The China Trademark Office (CTMO), the Trademark Review and Adjudication Board (TRAB), and the Trademark Examination Cooperation Center (TECC) no longer exist as separate entities and have all been merged into the newly established Trademark Office of the China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA).
After the institutional restructuring, all trademark prosecution work will be carried out in the name of the CNIPA. The names of the former entities (CTMO, TRAB, TECC) will no longer be used. The official seals of the former entities will no longer be used and will be replaced by the seal of the CNIPA as of April 1, 2019.
CNIPA’s English website may be accessed at http://english.cnipa.gov.cn/. Previously, the CNIPA only handled patent matters but now handles trademark matters as well. The effects of the reorganization remain to be seen but the reorganization is intended to be an integral part of China’s effort to enhance intellectual property protection through “comprehensive management”. This streamlining effort may well have a positive effect in that regard, and our own trademark agency in Beijing will be closely monitoring the changes and the consequences. Further reports on changes and effects will be forthcoming in due course.
