You have a name for a product, shop or app in China. Before paying for packaging or a launch campaign, you want to know whether someone else has already filed it. The place to start is the China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) trademark database, not a general web search.
A search is a useful first screen. It is not a promise that your own application will be accepted. Here is a practical way to use it.
Where do you search Chinese trademarks?
Start at the China Trademark website and choose Trademark Search (商标查询). CNIPA's service guide describes several functions, including similar-mark search (商标近似查询), general search (商标综合查询), status search (商标状态查询), announcements and goods or services lookup. The interface is mainly in Chinese. CNIPA has also said that online searches may require a registered non-filing account or a trademark online-application login. If the site asks you to sign in, that is part of the current official process; do not rely on a third-party site that claims to be the registry.
Have the proposed English name, any Chinese name, a logo image and a list of what you will actually sell ready before you begin. If a supplier, distributor or agency already filed for you, ask for the application number and search its status rather than only searching the brand name.
Search the name you will use, not just its English spelling
Run separate searches for the English words, the Chinese characters, a possible Chinese translation or transliteration, and the logo where the search interface allows it. A China launch can use more than one version of a brand. Checking only the Latin-letter version can miss the name customers and resellers will use locally.
Try close spellings and names that sound alike, too. A record with exactly the same spelling is an obvious warning; a similar mark may also matter, especially for closely related products. If you find a result, open the record and note the applicant, application or registration number, filing date, status and listed goods or services. A pending application is not the same as a registered trademark, but it should not be ignored.
Check the right goods and services
Trademark protection is tied to specified goods and services. China uses the international Nice Classification and also works with a more detailed table of similar goods and services. Search the classes and descriptions that fit what you plan to sell, not simply every result containing the word.
For example, a brand used on physical goods and the same words used for an online service may call for different searches and filing choices. Write down the actual products, sales channel and any planned extension of the business. CNIPA's goods and services lookup is a better starting point than guessing a class from a competitor's registration.
What can the search tell you?
It can reveal existing and pending records, their owners and their listed scope. It can help you spot a conflict early enough to change a name or get professional advice before launch. It cannot settle every question of confusing similarity, distinctiveness, prior rights or bad-faith filing. Database updates may also lag a new application.
Treat a clear search result as a screening result, not an approval letter. For a brand you will invest heavily in, ask a qualified trademark professional to review similar marks and the proposed goods and services before filing.
What should you do after the search?
Save the search date and the application numbers of any close results. Decide whether to change the mark, adjust the goods or services list, or seek advice on a conflict. Then choose a filing route: a Chinese national application or, where you qualify, an international application designating China through the Madrid System. A registration in the United States, Singapore or another country does not by itself register the mark in mainland China. WIPO also notes that a China designation does not cover Hong Kong or Macao.
If you are forming a Chinese company, search before printing the company's branding. Our China company registration guide covers the entity side; our IP protection guide explains why contracts and supplier controls matter alongside registration.
Official references
- CNIPA China Trademark website
- CNIPA service guide describing the search functions
- CNIPA reply on account login for online searches
- WIPO Madrid System members and territorial coverage
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