Under Article 35 of the Trademark Law, CNIPA shall decide whether to approve registration within twelve months from the expiry of the announcement period; where special circumstances require an extension, it may be extended by six months upon approval. In practice, for an ordinary opposition case, the common timeframe from the expiry of the announcement period to receiving the decision is about twelve to eighteen months.
Statutory Examination Time Limits
- Standard period: a decision is made within twelve months from the expiry of the announcement period;
- Extension: where special circumstances require an extension, it may be extended by six months upon approval.
"Expiry of the announcement period" here means the date on which the three-month opposition period ends, so for a trademark opposed in the first month of its announcement period, the overall span from filing the opposition to the result often exceeds one year.
Factors Affecting the Examination Duration
- Case complexity: cases involving the recognition of well-known trademarks, multiple prior rights, or large volumes of evidence take longer;
- Whether the parties' statements need to be heard and cross-examination organized;
- Where the opposed trademark covers multiple classes or numerous cited trademarks, the examination workload is greater.
What Both Parties Can Do During the Period
During the opposition examination, either party may receive correction or opinion notifications from CNIPA and should respond promptly. The opposed party should note in particular that the trademark remains unregistered during this period, and whether it will be approved will only be known once the decision is issued.
Follow-Up Time Limits If Dissatisfied with the Result
- An opponent dissatisfied with a decision approving registration cannot apply for review, but may request invalidation after the trademark is registered;
- An opposed party dissatisfied with a decision refusing registration may apply for a review of refusal of registration within fifteen days of receiving the notification, and the review procedure will add roughly several months to a year.
Practical Advice
Factor the opposition timeline into your brand planning: an opposed trademark may be delayed by more than a year and a half before its registrability is settled. For core brands, it is advisable to file across multiple classes and multiple marks to spread the risk, avoiding a passive position when a single trademark is opposed.
Note: The time limits in this article are updated as of 2026. Actual durations are affected by examination progress; CNIPA's official statements shall prevail.
If you are facing the above issues, you may first handle an opposition defense on MyTMBee to confirm feasibility before deciding whether to file, avoiding blind filings that waste official fees.