How to Check If Your Trademark Is Already Registered (or Squatted) in China

Before you file — or worse, before you assume everything is fine — you should check whether your brand already exists in China's trademark register. Here's how the search works, what the results mean, and where DIY checks fall short.

The official database: CNIPA

All Chinese trademarks live in one database maintained by the China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA). It's free to query, but there are three practical hurdles for anyone outside China:

• The interface is primarily in Chinese, with a limited English mode.
• Access from Europe is slow and unstable, and often requires a Chinese phone number for full-function searches.
• The search logic differs from EUIPO's: China uses subclasses within the Nice classes, and similarity is judged per subclass.

What to search for (most brands need 3 searches)

1. Your Latin-brand name — exactly as it appears on your products and packaging.
2. The Chinese character version — the transliteration Chinese consumers, suppliers and copycats actually use for your brand. If you haven't chosen one yet, note that squatters often choose it for you.
3. Close phonetic and visual variants — marks that look or sound similar are treated as conflicts, not just identical strings.

How to read the results

✅ No results at all

Good news in your exact classes — but not proof of safety. Similar marks in the same or related subclasses can still block your application, and China's examination of similarity is stricter than the EU's.

⚠️ A mark with status "已注册" (registered) in your classes

Someone owns the mark. Check the registrant: if it's not you and you never licensed it, you're looking at either a legitimate third-party right or a squat. Options narrow over time — an opposition is only possible within 3 months of publication; after that it's invalidation, which is slower and harder.

⚠️ A mark with status "申请中" (pending) or "初审公告" (published for opposition)

This is the intervention window. A pending or newly published application by someone else can often be opposed or obstructed at relatively low cost — if you act within the deadlines.

🚩 The registrant is your supplier, distributor, or a company you don't recognize with a long list of foreign brands

Classic squatter profile. Professional squatters often hold dozens or hundreds of foreign brand names. This finding should trigger immediate action, not curiosity.

Why a professional search is still worth it

The free DIY search tells you whether an identical string exists. A professional search tells you whether you can actually register and use your mark:

• Similarity screening across the relevant Chinese subclasses, not just exact matches.
• Class strategy — which of the 45 classes you actually need, including Class 35 (retail/e-commerce) that squatters love.
• Registrant intelligence — who holds conflicting marks, and whether their portfolio suggests bad faith.
• A clear verdict in English: file, file with adjustments, or negotiate — with costs and timelines.

We run a first-pass check for free — send your brand name through the form on our homepage and you'll have a plain-English answer within one business day.