On November 23, 2021, the China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) issues the new “Trademark Examination & Adjudication Guidelines”. The Guidelines, which will supersede the 2016 “Trademark Examination & Adjudication Criteria”, shall enter into force as of January 1, 2022. The new Guidelines has two volumes: “Formality Examination & Affairs” (25 chapters) and “Trademark Examination & Adjudication” (substantive examination, 19 chapters). In 2020, the CNIPA received a record-high 9.1 million trademark applications. The Guidelines is expected to promote convergence and harmonization in terms of application of law in trademark examination and adjudication front.

By Mingming Yang