A company engaged a trademark agency to file a multi-class registration application. Because the Power of Attorney for Trademark Agency lacked the company seal, and the applicant name on the application form differed slightly from the business license, CNIPA issued successive correction notices. The documents traveled back and forth between the applicant and the agency for re-signing and re-sealing, delaying acceptance by nearly two months.
Reconstruction of the Situation
The company planned a single-mark multi-class application covering three classes. After signing the contract with the agency, it provided a scanned copy of its business license and completed confirmation through the electronic authorization process. However, the submitted documents had two problems: first, the paper Power of Attorney for Trademark Agency circulating in the workflow bore only the handler's signature, without the company seal; second, the applicant name on the application form omitted the character "市" from the company name, so it did not match the full name on the business license. During formality examination, CNIPA issued correction notices for both problems in turn. Because the company's seal-use process required internal approval, each correction took several weeks, leaving the application unaccepted for a long time.
Problem Analysis
- Signature and seal are validity requirements for the power of attorney: the Power of Attorney for Trademark Agency is the statutory document proving agency authority; where the applicant is an enterprise, the company seal is required—a handler's signature alone does not constitute valid execution.
- Name consistency is a hard checkpoint in formality examination: the applicant name must match the business license character for character, including administrative-division wording, full-width versus half-width brackets, and organizational-form suffixes; any discrepancy triggers a correction notice.
- Multiple classes magnified the cost of delay: document problems in a single-mark multi-class application affect all designated classes, and examination of all three classes was suspended during the correction period.
- A responsibility blind spot in the communication chain: the applicant assumed that "signing the contract finished the job," while the agency assumed that "electronic confirmation was enough"; neither side performed a final check of signatures, seals, and name consistency before submission.
Outcome
After the company affixed the seal and corrected the applicant name, it submitted the corrections; CNIPA confirmed they were satisfactory and accepted the application. The filing date and application number were preserved, but overall progress was delayed by nearly two months, and the company missed its planned brand-launch milestone.
Lessons Learned
- Perform a dual check of "signature/seal + name" before submission: check each power of attorney and application form for complete signatures and seals, and compare the applicant name with the business license character by character.
- Allow time for seal use: where corporate seal use requires internal approval, arrange it in advance to avoid passive waiting during corrections.
- Define an agency handover checklist: agree with the agency on a document-confirmation step before submission, and submit only after both sides confirm in writing that the documents are complete.
- Respond quickly to correction notices: corrections have a deadline (usually 30 days); failure to comply in time is deemed abandonment of the application.
Similar High-Frequency Situations
- Applying under an old company name after a name change, or failing to use updated license information after the license is renewed.
- A natural-person application bearing only a seal without a signature (individual applications require the applicant's own signature).
- Alterations on the power of attorney not confirmed with a signature or seal at the altered place.
- In joint applications by multiple applicants, some co-owners omitting their signatures.
If you need to handle the matters above, you can submit a trademark agency registration application on MyTMBee, and a CNIPA-recorded agent will follow through on the process.