CNIPA's answers on changes and certificates

Where a trademark registrant's name or address is changed, the registrant shall change all of its registered trademarks together. A registered trademark that must be changed together with the others but that the applicant no longer uses may be cancelled at the owner's request.

Under Article 41 of the Trademark Law and Articles 17 and 30 of the Implementing Regulations of the Trademark Law, where a registered trademark needs a change to the registrant's name, address or other registered matters, a change application shall be filed. Where an applicant has filed for registration but has not yet been granted it, and its name, address or other registration matters have changed, it shall apply to CNIPA for the corresponding change procedure. The situation described in the inquiry requires a separate application to change the name on the trademark, and the change application can currently be filed as normal.

Filing once is enough; you only need to have complete proof of the intervening changes.

Under Article 38 of the Trademark Law and Article 29 of the Implementing Regulations of the Trademark Law, a trademark applicant or registrant who finds an obvious error in the trademark application or registration documents may apply for correction. Correctable errors are limited to isolated wording errors in items such as the name, address and goods in the application or registration documents, and shall not involve substantive content.

In this situation it cannot be restored; please file a new trademark application.

After a name change, a change approval certificate is sent, to be used together with the old trademark certificate. If you need a trademark certificate showing the change, simply apply for a replacement registration certificate.

If a replacement registration certificate is applied for after a change or renewal application is approved, it shows the applicant's details after the change and the latest dates.

After a successful trademark assignment, only an assignment approval certificate is sent, to be used together with the old trademark certificate. If a trademark certificate in the assignee's name is needed, a replacement registration certificate can be applied for.

1. Since January 1, 2022, for registration certificates arising from registration announcements and other trademark applications: where the trademark application was filed on paper, a Notice to Collect the Registration Certificate is sent, and the registrant logs in to the China Trademark Office website with the URL and access code specified in the notice to obtain the electronic registration certificate; where the application was filed electronically, the electronic registration certificate is obtained by logging in to the online trademark service system. The electronic registration certificate can be viewed, downloaded and printed by the registrant. CNIPA no longer issues paper registration certificates.

2. Under Article 64 of the Implementing Regulations of the Trademark Law, where a registration certificate is lost or damaged, the trademark registrant shall apply to CNIPA for a replacement registration certificate.

To meet trademark registrants' need to provide proof of trademark ownership for matters such as listing, investment and financing, and litigation to enforce rights, a registrant may, itself or through a trademark agency recorded with the Trademark Office (hereinafter "trademark agency"), apply for a trademark registration attestation. If it meets the requirements on review, the Trademark Office issues a trademark file attestation document bearing the "Trademark Registration Attestation Seal".

It is valid; there is no need to have a new certificate issued.