The Notice of Acceptance of Trademark Registration Application is a written document issued by CNIPA to the applicant after the application passes formality examination. It confirms that the application formalities are complete, the application has been formally docketed, and it has entered the substantive examination stage. It only signifies that the application has been "received and accepted"; it does not mean the trademark has passed examination or been approved for registration. It is generally issued about one month after the application is filed.
Prerequisites for Acceptance
Formality examination checks whether the application documents are complete, whether the entries are properly filled in, whether the specimen is clear, and whether the official fee has been paid. Applications that meet the requirements are accepted; those with defects trigger a notice to make corrections within a time limit, and acceptance follows once the corrections are satisfactory; for applications that are not accepted, a written notice is issued stating the reasons.
What the Notice of Acceptance Does
- It evidences the filing date and application number: the filing date is the critical point in time for determining prior rights.
- You may label the mark with "TM" or indicate "trademark application pending" to show partners and platforms that the brand is already in the registration process.
- Some e-commerce platforms require the Notice of Acceptance for onboarding or qualification filing.
What It Does Not Allow
Receiving the Notice of Acceptance does not grant the exclusive right to use the trademark. You may not label the mark with "®" or the words "Registered Trademark"; doing so constitutes the illegal act of passing off an unregistered trademark as a registered one. The application may still be refused during substantive examination, and the legal risk of using "®" after a refusal is even greater.
What to Do If You Have Not Received It
For online applications, you can check the status and download the electronic document in the CNIPA online service system. If the normal period (about one month) has passed with no notice and no result in the system, verify with CNIPA or your agency whether a notice of non-acceptance or a correction notice has been issued.
If you are facing the issues above, you can first run a self-service registration check on MyTMBee to confirm feasibility before deciding whether to file, avoiding wasted official fees from blind filings.