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China Trademark Law 2026 Revision: Key Changes Every Brand Owner Must Know

Introduction China has completed the most consequential rewrite of its Trademark Law in over a decade. On June 26, 2026, the 23rd Meeting of the Standing Committee of the Fourteenth National People's Congress adopted a comprehensive revision of the Trademark Law of the People's Republic of China — the fifth amendment since the law was first enacted in 1982, and the first substantive overhaul since the narrow 2019 revision. The revised law, comprising 87 articles across nine chapters (up from 73 articles in eight chapters under the outgoing law), will enter into force on January 1, 2027. Trademarks registered before that date remain valid. For brand owners, in-house counsel, and IP practitioners with China exposure, this is not a routine update. The revision touches registration standards, opposition timelines, well-known mark protection, damages calculations, and — perhaps most significantly — the treatment of bad-faith and speculative filings that have long troubled foreig...
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India Increases Official Fees for Trademark Filing: Trademark (Amendment) Rules, 2014

The Trademark (Amendment) Rules, 2014 have been notified, revising the official government fees payable for trademark filings in India. With effect from August 1, 2014, the government fee for filing a trademark application has been increased from INR 3,500 to INR 4,000 per class—an increase of approximately 15%.

A Pattern of Periodic Fee Revisions

This is not the first such revision in recent years. The government fee had previously been increased in December 2010, when it rose from INR 2,500 to INR 3,500 per class. The latest amendment, therefore, marks the second increase within a four-year period, reflecting the Trademark Registry's ongoing efforts to align its fee structure with rising administrative and operational costs.

Increase in Fee for Expedited Examination

Alongside the increase in the standard filing fee, the government fee for expedited (express) examination of trademark applications has also been revised upward, from INR 17,500 to INR 20,000 per class. Expedited examination allows applicants to have their applications examined on a priority basis, ahead of applications in the standard examination queue, and is often availed by brand owners seeking swift registration to support enforcement or commercial launch timelines.

Implications for Brand Owners and Applicants

For businesses and individuals filing trademark applications in India—whether as first-time applicants or as part of ongoing portfolio expansion—these revisions translate into a modest but tangible increase in the cost of securing trademark protection. Applicants planning multi-class filings, in particular, should account for the cumulative impact of this increase, as the revised fee applies on a per-class basis.

Brand owners considering expedited examination should similarly factor in the increased cost when weighing the benefits of faster processing against the additional expense involved.

Conclusion

While the increase in government fees is relatively modest in absolute terms, it reflects a consistent upward trend in the cost of trademark filing and prosecution in India. Applicants and brand owners are advised to keep track of such regulatory updates, as they directly impact filing strategy and budgeting for trademark portfolio management in India.

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