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China Trademark Assignment

A signed agreement does not change who owns a Chinese trademark. Ownership moves only when the CNIPA approves the transfer and publishes it — until then, the seller is still the registered owner.

$199 all-inclusive

Transfer a Mark

On publication

Assignee owns the mark from publication

Both parties

Must apply to the CNIPA together

As a set

Similar marks must be assigned together

USD 199

All-inclusive, official fee included

What a China trademark assignment actually involves

A Chinese trademark registration is an asset, and it can be bought, sold or moved between group companies. But the transaction does not take effect on the strength of a contract alone. The transferor and the transferee must apply to the CNIPA together, and the CNIPA must approve the transfer and publish it. Only then does the assignee become the owner of record, with effect from the date of publication.

That last point matters commercially. If a purchase agreement is signed but the recordal is never filed, the seller remains the registered owner: they can keep using the mark, license it to somebody else, or have it seized by their own creditors. A buyer who paid for the mark and skipped the recordal has a claim against the seller, not a trademark.

There is also a formal trap around related marks. Where the seller owns identical or similar marks in the same or similar classes, the law requires those marks to be transferred as a set. The CNIPA will refuse a transfer that splits them off, because splitting a family of marks between two owners is exactly what creates confusion in the market. We check the seller’s portfolio against the mark you are acquiring before anything is filed.

For transfers that would cause confusion or have other adverse effects, the CNIPA may refuse approval outright. And a foreign party with no place of business in China cannot file the recordal itself — the application must go through a CNIPA-registered agent, which is the role we fill.

What the $199 assignment fee covers

Agreement and portfolio review We read the transfer agreement against the registration, and check whether the seller owns related marks that must be assigned with it.

Preparation of the recordal The assignment application, the transfer document and the supporting papers are prepared and translated into Chinese as the CNIPA requires.

Filing with the CNIPA We file the recordal, handle the examiner’s requests for correction or further documents, and keep you informed at each step.

Follow-up to publication We track the case to approval and send you the publication details that evidence the new ownership.

English-language handling One point of contact in English for the buyer, the seller and their advisers — no need to brief a local intermediary.

Both directions of the deal We act on purchases of Chinese registrations and on transfers out of a group, including transfers between affiliated companies.

The fee is all-inclusive for the standard scope above: the CNIPA official fee is already inside the price and is never billed separately.

How the transfer runs

You send us the details

The registration number of the mark, the names of the parties, and the signed agreement if you have one. A search of the CNIPA register to confirm the current owner is the first thing we do.

We check what must move together

We confirm whether the seller holds identical or similar marks that have to be assigned as a set, and tell you before anything is filed what the recordal will require.

Both parties sign and we file

The transfer document is signed by transferor and transferee and submitted to the CNIPA. We deal with any objection the examiner raises.

Ownership passes on publication

Once the CNIPA approves and publishes the transfer, the assignee is the registered owner. We send you the publication record for your file.

Assignment fees

All fees are quoted in writing before anything is payable.

Item	Fee	What it covers
Assignment recordal with the CNIPA	USD 199	Agreement review, portfolio check, preparation and translation of the recordal, filing and follow-up to publication. All-inclusive.
Change of name or address on the same registration	USD 50	If the current owner has changed its name or address since registering, the record should be corrected first. We file both together where the CNIPA allows it.
Before you buy: check what you are buying	Free	A preliminary check of the mark, its class and its status, so you know what the registration actually covers before you commit to the purchase.

Every price above is all-inclusive — the CNIPA official fees are already inside the quoted amounts and are never billed separately.

The transfer requirements described on this page were checked on 2026-10-01. Requirements can change, and the rules in force at the time your application is filed apply.

What you need to record an assignment

For a transfer, the paperwork is modest: the details of the two parties, the registration and the signed agreement. Nothing has to be notarized — clean scans are enough.

The registration number One number identifies the Chinese registration being transferred. If you only know the mark or the former owner, we search the register and confirm the record before filing.

Details of transferor and transferee Full legal names and addresses of both companies, exactly as they appear in their incorporation documents. Mismatches between the agreement and the company papers are the most common cause of a hold-up.

The signed transfer agreement A short assignment agreement is enough. We can supply a bilingual template if the parties prefer; what matters is that it identifies the mark, the parties and the consideration.

Signed Power of Attorney A foreign party without a business presence in China must act through a CNIPA-registered agent. We send our standard form to both sides — a plain signed scan is enough, no notarization.

China Trademark Assignment — common questions

When does the buyer actually own the trademark?

On publication of the approved transfer, not on signature of the agreement. Until the CNIPA approves and publishes the recordal, the seller remains the registered owner. If the mark is to be used immediately, plan the recordal so that it completes before the commercial hand-over.

Can I just buy the company that owns the mark instead?

Sometimes — acquiring the Chinese entity that holds the registration keeps the trademark in place without a recordal. But it also brings everything else that entity owns, including its liabilities, and it may not be available where only one mark of a portfolio is wanted. We set out both routes and the trade-offs before you decide.

The seller owns several similar marks. Do they all have to move?

Yes, where they are identical or similar marks in the same or similar classes. Those have to be assigned as a set; the CNIPA will not approve a transfer that splits them between different owners. We check the seller’s portfolio first so this does not surface late in the process.

Does the transfer need to be notarized?

No. The CNIPA works on clean scans of the signed documents. Notarization or legalization is not part of the recordal procedure, and we do not ask clients to obtain it.

What if the seller has changed its name since registering?

The register has to be updated first, otherwise the CNIPA has no record of the transferor named in the agreement. That is a name change on the same registration — a small separate filing — and we handle the two together where the CNIPA permits it.

How long does an assignment take?

Straightforward recordals with complete documents are usually approved within a few months. Timelines depend on the CNIPA’s current workload and on whether the examiner raises an objection; we tell you the realistic estimate for your file rather than a figure that flatters the quote.

Buying or transferring a Chinese mark?

Send us the registration number and the parties involved. We confirm the current owner, check what has to move with the mark, and quote the recordal in writing. Nothing is payable before you approve.

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