1
Free triage
Send us the Notice of Opposition and your original application. We read the grounds, identify the senior right, and tell you on a free call what the defence looks like and what it costs, before any work begins.
ChinaCNIPA Trademark Office oppositionSomeone opposed your China mark? Answer before the window closes.
An experienced attorney reads the grounds, drafts your Answer, and files it with the CNIPA Trademark Office inside your deadline, so an opposition doesn't cost you the mark.
Your CNIPA Trademark Office answer deadline is firm. Miss it and the application is abandoned. Defence from $300 per matter; CNIPA tribunal fees at cost.
Grounds assessed
Oppose or defend
Pleadings filed
On the record
Brand defended
To decision
8,261+ filed10,891+ clients100+ jurisdictions
8,261+ filed10,891+ clients100+ jurisdictions11 attorneys
Trusted by founders and brands worldwide
How it works
Three steps to a defended China opposition.
2
Cooling-off and settlement check
Most China oppositions have a built-in cooling-off period. We use it to assess settlement viability. Narrowing your spec, coexistence agreement, or letter of consent, which often resolves the matter faster and cheaper than full litigation.
3
Pleadings, evidence, decision
If settlement isn't viable, we draft the Answer/Counter-Statement, assemble the evidence package, and represent you through to a CNIPA Trademark Office (with appeals to the Trademark Review and Adjudication Board) decision. Appeals to the next-tier forum are scoped and quoted separately.
Know the grounds
Common China opposition grounds.
The substantive bases an opposer can cite against you here, and what a strong defence looks like for each.
Article 30 Prior conflicting mark
Senior CNIPA registration covers identical or similar goods (often in the same sub-class). Defence relies on sub-class differentiation, goods narrowing, or coexistence settlement.
Article 11 Lack of distinctiveness
Opposer argues your mark is generic, descriptive, or non-distinctive in Mandarin. Defence relies on Mandarin acquired-distinctiveness evidence from the Chinese market.
Article 32 Prior use / bad-faith filing
Opposer alleges your application was filed in bad faith with knowledge of a prior unregistered Chinese mark with established commercial use. Defence challenges the prior-use evidence and lack of bad-faith intent.
What it costs
Defence from $300, the rest quoted after a free triage.
The initial Answer is a flat fee. Evidence rounds, hearings, and appeals depend on the cited grounds and are quoted in writing before any work begins, never billed by surprise. CNIPA tribunal fees are passed through at cost.
What the defence includes
- Notice of Opposition triage. Read the grounds, identify the senior right, scope the defence
- Cooling-off period management (where CNIPA Trademark Office (with appeals to the Trademark Review and Adjudication Board) allows). Explore coexistence
- Answer / Counter-Statement drafted to the tribunal's pleading rules
- Evidence package: use specimens, market data, prior-registration certificates, expert declarations
- Tribunal filing via the CNIPA portal with deadline management
- Adverse-decision strategy: appeal to with appeals to the Trademark Review and Adjudication Board if needed
- One round of pleadings + one round of evidence exchange included; further rounds quoted upfront
- Settlement and coexistence-agreement drafting available throughout the proceeding
- Initial response + Answer / Counter-Statement
- From $300
- Full evidence round (declarations, specimens, prior-registration package)
- Quoted upfront
- Coexistence agreement drafting and execution
- Quoted per matter
- Hearing / oral argument representation (if applicable)
- Quoted upfront
- Appeal to higher tribunal
- Quoted upfront
CNIPA tribunal fees are typically minimal compared to the attorney work; they are passed through at cost.
Get started
Defend your China trademark opposition
Tell us about the opposition and a GTC attorney will scope your defence and email a flat-fee quote.
Your China answer deadline is firm, a missed one means default judgment and abandonment. Send the Notice now and we'll triage today.
Why GTC
An online-first firm, built for CNIPA Trademark Office oppositions.
Free triage before you commit
Send us the Notice of Opposition and an attorney reads the grounds, identifies the senior right, and quotes a flat fee, before any work or payment.
Drafted to the CNIPA Trademark Office rules
A qualified attorney drafts your Answer to the cited grounds, and you approve every argument before it is filed.
Your answer deadline, diarised
We diary the CNIPA Trademark Office answer date the moment you engage and file inside it, a missed deadline is a default judgment.
One team across 100+ offices
The same team defends oppositions at the CNIPA Trademark Office and at every other registry your brand reaches.
Your Customer Success Team
A dedicated team that owns your matter from start to finish.
Every GTC client gets a dedicated Account Manager and a Senior Account Manager who learn your business and stay with you from first email to final filing. They are named people who pick up the phone and already know your matter, so every step moves forward without delay.
Your Account Manager
Your day-to-day point of contact, who coordinates every matter, keeps things moving, and already knows your file. They have your full history, so you start every conversation where the last one left off.
Your Senior Account Manager
Senior oversight on strategy and escalations, stepping in as your needs grow, so every important detail stays on track.
A named person, on email or a call, at every step.
How we compare
Facing a CNIPA opposition? Here's what sets GTC apart.
| What you get | GTC | Online filing services | Doing it yourself |
|---|---|---|---|
| An attorney reads the Notice and identifies the senior right | |||
| Answer drafted to the tribunal's rules and filed in your window | |||
| Cooling-off / coexistence settlement explored where viable | |||
| Evidence package assembled, specimens, market data, prior-use proofs | |||
| One team for oppositions across 100+ offices | |||
| Tribunal fees passed through at cost |
An attorney reads the Notice and identifies the senior right
GTC
Online filing services
Doing it yourself
Answer drafted to the tribunal's rules and filed in your window
GTC
Online filing services
Doing it yourself
Cooling-off / coexistence settlement explored where viable
GTC
Online filing services
Doing it yourself
Evidence package assembled, specimens, market data, prior-use proofs
GTC
Online filing services
Doing it yourself
One team for oppositions across 100+ offices
GTC
Online filing services
Doing it yourself
Tribunal fees passed through at cost
GTC
Online filing services
Doing it yourself
The timeline
From publication to decision, with the CNIPA Trademark Office.
An opposition runs on a fixed procedural calendar. Here is what to expect once the Notice is served.
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Publication
Your mark publishes
The CNIPA publishes your mark and the 3 months opposition window opens.
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Within the window
Notice of Opposition served
A third party files against your mark. Send it over, an attorney reads the grounds and quotes the defence before any work begins.
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Answer due
Drafted, approved & filed
We draft the Answer to the CNIPA Trademark Office rules, you approve it, and we file inside your deadline.
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Cooling-off / evidence
Settlement explored, evidence filed
Where viable we pursue coexistence; otherwise we assemble and file the evidence package.
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Decision
The CNIPA Trademark Office decides
We see the proceeding through to the decision; appeals are scoped and quoted upfront.
In their words
I've had the pleasure of working with Rajat for many years. He has expertly guided me through the process of registering my company in the USA, Canada, UK, Australia, New Zealand, and more. His deep knowledge of trademark law across jurisdictions is impressive.
Darius Tay, ID
ExcellentTrustpilot8,261+
Trademarks filed
10,891+
Clients served
100+
Jurisdictions
11
In-house attorneys
China opposition FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Initial Answer/Counter-Statement is typically due within 30-60 days of the Notice being served. CNIPA Trademark Office (with appeals to the Trademark Review and Adjudication Board) sets the exact procedural calendar, but missing the answer deadline results in default judgment and abandonment of your application.
More China trademark services
Other registries
Opposed in a different country?
Each guide covers that office's opposition window, the grounds it hears, and the defence strategy. Filing or defending somewhere else? The opposition hub maps both sides for every registry.
USPTO
United States
30 days to oppose
§2(d) likelihood of confusion, §2(e) descriptiveness, dilution
See the United States guide
EUIPO
European Union
3 months to oppose
Article 8. Earlier marks & EU reputation
See the European Union guide
UKIPO
United Kingdom
2 months to oppose
Sections 5(2)–5(4). Confusion, reputation, earlier rights
See the United Kingdom guide
IPIndia
India
4 months to oppose
§11 relative grounds, well-known marks, §9 absolute grounds
See the India guide
File or defend
The opposition hub
Filing an opposition against someone else's mark, or not sure which side you're on? The hub covers both, in every registry.
File or defend an opposition
Send us the Notice of Opposition.
Ready when you are.
Free 30-minute triage call. We'll read the grounds, identify the senior right, and share a defence strategy + flat-fee quote before any work begins.
