BOOST COMPANY SECURITY IN CHINA WITH TRADEMARK REGISTRATION

CHINA  TRADEMARK In an established company, they do account for the properties, equipments, cash and receivables they have. Notice that they are all tangible and the benefits the stakeholder could derive can also be touched and seen.
However, assets which are intangible should also be given importance. For example is the trademark. As defined in the accounting world, trademark is a symbol, sign, slogan or name used to mark a product to distinguish it from other products. This is market-related intangible asset. Your company or your product gains popularity and acceptance with the help of trademark. Also, the characteristics and specifications of your product are protected by having trademark.
In China, lots of products have been introduced. Lots of names have been used and lots of product definitions have been created. In applying for the registration of trademark, the following documents should be prepared:
• A copy of current Business Registration Certificate of the applicant, if the applicant is a corporation.
• A copy of Identification documents of the applicant, if the applicant is an individual person.
• List of goods or services.
• Clear image of the trademark.
In processing you application to obtain trademark, five steps would be performed. First is trademark search. Your proposed trademark would be tested if it is already existing or not. Next is the initial application. Third is substantive examination. Further tests would be done to assure that your trademark is unique from other existing names. Next is publication, if the proposed trademark has proven legality, non-functionality, and distinctiveness and conflicts no prior right. Last is the issuance of certificate.
Trademark is necessary, thus, a company must have it registered. Here are some other benefits your company could have if the trademark has been properly registered:
• Your product can be protected. It will be detected if other company are imitating your product and sells it at lower prices. The authority will inform you of such fraudulent act, thus, giving you more time to do the necessary steps to save your company.
•  Gaining popularity. Once you have an established trademark, customers will become conversant with the characteristics your product has. Trademark is not an expense. It is an investment that can give you more and more benefits as time goes by.
Trademark is an asset. May it be intangible or not, it can still give you economic benefits in the future time. Registration is just a single investment yet can help you be exposed to lesser risks and more rewards.

China Trademark Registration- The Registration Process

As soon as a business is established and the trademark designed, the next important step is to ensure that it has been registered so as to protect it. Below are steps to follow when it comes to registration of trademarks;-

Registration of trademark in China ensures that is it protected in China hence no other business entity can use it while in China. However, a foreign entity registering their trademark in China cannot claim infringement in instances that it is used by another Chinese company.

If a business is 100% sure they want to operate their business in China, they should ensure that they register their trademark in the inception of the business. With this the Chinese is able to withhold any counterfeit trademarked products from exports hence gives you a guarantee of protection.

You should be aware of the type of trademarks acceptable in China, the requirements of Chinese trademarks is similar to those governing other international countries such that it is mandatory to register all services, goods, certification marks as well as collective marks.

China like any other country has a database for all the registered trademarks at a central place, once a trademark is registered, it is printed and left for three weeks giving room for objection. If there is no objection in the stipulated period then the trademark automatically becomes registered. A Chinese trademark office has the power to object the trademark application and also an applicant is allowed to appeal for the same.

A trademark helps to protect the name of your company; a foreign company is fully protected by the Chinese government making it easier to carry out trade without any fear of another Chinese company stealing your trademark. In case there is any infringement of a company’s trademark then there are various actions to be taken against it.

      Once a trademark infringer is caught the next step is to file lawsuit against the person who has infringed the trademark to try and stop him from carrying out business using your trademark. The Chinese trademark laws are applicable for both Chinese companies and foreign company’s hence when such issues have been raised it is easier to get the ruling on your favor.

      This is a system that you can trust without any fear of bias, hence be assured that there is a conducive business environment for all foreigners who chose to invest in China and their rights are well protected.

China Trademark Registration Search

Before registration of a company’s trademark, it is important to first do a research to evaluate if it is in use by any other company. One can do it themselves or they can opt to hire a service provider that specializes on such matters. Here are tips on how to do it yourself

A simple search is one that entails searching for all the linking information that is related to the trademark or the trademark number, the name of the person doing the application and the content of the trademark.

One can also opt to carry out an advance search, this is able to give you similar characters of the trademark or the characters and helps to identify if they are identical in anyway or not especially if it is in relations to same goods.

A status search is one that involves checking the status of the trademark that you applied for and the workflow in respect to the trademark number.

After embarking on various research you will be able to identify if your trademark is in use by other companies or not and if you wish to hire the service of china trademark research, then it is important to be aware of their operating time, such as in Beijing these services are available between to 2.00 o’clock to 20.00 o’clock on a daily basis. The company is able to offer free advisory services that will help you in the venture of getting a copyright trademark hence be able to identify your products with the brand.

To acquire more on the trademark registration search it is recommended to go through the China trademark gazette that has been published by state of Administration for Commerce and Industry, this is to be used by the China trademark office and the Republic of China.

It is important to exhaust all means possible of ensuring that your trademark is unique, simple with no hidden meanings such that it is easy to pass on the relevant information you wish to. A trademark is a must have for every company hence it is important to hire the services of a qualified trademark in order to avoid loss of time that is used while researching if the trademark is in use or not by other companies.

After the research is done and your trademark turns out to be unique, then you can go ahead with your business without any fear of someone copy righting your trademark.