Trademark registration in HongKong shall be done with Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR). The use of a trademark is not a prerequisite for filing a trademark application. The following steps will help you have a clear look on how to register a trademark in Hong Kong easily.
Steps 1: Detect the trademark
During the process of trademark registration, registrants must dectect whether his/her trademarks are similar to registered one or not. There are 2 ways to do so:
- Trademark registrants fill out and submit a form T1 to Trademark Office for examination, where offers trademark detection and preliminary consultation service.
- Online self-detectting, trademark registrants can access to the link search.ipd.gov.hk to look up. The procedures must be fee-based.
Steps 2: Submit the trademark application
The registration documents include:
- Trademark registrants must complete the information in the form T2 in accordance with the form of HongKong Intellectual Property Department in English
- The brand image/drawing sample
- Registration fee
Once a Form T2 has been submitted, amendments to a valid application can only be permitted under section 46 of the Ordinance on Trademarks.
Any application fees for Form T2 are generally not refundable even if the application is invalid.
Then send your application to:
Trade Marks Registry, Intellectual Property Department
24 / F, Wu Chung House, Wanchai, 213 Queen’s Road East, Hong Kong, China
Step 3: Form evaluation
If the trademark registration dossier is incorrect or lack of information, the Intellectual Property agency will request the registrant to amend and supplement it.
Step 4: Evaluation
The Intellectual Property Department examines whether trademarks can satisfy trademark conditions in the Ordinance on Trademarks; thereby assessing the ability to accept registration for trademarks.
If the mark does not meet the conditions the Intellectual Property agency shall issue a notice opposing registration for the trademark. The applicant has 6 months to review and send a written response to this decision (can be extended for 3 more months).
Step 5: Trademark announcement
Once a trademark has been accepted for registration, it will be published in the Hong Kong Intellectual Property Magazine at http://www.ipd.gov.hk/eng/ip_journal.htmlm.
If there is a complaint from a third party within 3 months from the date of publication of the trademark, the trademark registrant will respond.
Step 6: Grant the Trademark Registration Certificate
Once the mark is valid, the Trademark Registry will enter the trademark details in the trademark register and will be issued a Registration Certificate. The registration notice will be published in the Hong Kong Intellectual Property Magazine, which means that the trademark has already been registered and stay valid from the date of application.
The trademark registration usually lasts at least 6 months from the date of filing the trademark application.