Trademark registration
Protect your brand in the markets you sell to, with a clearance search first, filing per class and help with objections from the trademark office.
- Price
- from US$499
- Billed
- per class
- Timing
- 4–18 months
A registered trademark gives you the exclusive right to use your brand for the goods and services it covers, in the territory where it is registered. Without one, a competitor or reseller may register your name first, and marketplaces and payment platforms may ask for proof of rights before protecting your listings.
We search for conflicts, recommend the classes and markets that matter, file the application and handle objections. Filing starts at US$499 per class, per office.
Registration is decided by each trademark office after examination and, in most places, a publication period during which others can oppose. Timelines range from a few months to well over a year.
What’s included
- Clearance search for identical and similar marks in the chosen offices
- Advice on classes and the wording of goods and services
- Filing with the national or regional office, or through the Madrid System where the office is a member (Hong Kong applications go directly to the IPD)
- Response to office actions and examiner objections
- Renewal reminders and records in your portal
Who it is for
- E-commerce brands selling on marketplaces that offer brand protection to trademark owners
- Start-ups that want to secure a name before launch
- Businesses expanding into China, the EU or the US
- Companies that hold a trademark in one market and want international protection
Ask about trademark registration
AI answers from OCC’s published prices & facts · no sign-upHow it works
- Step 1BriefYou tell us the mark, logo if any, what you sell and where. We propose classes and offices.
- Step 2Clearance searchWe search for conflicting marks and give you a plain-language risk view before you file.
- Step 3FileWe file the application with the right description of goods and services for each class.
- Step 4Examination and publicationThe office examines the mark and publishes it. We answer objections and monitor oppositions.
- Step 5RegistrationOnce registered, the certificate goes into your portal with the renewal date.
Available for
HK
SG
US
UKClasses: what you are protecting
Most trademark offices use the Nice Classification, administered by WIPO, which divides goods and services into 45 classes. Classes 1 to 34 cover goods and classes 35 to 45 cover services.
Your registration protects the mark only for the goods and services listed. A clothing brand registered in class 25 is not automatically protected for cosmetics in class 3. Choose the classes you use now and those you plan to enter soon, because adding goods later means a new application.
The wording inside each class matters as much as the class number. Descriptions that are too broad draw objections; ones that are too narrow leave gaps. We draft the description to match what you actually sell.
Where to file: national offices or the Madrid System
Trademarks are territorial. A Hong Kong registration protects you in Hong Kong only. To be protected in several markets, you file in each one, or use an international route.
The Madrid System, run by WIPO, lets you file one international application in one set of fees, designating many member territories at once. It covers more than 130 countries through its members. It requires a base application or registration in a Madrid member office, and each designated office still examines the mark under its own law.
Hong Kong is a separate trademark territory from mainland China, and registration in one does not protect you in the other. As of September 2026 the Madrid Protocol does not yet apply to Hong Kong, so Hong Kong applications are filed directly with the Intellectual Property Department (IPD) and Hong Kong cannot be designated in a Madrid application. For brands selling in both places, we file in each. The EU trade mark covers all EU member states in a single registration with the EUIPO.
- National filing: one office, one country, local examination
- EU trade mark: one registration for all EU member states
- Madrid System: one international application, many designated territories, based on a home filing
Why the clearance search comes first
Examiners refuse marks that conflict with earlier ones, and owners of earlier marks can oppose your application. Filing without a search risks losing the filing fees and, worse, building a brand you cannot protect.
A clearance search looks for identical and similar marks in the same or related classes. It cannot rule out every risk, but it shows you where the risks are before you spend money on filing.
After registration
In Hong Kong, as with most major offices, a registration lasts 10 years and can be renewed for further 10-year periods on payment of the renewal fee. We record each renewal date in your portal and remind you well before it.
Use the mark as registered. In several jurisdictions, a mark that is not used for a continuous period can be removed from the register on application by a third party.
Keep evidence of use, such as dated invoices, packaging and screenshots, for each market and class. It is what you will need if your registration is challenged or if you have to enforce it against a copycat.
Trademarks and online marketplaces
Several large marketplaces run brand protection programmes that let trademark owners report copycat listings and control product pages. Most accept a registered trademark, and some accept a pending application, in the countries where the marketplace operates.
If marketplace protection is your main goal, file first in the countries where the marketplace requires the mark. We match the filing plan to the programme's current rules before you file.
Trademark registration, FAQ
How long does trademark registration take?
Does a Hong Kong trademark protect me in mainland China?
How many classes do I need?
What is an office action?
Can I register a logo and a word mark together?
Should I use the Madrid System or file country by country?
Who owns the trademark, me or my company?
Sources
- Madrid System: the international trademark system, WIPO (accessed Sep 2026) (opens in a new tab)
- Nice Classification, WIPO (accessed Sep 2026) (opens in a new tab)
- How to classify my goods and services, Intellectual Property Department, Hong Kong (accessed Sep 2026) (opens in a new tab)
- Application of the Madrid Protocol to the Hong Kong SAR, Intellectual Property Department, Hong Kong (accessed Sep 2026) (opens in a new tab)
General information, not legal or tax advice. Your specialist confirms current rules and fees in your quote.
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