Time Restriction: 12 months for Patent, 6 months for Trademark and Registered Design 

The claiming of convention priority will be very important. For instance, in a scenario where two applications filed for a similar or identical mark are kept for examination, your application has to compete with another pending application. Your mark with later filing date in Hong Kong will gain priority if its filing date in the Convention country is earlier than the filing date of the other mark.The same rule applies to patent and registered design.

Under the Paris Convention, it is stipulated that any person who has duly filed an application for trademark, patent and registered design in one of the member countries, shall enjoy and have, for the purpose of filing in other countries, a priority right during the prescribed periods, normally, 6 months for trademark and registered design from the first date of filing in the original country, while 12 months for patent from the earliest date of filing for the same invention.

There are currently 28 member states of the European Union, including Austria, Belgium Demark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and United Kingdom.

It usually takes about 15 months from the date of filing the ITR application. 

The prerequisite for an applicant to file an application for an international trademark registration in China is one of the following:-

(a) The applicant has got the trade mark registration certificate in China; or

(b) The trademark application in China has passed examination and published in Trademark Gazette; or

(c) The trademark application has been accepted by the Chinese Trademark Office.

If one of the above conditions is met, then the applicant is required to meet one of the following conditions.

(a) the applicant has a true and effective manufacture trade business place in China;

(b) the applicant has a residence in China; or

(c) the applicant has Chinese nationality.

On satisfying the above, the applicant can file an application for International Trademark Registration in China.

We provide services for applying trademark registration in most of the countries, including International Trademark Registration.

No, you have to obtain your trademark registration in each individual country. However, an European Union Trade Mark or International Trademark Registration may protect your mark in a number of countries.

Multi class application is permitted in Hong Kong.

Yes, it is necessary to seek registration in every country where protection is desired.