied for the registration. Where the applicants used the mark for the first time on the same day or where none of them has used the mark, they shall try to resolve the matter through consultation, and submit a written agreement to the Trademark Office within thirty days from the date of receipt of the notification from the Trademark Office; where the applicants are reluctant to resolve the matter through consultation or an agreement is not reached, the Trademark Office shall notify the applicants that one applicant will be singled out by lot, and reject the registration applications filed by the other applicants. Where the Trademark Office notifies an applicant, but the applicant does not show up and draw his lot, his application shall be deemed to have been abandoned, and the Trademark Office shall notify in writing the applicant who has failed to show up.

Article 20. Where an applicant claims the right of priority according to Article 24 of the Trademark Law, the copy of the application document which he first filed for the registration of the trademark shall be certified by the competent trademark authority accepting the application, with the date of filing and the application number indicated.

Where an applicant claims the right of priority according to Article 25 of the Trademark Law, the certification documents submitted by him shall be certified by the administrative department for industry and commerce under the State Council, except that the international exhibition on which the goods are put on display is held inside the territory of China.