China's National People's Congress adopted the revised Trademark Law on June 26, 2026, effective January 1, 2027. It cracks down on bad-faith and squatting filings: applications filed without genuine intent to use and clearly exceeding normal business needs (Article 19) can be refused, and bad-faith filers face warnings and fines up to RMB 100,000 (about USD 14,700), while offending trademark agencies face fines up to RMB 200,000 (about USD 29,500). CNIPA retains power to revoke marks unused for three years.
Why this matters for founders
Founders should register core brand and product marks early and only for classes they genuinely plan to use, since the use-oriented regime now penalizes defensive over-filing while giving stronger tools to reclaim marks squatters grabbed. Budget to audit your trademark portfolio before the January 1, 2027 effective date.
Source: Mayer Brown
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