On September 1, Regulations on Electronic Application of Trademarks formulated by China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) went into effect, ushering in an era of E-filing of trademarks.

"To apply for a trademark registration electronically is no doubt an important symbol and progress of trademark system modernization in China. It is of much significance to execute the measure considering the rapid development of information network technology and the surging number of trademark registrations," said Feng Xiaoqing, a professor and director of Institute of Intellectual Property Law of China University of Political Science and Law, adding that the enactment of the Regulations will elevate trademark application efficiency and enable market players including enterprises to file and obtain trademark registrations in a timely fashion.

Under the Regulations, e-filing means that the trademark application documents are filed to CNIPA in the required electronic form through a trademark online service system. Accordingly, the Regulations make specific and definite rules on some issues including user registration, application procedures and requirements, principal-agent service in electronic form, requirements and submission dates of trademark application documents or materials and coordination with the relevant regulations of paper application documents.

http://english.ipraction.gov.cn/article/News/201909/20190900227727.shtml

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