QUESTION: What to do when the registration system account or password is forgotten?

ANSWER: The applicant or the agent for registration of intellectual properties for Customs protection should carefully keep the account name and password. If the account name or password is forgotten, the applicant or the agent may ask for the same from the IPR Enforcement Office of the Department of Policy & Legal Affairs of the General Administration of Customs.

A written application should be filed in the prescribed format to the General Administration of Customs for the recovery of account number or password, with the signature or seal of the registration applicant or agent affixed thereto. After the verification of identity, the General Administration of Customs will send the account number or password to the contact’s e-mail box saved in the registration system. Where the contact changes the e-mail address, the application shall be attached with the photocopy of the applicant’s identity certificate document; where the agent handles the registration, the photocopy of the agent’s identity certificate document should be provided as well.

IPR Enforcement Office of the Department of Policy & Legal Affairs of the General Administration of Customs

Fax: 010-65195358 , E-mail: [email protected]

QUESTION: According to the requirements of the General Administration of Customs, the photocopies of the registration materials shall be marked with “in consistency with the original” and affixed with the signature and seal.  Who shall affix such signature and seal?

ANSWER: The words “in consistency with the original” are required to be marked on the photocopy with signature and seal affixed thereto. The purpose is to remind the applicant to ensure the authenticity and accuracy of the photocopies. The applicant should mark these words and sign and seal the photocopies in principle, however, the agent may do the same if the applicant authorizes the agent to handle the registration.

QUESTION: Can the applicant’s incorrect registration information or registration right information filled in the registration system be altered after submission?

ANSWER: At present, the system does not allow the applicant’s registration information or registration right information to be altered after submission. If the information submitted is found to be incorrect, the applicant may print the application with the incorrect content marked, correct content annotated and signature affixed thereto, and send the same to the General Administration of Customs, for the alternation of incorrect information saved in the registration system during the review.

In order to further facilitate the right holder, the General Administration of Customs updates the registration system in 2010, enabling the applicant to alter the recorded contact information.

QUESTION: Why does the “Registration Application System for Customs Protection of Intellectual Property” show that the registration application is “not accepted yet” or “examined or enter into examination process” rather than “approved” though the person remitting the registration expenses has received the registration expenses receipt issued by the General Administration of Customs?

ANSWER: The issuance of the intellectual property registration expenses receipt and the examination of the intellectual property registration application are performed by the financial office (Financial Department of the General Administration of Customs) and business office (Department of Policies, Laws and Regulations of the General Administration of Customs), respectively. The registration expenses and the registration application are paid and filed by the applicant to the General Administration of Customs through bank and postal office (express company), respectively. 

The registration expenses is usually received earlier than the written application for registration, and the financial office of the General Administration of Customs often issues the registration expenses receipt to the remitter immediately after it receives the registration expenses; in comparison, the written application sent by the applicant arrives at a later time. Given the above reasons, it is probable that the applicant has received the registration expenses receipt but the business department has not received the written application or just started to examine the written application. Therefore, it is normal that the General Administration of Customs issues the registration expenses receipt and accepts or examines the application for registration at different time.

QUESTION: May the applicant set special requirements for the title of the registration expenses receipt?

ANSWER: Generally, the financial officers of the General Administration of Customs issue the receipt titled with the person remitting the registration expenses. However, where the invoice title issued as required by the applicant is not the remitter, remark may be made in the remark column of the bank money order.

QUESTION: I do not know why the bank returns the registration expenses paid through bank for the intellectual property registration application, and I find no problem after I check the account number provided by you on the internet.

ANSWER: It should be caused by the incomplete account number filled in by the applicant. Recently, it is found out that the registration expenses paid to the General Administration of Customs through the internet bank are frequently returned by bank. We have asked the bank in this regard. The bank gives a reply that the network account number should be added before bank account number for the bank transfer. For example, the number of the bank account for registration expenses paid to the General Administration of Customs is 09014407044 and the network account number for the same is 02000007. The remittance will not be returned by bank if you fill in the complete account information provided below for bank transfer.

Account name: General Administration of Customs of the People’s Republic of China

Account number: 0200000709014407044

Please remit the expenses to: Wangfujing Sub-branch Office, Beijing Branch, Industrial and Commercial Bank of China