China Trademark Information

China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is located in East Asia and is bordered by Mongolia and Russian to the north, the Korean Peninsula and Japan to the East, Vietnam, Laos, and Thailand to the south, Nepal, India, Pakistan, and Afghanistan to the west and Kazakhstan to the northwest. The population is estimated at 1,338,613,000 with a GDP of $9.71 trillion.

For centuries China stood as a leading civilization, outpacing the rest of the world in the arts and sciences, but in the 19th and early 20th centuries, the country was beset by civil unrest, major famines, military defeats, and foreign occupation. After World War II, the Communists under MAO Zedong established an autocratic socialist system that, while ensuring China's sovereignty, imposed strict controls over everyday life and cost the lives of tens of millions of people. After 1978, MAO's successor DENG Xiaoping and other leaders focused on market-oriented economic development and by 2000 output had quadrupled. For much of the population, living standards have improved dramatically and the room for personal choice has expanded, yet political controls remain tight. China since the early 1990s has increased its global outreach and participation in international organizations.

Trademarks are assigned through the Trademark Office, State Administration for Industry and Commerce of the People's Republic of China (SAIC). China is a member of the Madrid Protocol. A trademark is valid for 10 years and may be renewed for further periods of 10 years each.