Table of Contents：

1. Further Expansion of the Circumstances Eligible for Expedited Examination

2. Expansion of the Scope of Trademark Types Eligible for Expedited Examination Applications

3. Expansion of the Scope of Names of Designated Goods or Service Items

4. First Clear Specification of the Notification Time Limit for Declining Expedited Examination

On January 18, 2022, the China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) issued the Measures for the Expedited Examination of Trademark Registration Applications (Trial Implementation) (hereinafter referred to as the "Trial Measures"), and initiated the revision process in April 2024. To serve the country's high-quality development and strengthen the protection of matters involving national interests, social public interests and major regional development strategies, the CNIPA has recently officially promulgated the Measures for the Expedited Examination of Trademark Registration Applications (hereinafter referred to as the "Measures").

1. Further Expansion of the Circumstances Eligible for Expedited Examination

Article 2 of the Measures supplements the circumstances for which expedited examination applications may be filed, with two new circumstances added as follows:

(1) Those involving strategic emerging industries for national development such as commercial aerospace, low-altitude economy and deep-sea technology, as well as future industries including bio-manufacturing, quantum technology, embodied intelligence and 6G, where there is an urgent need to obtain the exclusive right to use a trademark.

(2) Those involving the modernized industrial system promoted and constructed by people's governments at the provincial level, as well as the industrial chains laid out centering on the development of new quality productive forces, where the trademark has already been put into use.

2. Expansion of the Scope of Trademark Types Eligible for Expedited Examination Applications

Pursuant to the Measures, applications for trademark registration may be submitted for expedited examination where the applied trademark mark consists of words, graphics, letters, numbers, or a combination of the above elements. In contrast, the former Interim Measures restricted such applications solely to word - only trademarks.

The Measures clearly stipulate that an application for expedited trademark examination shall only meet the eligibility requirements on the premise that it has obtained the consent of all applicants, adopted the electronic application method, the applied trademark mark consists of words, graphics, letters, numbers or a combination of the above elements, and no priority claim has been filed.

This revision responds to the practical needs in practice, enhancing the applicability flexibility and practical pertinence of the expedited examination mechanism.

3. Expansion of the Scope of Names of Designated Goods or Service Items

The Measures have also relaxed the provisions on the specified names of goods or service items. The former Interim Measures restricted such names to the standard names listed in the Classification of Similar Goods and Services; in contrast, the Measures have expanded the scope to cover all acceptable names of goods and service items publicly released by the China National Intellectual Property Administration.

If the designated goods or service items for the trademark application do not fall under the circumstances specified in Article 2 of the Measures, or such designated goods or service items are non-standard goods or service items beyond the scope of the acceptable names of goods and service items publicly released by the China National Intellectual Property Administration, the Measures shall not apply, and the application shall only be examined in accordance with the general procedure.

4. First Clear Specification of the Notification Time Limit for Declining Expedited Examination

Previously, the Interim Measures only stipulated that applications approved for expedited examination should be completed within 20 working days, while failing to specify a time limit for handling applications rejected for expedited examination.

For the first time, the Measures clearly stipulates that where an application for expedited examination is rejected, the applicant who submitted the request for expedited examination shall be notified within 5 working days. This new regulation helps improve transparency and further enhance the efficiency of examination.

In summary, the issuance of the Measures constitutes an optimization and upgrading of the expedited examination system in supporting national strategies and market demands. It will help further improve the facilitation level of trademark registration and strengthen the intensity of intellectual property protection for key industries and major projects.