China has reduced its Trademark Fees by about 50%! This comes from a notice issued by China’s Ministry of Finance in March saying that the fees related to trademark registration procedure will be reduced by 50 percent starting from 1 April 2017. The new system applies for both – residents and non-residents of China. It is assumed that both parties will benefit from these changes. Get an overview in our Article:
The Ministry of Finance of China announced that from 1 April 2017, the official trade mark application fees will be reduced by 50%. The China Trade Mark Office (CTMO) released the detailed fees schedule which shows that the official fees are on average half the original fees:
| Type | Remarks | Cost before 1 April 2017 | Cost after 1 April 2017 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Application for registration | per mark per class (up to 10 items) | RMB 600 (~88$) | RMB 300 (~44$) |
| additional fee for each item in excess of 10 items per class | RMB 60 (~8$) | RMB 30 (~4$) | |
| Application for change of owner’s name/address | per mark per class | RMB 500 (~72$) | RMB 250 (~36$) |
| Trademark assignment | per mark per class | RMB 1000 (~146$) | RMB 500 (~73$) |
| Trademark renewal | per mark per class | RMB 2000 (~290$) | RMB 1000 (~145$) |
| additional fee for late filing per mark per class | RMB 500 (~72$) | RMB 250 (~36$) | |
| Application for certificate of trademark registration | per mark per class | RMB 100 (~14$) | RMB 50 (~7$) |
| Recordal of license agreement | per mark per class | RMB 300 (~44$) | RMB 150 (~22$) |
| Re-issuance of Certificate of Registration | per mark per class | RMB 1000 (~146$) | RMB 500 (~73$) |
| Application for collective mark | per mark per class | RMB 3000 (~436$) | RMB 1500 (~218$) |
| Application for certification mark | per mark per class | RMB 3000 (~436$) | RMB 1500 (~218$) |
| Trademark opposition | per mark per class | RMB 1000 (~146$) | RMB 500 (~73$) |
| Trademark cancellation | per mark per class | RMB 1000 (~146$) | RMB 500 (~73$) |
| Trademark review case | per mark per class | RMB 1500 (~218$) | RMB 750 (~109$) |
Chinese Government’s IP Five-Year Plan
The reduction of fees can be seen as a part of the Five-Year IP Plan (2016-2020). The aim of this plan is to elevate China to a country strong in IP assets. Therefore the country is heavily investing into the IP-sector: The China Trademark Office (CTMO) set up two Trade Mark Examination Cooperation Centres in Beijing and Guangzhou and has opened 54 aditional counters throughout the country to receive new trademark applications. At the end of 2016, there were 12 million valid trade marks on the Chinese register, with 3.7 million new applications submitted in 2016 alone.
When looking at International trademark applications China saw the fastest growth (+68.6%) in 2016 among the top 15 origins.
New Trademark Fees: Pro’s and Con’s
At first sight the new Trademark Fee System appears to be just positive: The Costs for protecting Trademarks in China will radically be reduced. All brand owners will welcome that. However, another (most-likely to come) consequence could be that the number of new trade mark filings will drastically increase, which may reach to a new peak in 2017. Since less investment is required, trade mark squatters are likely to be even more willing to file bad faith/useless applications.
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Source:
Notice by the Ministry of Finance of China
