Volume of trademark applications heads for record high

According to the State Administration for Industry and Commerce (SAIC), in the first half of 2011 the number of trademark applications increased by 34.84% compared to the same period in 2010. In 2011 China is expected to achieve a record high for the number of trademark applications filed. In 2010 the volume of trademark applications reached 1 million for the first time, and for nine years in a row China has had the highest number of trademark applications filed. Up to the end of 2010, the cumulative number of trademark registrations reached 8.3 million; this has now increased to approximately 9 million.

At the same time, trademark examination work has continued to improve. During 2010 1.48 million trademark applications were examined, exceeding the target of 1.4 million applications. Further, the SAIC appears to have resolved the backlog issue that attracted great attention both within and outside China: the examination period for a trademark application has decreased from 36 months to within 12 months.