The official fee for a trademark assignment is RMB 500 per class, and RMB 450 per class for online applications at a 10% discount. This fee is the application fee charged by CNIPA and is a separate matter from the trademark price agreed between buyer and seller.
Cost Breakdown
A trademark assignment actually involves three categories of cost:
- Official fee: the fee for accepting an assignment of a registered trademark is RMB 500 per class (paper filing) or RMB 450 per class (online filing), charged per class;
- Trademark price: negotiated between buyer and seller, ranging from a few thousand yuan to several million, depending on the mark's reputation, the popularity of the class, the quality of the word mark and other factors;
- Agency service fee: the fee charged by an agency for handling the application, following up on examination and forwarding documents, typically starting at several hundred yuan per mark on the market.
Relationship to Trademark Value
The official fee is a small fixed cost; the real expense is the trademark price. Factors affecting the price include whether the registered class is popular (such as Class 25 clothing, Class 30 foodstuffs, Class 35 advertising and sales), whether the mark is easy to remember, whether there is a record of actual use and reputation, and whether similar trademarks are packaged together.
Money-Saving and Pitfall-Avoidance Tips
- Online filing enjoys a 10% discount on the official fee and is faster, so it should be preferred;
- Where multiple similar trademarks are assigned simultaneously, each mark requires its own official fee — budget for all of them;
- Beware of low-price traps: for trademarks priced noticeably below market, always conduct due diligence first to confirm there are no defects such as non-use cancellation, invalidation or pledge;
- Payment of the price is best made in installments tied to the approval and publication, avoiding a loss of both money and title.
Overall, the institutional cost of trademark assignment is very low; transaction risk stems mainly from information asymmetry, and thorough due diligence matters far more than saving a few hundred yuan in official fees.
Note: The fee figures in this article are updated to 2026. If official or service fees are adjusted, the latest announcements of CNIPA and service providers prevail.
In similar situations, it is advisable to consult a recorded trademark agent at MyTMBee first, assess whether a trademark assignment is needed, and then decide on the next step.