Written by Rongmei ZHANG

On June 4, 2026, the CNIPA issued a further notice regarding adjustments to the service of official documents.

Specifically, the CNIPA announces that, effective June 5, 2026, the CNIPA’s official documents relating to non-use cancellation actions against Madrid international trademark registrations, such as "Notice Requiring Submission of Use Evidence of the Registered Trademark or Explanation of Justifiable Non-Use", "Cancellation Decision of Trademark Registration" and "Case Closure Notice for Trademark Cancellation", will no longer be served directly to the trademark registrant by paper mail. Instead, these documents will be forwarded to the registrant electronically by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).

If the registrant of a Madrid international trademark has appointed a Chinese agent to take over the defense, the relevant official documents will be sent over to the appointed Chinese agent, which is the same as the current rule. If no Chinese agent has been appointed, the official documents will be sent over to the email address registered at WIPO.

We have communicated with the Trademark Office of CNIPA about the reason of change. They indicated that the previous paper-based service of the official documents appeared to be unsatisfactory, resulting in a large number of deliveries being returned. Through electronic service, the CNIPA hopes to achieve more effective delivery to registrants or their agents.

This change underscores the importance of maintaining an accurate email address registered with WIPO. Particularly, for cases where no Chinese agent has been appointed, an accurate email address will be the only way to ensure that trademark owners or their non-Chinese agents can directly receive the official documents from CNIPA regarding cancellation actions.  

Should you have any questions about this topic or would like to learn more about Chinese IP practices, please feel free to contact us at patent@foundin.cn and trademark@foundin.cn.