China Trademark Search: Official Tools and a Buyer's Checklist

A supplier sends you a trademark certificate. The logo looks right, and the company says it owns the brand. Before treating that as permission to place an order, check the underlying record: which mark, which owner, which goods, and which status?

For a China trademark search, start with the China Trademark Office portal. Use its online inquiry service to investigate a particular mark or applicant. For additional searches, consider TMview and WIPO's Global Brand Database, then confirm important findings against the Chinese record.

This guide covers finding records and turning them into useful questions for a supplier. For the broader assessment of a company's patents, trademarks and related risks, see our Chinese company intellectual property due diligence guide. Our official website directory's trademark entry provides the channel reference.

Where to search Chinese trademarks

The CNIPA English homepage has a Trademark link under Search. The China Trademark Office portal also displays an English link. That link leads to English information; its presence does not establish that every subsequent search or account screen is available in English.

TMview is the EU-run search tool that brings together trademark data from participating offices. Check its list of participating offices and each record's dates before relying on it for a Chinese mark, and confirm anything important against the Chinese record.

WIPO documents searches using names, numbers, keywords, goods and services, and image similarity in its Global Brand Database guide page. WIPO also recommends considering national or regional registers. Use the database's coverage information before relying on a search for a particular jurisdiction.

Before you search: collect a usable evidence pack

Ask the supplier for:

• Its Chinese legal name as shown on its business license.
• The complete trademark application or registration number.
• A clear image of the mark, including any Chinese wording.
• The goods or services the supplier says the registration covers.
• The name of the trademark owner.
• Any authorization on which the supplier relies if it is not the owner.
• The exact product and packaging you intend to order.

Keep the original documents alongside any translation. A translation is a working aid; it should not replace the original name or number in your notes.

If you have only an English trading name, begin with Chinese business license verification. Establish the contracting entity before comparing its name with the trademark record.

Use the Unified Social Credit Code to organize your company identity checks. Do not assume that a company identifier is accepted as a search field by every trademark tool.

How to run a CNIPA trademark search

1. Start from the official portal

Open the China Trademark Office website and look for the trademark inquiry service, labeled 商标查询, and its 网上查询 entry.

The portal also presents trademark announcements and registration-certificate publicity services. Choose the service that matches your question; opening an announcement page is not the same as searching a company's portfolio.

If you arrive through a search engine, check the destination carefully. CNIPA's English trademark FAQ section provides guidance rather than a searchable list of trademark records.

2. Follow the account instructions

In an official response dated 26 August 2025, the Trademark Office said online trademark inquiry requires a non-filing account registration or use of an online-filing account. See CNIPA's published account guidance.

Treat this as documented account guidance, not a guarantee that the registration screens or overseas verification requirements remain identical. Follow the current service instructions.

If access fails, record the problem separately from the search result. “I could not enter the database” does not mean “this trademark does not exist.”

3. Use the number for a certificate check

If the supplier supplied a registration or application number, make that your first lookup where the service offers number search.

Copy it from the original document. Check for missing digits or characters introduced by optical character recognition. Keep application and registration labels in your notes rather than silently treating them as interchangeable.

On the matching record, compare the mark itself, the named applicant or registrant, the goods or services, and the dated status information. A matching number alone should not close the check.

4. Use the applicant name for a portfolio check

To investigate what a supplier has filed, use its exact Chinese legal name in an applicant or owner search where available. If you have documented former names or relevant affiliates, search those separately and label the results.

Do not silently combine every similarly named company into one portfolio. Ask the supplier to explain any mismatch, then verify the relationship through company identity checks.

For a supplier claiming authorization from a separate owner, request the authorization itself. Searching the supplier's name alone does not examine that authorization.

5. Search the brand separately

To investigate your proposed brand, work from the brand name and logo rather than only the supplier's name.

Build a search list containing the exact wording, proposed Chinese name, known transliterations, spelling variations and relevant visual elements. Use text and image tools where supported.

This is a screening plan, not a rule that a fixed list of searches guarantees clearance. If a close match appears, preserve the record and have a trademark professional assess the issue before you commit to packaging or production.

6. Preserve what you actually checked

For each material result, record the database, query, filters, record number, URL and search date. Save the record or screenshot if the service permits it.

Your notes should let a colleague reproduce the search. Avoid conclusions such as “CNIPA checked” with no indication of the name, number or product searched.

How to read a China trademark search result

Use this worksheet when reviewing a record or certificate. Field labels vary by service; the Chinese terms below are a reading aid rather than a promise about a particular screen layout.

WIPO describes the Nice Classification as the international system used to classify goods and services for trademark registration. Treat a class number as a starting point: record the detailed goods or services and ask for a professional assessment if the match is unclear.

China's 2019 Trademark Law text, Article 56 ties a registered mark's exclusive right to the approved mark and approved goods. Article 57 also addresses relevant uses of similar marks and similar goods. A different spelling or class heading is therefore not, by itself, a dependable clearance conclusion.

Legal date note: CNIPA's published promulgation notice states that the trademark law revision adopted in June 2026 takes effect on 1 January 2027. The statutory references above identify the 2019 text; this guide does not calculate filing, opposition or dispute deadlines.

What the results mean for a buyer

The owner matches your supplier

Record that specific finding, together with the number, goods and search date.

Do not expand it into “this supplier is trustworthy.” Continue reviewing the legal entity, contract, payment recipient and production arrangements. The mark search answers an IP question within your wider company due diligence.

The owner is a different company

Ask for an explanation and supporting documents. The relationship might involve a brand owner, affiliate, distributor or manufacturer, but you should not assume which one.

Request authorization identifying the parties, relevant marks, products, permitted activities, territory and duration. If the supplier relies on a chain of permissions, ask who can authorize whom.

A different owner is a reason to investigate, not enough on its own to accuse the supplier of counterfeiting.

The record is an application rather than a completed registration

Describe it as an application. Ask for evidence supporting any separate claim that registration has been completed.

If your purchase depends on exclusive branding rights, make that unresolved point explicit in the purchasing decision. Avoid letting a certificate image or a sales representative's wording replace the record.

You find a similar mark

Save it and flag it for specialist review. Do not decide the outcome using name similarity alone.

Give the reviewer your intended packaging, product description and markets. A vague question such as “Is this brand safe?” is less useful than a defined proposed use.

You find no result

Check the identifier, name variants, jurisdiction, filters and database coverage. Repeat the search with a second suitable resource where possible.

Write “No matching record found using the documented queries”, not “the brand is available.” A failed lookup is also not evidence that a supplier is dishonest.

An illustrative supplier check

Suppose a supplier offers goods bearing your proposed brand and sends a registration certificate. The number resolves to a record, but the registrant is another company and the listed goods do not clearly match your product.

This is a hypothetical example, not a reported customer case.

Your next steps should be specific:

1. Ask the supplier to identify its relationship with the registrant.
2. Obtain the relevant authorization and check the parties named in it.
3. Ask a trademark professional to assess the goods and proposed use.
4. Keep branded packaging approval pending until the discrepancy is resolved.
5. Continue checking the company and the transaction independently.

For production planning, see our private label manufacturing guide. Use this trademark workflow for the record check, rather than treating a sourcing checklist as brand clearance.

Frequently asked questions

Can I do a China trademark search in English?

Yes, English-language resources can help you start. CNIPA has an English website with search links, and the trademark portal displays an English link. WIPO's Global Brand Database provides an additional search route. This does not establish that every CNIPA account or record screen is fully translated. Keep the original Chinese names and mark images for verification.

Do I need an account for CNIPA trademark search?

CNIPA's published August 2025 answer says online inquiry requires a non-filing account registration or an online-filing account. Follow the current instructions; this guide does not promise that overseas account verification will work in every situation.

Can I start a free China trademark search?

WIPO describes its Global Brand Database as a free public service in its official FAQ. Check the collections covered, then confirm important Chinese findings through the relevant official records. Free access does not turn a preliminary search into legal clearance.

Can I use TMview for Chinese trademarks?

TMview is a useful second route. Check its current list of participating offices and the dates on the individual record, then confirm anything that affects a purchasing decision against the Chinese record.

Can I search by trademark application or registration number?

Use a number-search option where available. WIPO explicitly documents number searching. Preserve the identifier from the source and compare the resulting mark, party and goods; do not rely on the number match alone.

Does a matching result mean my supplier can use the brand?

It does not establish the supplier's complete authority for your transaction. Compare the registrant with the supplier and examine any relevant authorization. WIPO explains that a trademark owner can license use to another party in its trademark overview.

Does no result mean I can register or use the name?

No. Record the limits of the search and obtain a clearance assessment before relying on the result. WIPO itself recommends considering national or regional registers in addition to its Global Brand Database.

Should I check patents as well?

If the supplier makes claims about a protected mechanism, process or product appearance, investigate those separately. Our China patent search guide explains the document workflow, and the official directory's patent entry identifies the government channel. A trademark search does not evaluate those technical claims.

Check the company behind the mark

Keep two workstreams in your purchasing file: the trademark record and the supplier's company identity. Neither should be used to fill gaps in the other.

Review ChineseCheck sample reports to understand the company-report format, and check current plans before ordering. A company credit report should not be treated as a trademark clearance opinion.

About the Author

Written by the ChineseCheck Research Team. This guide draws on the official sources linked above and provides a practical workflow for overseas buyers. Source review date: 1 November 2026. It does not provide a legal opinion on any particular mark or transaction.