Institutional remit
Intellectual property administration
01Position in the system
Position in the system
CNIPA is the national administrative authority through which users encounter major patent, trademark and related intellectual-property procedures in China. A researcher should distinguish CNIPA's administrative role from the role of the People's Courts. Registration, examination and specified administrative procedures follow administrative routes, while infringement litigation and judicial review follow the applicable court route.
What it doesReceives and examines patent and trademark filings; publishes examination guidance and administrative IP decisions.
When it mattersTrademark clearance and filing, patent prosecution, invalidation, and administrative IP strategy before court enforcement.
02Jurisdiction
What falls within this authority’s remit
Nationwide (PRC)
•Official service routes
Match the task to the official service
Use the route that corresponds to the filing, inquiry or administrative service you need.
CNIPA’s official service navigation separates patent applications and formalities, patent payments, examination-information queries, reexamination and invalidation, trademark applications and searches, geographical-indication services, and integrated-circuit layout-design services. Start with the service category that matches the administrative task. A registration or examination route is not a substitute for identifying the appropriate court when the issue is infringement litigation or judicial review.
Patent application and procedures
Patent filing, prosecution and related patent procedures
Open official servicePatent examination information query
Public examination-information inquiry
Open official serviceTrademark online application
Online trademark application and related services
Open official serviceTrademark guidance
Official application guidance and filing routes
Open official serviceIntegrated public IP services
One-stop public service portal for patents, trademarks and related IP services
Open official service03Official resources
Rules, services and official notices
Start with primary institutional sources. Verify service links and procedural status before relying on a filing path.
05Related legal concepts
Build the vocabulary around your research
Short, practical definitions for concepts most likely to appear alongside this institution.
06Primary sources
How this entry was source-reviewed
The review date describes when the listed primary sources were checked. It is not a guarantee that jurisdiction remains unchanged after that date.
CNIPA official websiteIdentity and regulatory remit
Open source
CNIPA Patent Business Processing SystemPatent application, procedure, fee and query services
Open source
CNIPA English trademark application guidanceForeign trademark application route and official trademark service links
Open source
Reference boundary
This page is a research starting point.
It does not determine jurisdiction for a specific dispute. Confirm current rules, procedural status and the facts of a live matter with qualified counsel.