27 Oct 2025 | The Importance of Evidence of “Long-Term Use”

1. If the (Hong Kong) Intellectual Property Department or the China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) accepts evidence of “long-term use” provided by a trademark applicant, the applicant can build a reputation and demonstrate that the trademark in the application is distinctive (Distinctiveness). Therefore, citing evidence of long-term use is extremely important. 2. Regrettably, many trademark applicants fail to provide “appropriate” evidence of “long-term use” to the Intellectual Property Department and/or the CNIPA, resulting in “insufficient evidence.” This is the... MORE