|
Measures for the Implementation of
International Registration
of Marks under Madrid Agreement
(Issued by the State Administration for Industry and Commerce on 17 April
2003)
Article 1 These Measures are hereby formulated in accordance with the
provision of Article 12 of the Implementing Regulations of the Trademark
Law of the People’s Republic of China (hereinafter referred to as the
Implementing Regulation).
The international registration of marks provided in Article 12 of the
Implementing regulations refers to international registration of marks
under the Madrid Agreement Concerning the International Registration of
marks (hereinafter referred to as the Madrid Agreement), the Protocol
Relating to the Madrid Agreement Concerning the International Registration
of Marks (hereinafter referred to as the Madrid Protocol) and the
Common Regulations under the Madrid Agreement Concerning the International
Registration of Marks and the Protocol relating to that Agreement
(hereinafter referred to as the Common Regulations). |
|
Article 2 These Measures shall apply to applications for international
registration of marks with China being the country of origin, and
applications designating territorial extension to China and other relevant
applications.
These Measures do not apply to the registration of trademarks in a foreign
country through a route other than the Madrid System .The applicant may
entrust a trademark agency, a foreign representative, a law firm or its
branch in a foreign country to deal with the registration matter.
Article 3 Any party applying for international registration of a mark with
china being the country of origin shall have real and effective industrial
or commercial establishments in China, or be domiciled in China, or be a
Chinese national.
Article 4 Where any party is eligible for the international registration
of a mark as provided under Article 3 of these Measures and his or its
mark has been registered in the Trademark Office of the administrative
authority for industry
and commerce under the State Council (hereinafter referred to
as the Trademark Office ), he or it may apply for
international registration of the mark under the Madrid
agreement.
Where any party is eligible for the international registration
of a mark as provided under Article 3 of these Measures and
his or its mark has been registered in the trademark Office or
an application has been filed with the Trademark Office for
the registration of the mark, he or it may apply for
international registration of the mark under the Madrid
Protocol.
Article 5 Any party applying for international registration of
a mark shall deal with the matter through the Trademark
Office.
An applicant or an authorized trademark agency thereby may
directly file an application in person at, or post the
application to , the Trademark Office.
Article 6 Any party filing an application in respect of
matters such as subsequent designation, renunciation or
cancellation of the international registration of a mark under
the Madrid Agreement shall deal with the matter through the
trademark Office.Any party filing an application in respect of
such matters as assignment, reduction of goods or services,
modification of the name or address of the registrant,
modification on the name or address of an agent or renewal of
the international registration of the mark under the Madrid
Agreement may deal with the matter through the Trademark
office or directly at the International Bureau of the World
Intellectual Property Office (hereinafter referred to as the
International Bureau).
Any party filing an application in respect of subsequent
designation, assignment, reduction of goods or services,
abandonment or cancellation of the mark, modification of the
name or address of the registrant, modification of the name or
address of the agent, or renewal of, the international
registration of the mark under the Madrid Protocol may deal
with the matter through the Trademark Office or directly at
the International Bureau.
Dealing with the matter through the trademark Office, the
applicant or the authorized trademark agency thereby may
directly file an application at, or post the application to,
the Trademark Office.
Dealing with the matter at the International Bureau, the
applicant or the authorized trademark agency thereby may file
the application with, or post the application to, the
International Bureau.
Article 7 Any party applying for international registration of
a mark or dealing with other relevant matters through the
Trademark Office may fill out the English or French forms
prepared by the International Bureau, or fill out the Chinese
forms prepared by the Trademark Office, but it or he shall pay
the Trademark Office the translation fee.
In addition to the fees provided in the Common Regulations,
any party applying for international registration of a mark or
dealing with other relevant matters shall pay the Trademark
Office the procedural fee.
Article 8 If the applicant for international registration of a
mark is a natural person, he shall indicate his Chinese name.
If the applicant is a legal person or any other organization,
it shall indicate its Chinese name in full.
If the natural person, legal person or any other organization
has an equivalent translation of his or its name in a foreign
language, he or it may indicate the name in the foreign
language. If he or it does not have a translation of his or
its name in a foreign language, he or it shall indicate his or
its name in the Chinese phonetic alphabet.
Article 9 An applicant shall indicate his or its address in
full (including the address and postal code) in the
application for international registration of a mark,
telephone number and facsimile number.
Article 10 An application for international registration of a
mark may designate one class of goods or service, or two or
more classes of goods or service.
Article 11 Applying for international registration of a mark,
the applicant shall furnish:
(i) a copy of the Certificate of Trademark Registration in
China or a copy of the Notification on the Acceptance of
Application for Trademark Registration issued by the Trademark
Office;
(ii) a Certificate of Priority if the right of priority is
claimed;
(iii) a Certificate of Qualification of the Applicant, such as
copies of Business License, Certification of Residence or the
Identification Card;
(iv) a Power of Attorney if an agency is appointed;
(v) two copies of the reproduction of the mark, the size of
which shall be less than 80mm x 80mm but more than 20mm x
20mm.
Article 12 The date on which the Trademark Office receives an
application for international registration of a mark shall be
the filing date.
Any application for international registration of a mark which
has not been filled as prescribed shall be returned and the
filing date thereof shall not be retained.
Where an application has substantially met the requirements
for formality, but yet amendment is needed, the Trademark
Office shall notify the applicant or the agent thereof to make
an amendment within 15 days from the date of receipt of the
notification. The date of service of the Trademark Office’s
Notification of Amendment on an interested party shall, if the
Notification is posted, be the date indicated by the postmark
on which the interested party receives it. Where the receiving
date indicated by the postmark is illegible or there is no
postmark, the Notification shall be considered served on the
party 15 days after the date on which the document is sent.
Failure to make amendment shall be deemed abandonment of the
application, and the Trademark Office shall notify the
applicant in writing.
Where fees are required for the application for international
registration of a mark or any other application dealt with
through the Trademark Office, payment of the relevant fees
shall be made to the Trademark Office within 15 days after the
date of receipt of the Notification from the Trademark Office
on the payment of the fee. The date of service of the
Trademark Office’s Notification of Payment on an interested
party shall, if the Notification is posted, be the date
indicated by the postmark on which the interested party
receives the notification. Failure to make the payment shall
be deemed abandonment of the application, and the Trademark
Office shall notify the applicant in writing.
Article 13 Where the Trademark Office notifies the
International Bureau to reject, ex officio, an application
requesting for territorial extension to China, the Trademark
Office shall not confirm the rejection with the International
Bureau any longer.
Article 14 Within 3 months after the first day of the month
following the publication of the International Mark by the
World Intellectual Property Organization, any party may file
an opposition with the Trademark Office against an application
requesting for territorial extension to China published in the
said Gazette.
An application for opposition may involve one class of goods
or service, or two or more classes of goods or services.
Where an opponent withdraws his or its application for
opposition, the Trademark Office shall terminate the
opposition proceeding and notify the interested party in
writing.
Article 15 An applicant requesting for territorial extension
of a collective mark or certification mark to China shall
submit,through a trademark agency and according to the
relevant provisions, to the Trademark Office the certificate
of the qualification of the subject, the regulation governing
the use of the mark and any other documents of certification
within three months from the date of the entry of the mark in
the International Register of the International Bureau of the
World Intellectual Property Organization.
If the certificate of the qualification of the subject and the
regulation governing the use of the mark and any other
documents of certification are not submitted within three
months, the Trademark Office shall reject the application of
the collective or certification mark requesting for the
territorial extension.
Article 16 Where an assignor fails to apply, according to law,
for assignment in a lump of all his or its identical or
similar marks in respects of the same or similar goods, the
Trademark Office shall notify the registrant for
international registration of a mark to rectify the situation
within 30 days from the date of receipt of the notification;
if the situation is not rectified at the expiration of the
time limit, the Trademark Office shall decide that the said
assignment is not valid in China, and declare it to the
International Bureau. Any interested party who is not
satisfied with the declaration by the Trademark Office may
institute legal proceedings with the people’s court within 30
days from the date of receipt of the declaration by the
Trademark Office. Where no legal proceedings is instituted at
the expiration of the time limit, the decision of the
Trademark Office shall come into effect, and the date for the
decision to come into effect is the date on which the decision
is made.
If any deletion or reduction does not comply with the
requirements on the classification of goods or services
enforced in China, the Trademark Office shall decide that the
deletion reduction is not valid in China, and declare it to
the International Bureau. Any interested party who is not
satisfied with the declaration by the Trademark Office may
institute legal proceedings with the people’s court within 30
days from the date of receipt of the declaration by the
Trademark Office. Where the legal proceedings are not
instituted at he expiration of the time limit, the decision of
the Trademark Office shall come into effect, and the date for
the decision to come into effect is the date on which the
decision is made.
Article 17 Any party licensing another party to use his or its
trademark of international registration in the territory of
China shall deal with the matter in accordance with the
Trademark Law and the Implementing Regulations thereof.
Article 18 Where an applicant requesting for territorial
extension to China substitutes his or its trademark of
international registration for a trademark registered in
China, the mark’s international registration shall not affect
the right of the mark’s registration obtained in China.Any party requesting for substitution of the international registration
having entered in the Trademark Registration Register of the Trademark
Office for an earlier national registration shall do so through a
trademark agency and pay the required fees.
Article 19 Where a trademark of international registration under
protection in China falls within the circumstances provided in Article 41
of the Trademark Law, the owner of the trademark or an interested party or
any other party may, depending on the circumstances, apply to the
Trademark Review and Adjudication Board for adjudication of a dispute or
for adjudication on the cancellation of the said mark under protection in
China. The application for adjudication shall be filed after the
expiration of the time limit for rejection of the trademark in China.
Article 20 Any party who designates protection of international
registration of a mark in China may, form the date of expiration of the
time limit for rejection of the mark, appoint a trademark agency to apply
to the Trademark Office for issuance of a certificate that his or its mark
is under protection in China.
Article 21 These Measures shall enter into force on June 1, 2003, and the
Measures for the Implementation of International Registration of Marks
under Madrid Agreement issued by the State Administration for Industry and
Commerce on May 24,1996 shall be simultaneously abrogated.
|
|