The revised Trademark Law of the People’s Republic of China was adopted on June 26, 2026, and shall come into force on January 1, 2027.
I. A dedicated chapter concerning the conditions for trademark registration is newly added in this revision.
Establishing a use-centered registration principle. The new law sets out a core regulatory provision: trademark applications filed without genuine intent for use and obviously exceeding the applicant’s normal production and business scope shall be rejected.
Refining prohibitive provisions on deceptive and misleading signs to prevent misleading the public regarding the origin, quality, efficacy and other attributes of goods via trademarks.
The three-year non-use cancellation system is optimized, enabling trademark administrative authorities to initiate verification procedures on their own initiative.
II. The maximum statutory compensation for trademark infringement is substantially increased to RMB 5 million. Combined with the punitive compensation system, punitive damages ranging from 1 to 5 times the actual losses may be imposed against willful, repeated and large-scale infringing acts in accordance with the law.
III. Adding provisions for the protection of motion trademarks to accommodate new brand identifiers in the new media era such as short videos, live streaming and dynamic logos.
VI. Clarifying penalty standards for acts including false trademark promotion, misleading the public and illegal trademark use. Where illegal trademark use causes market confusion, a fine of up to RMB 250,000 may be imposed; where circumstances are serious, the registered trademark may be revoked.
V. Where parties collude maliciously and fabricate facts to file trademark infringement lawsuits, raise malicious oppositions or initiate invalidation proceedings, people’s courts and administrative authorities may impose penalties in accordance with the law; such parties shall also compensate the counterparty for economic losses incurred.
VI. Trademark agencies are prohibited from accepting entrustments involving applications filed without genuine use intent, malicious squatting or mass trademark hoarding. Agencies engaging in illegal practice may be subject to fines of up to RMB 200,000, alongside disciplinary measures including credit penalties, public industry notifications and practice restrictions.
VII. The trademark opposition period is shortened to two months to accelerate the stabilization of trademark rights. Rules governing trademark information disclosure and address updates are reinforced, stipulating that enterprises shall bear adverse consequences if they fail to update trademark information in a timely manner and thereby lose their rights to respond, file oppositions or apply for review. Trademark transfer applications solely intended for profit resale without genuine business demands shall be rejected in accordance with the law.
Conclusion
The core logic of the 2027 revised Trademark Law can be summarized as curbing speculation, strengthening protection, improving efficiency and tightening supervision. By regulating malicious registrations at the source, raising penalties for infringement, standardizing industry practice and improving rights enforcement mechanisms, the law drives a comprehensive shift in trademark protection from quantity-oriented growth to quality-oriented upgrading.