# Does a US trademark protect your brand in China?

A short answer for US brands: a US trademark does not protect you in China, and manufacturing there can expose your brand before you sell there.

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## TLDR

A US trademark does not protect the mark in China. China requires its own filing and applies its own register.

## Post

No. A US trademark protects you in the United States. It does not create a Chinese registration or reserve the same filing date at CNIPA.

## Short answer: no

Trademark rights are territorial. A US registration is useful in the United States, but it does not automatically give you rights in China.

China keeps its own trademark register. CNIPA examines Chinese trademark applications under Chinese law, and the registration generally goes to whoever files first in China.

That means prior use in the US, a US registration, or a US Amazon listing does not by itself hold the mark for you in China. The [overseas-business filing overview](/blog/china-trademark-registration-for-overseas-businesses) explains what the China filing needs instead.

## Manufacturing is a separate exposure question

If the product is made or sourced in China, the supply-chain question deserves its own analysis. Read [file before you manufacture](/blog/china-trademark-before-manufacturing) for factory, supplier, packaging, and customs exposure.

## What can happen if someone files first

If someone else files first, the problem usually costs more than an early filing would have cost.

- You may have to change the brand.
- You may have to buy the trademark back.
- You may have to oppose or invalidate the filing.
- You may delay production, exports, or China market entry.

Opposition and invalidation are slow, expensive, and uncertain. Filing early is usually simpler.

## When to file

For a US brand, decide on a China filing before selling into China, appointing a China distributor, or publicly committing to a China launch.

If you are not sure which class your product belongs in, start with [how China trademark classes work](/docs/china-trademark/classes).

## How Ginbing helps

Ginbing files China trademarks for businesses outside mainland China through its own CNIPA-recorded agency. The [local agent requirement](/docs/china-trademark/local-agent-requirement) explains which foreign applicants are legally required to appoint an agency and the direct-filing qualifier.

The price is USD 150 per class, including the CNIPA filing fee and up to 10 goods or services items in that class. When you are ready, start a [China trademark registration](/china-trademark-registration).