Registering a Trademark in Hong Kong: A Detailed Guide (2025)

Registering a trademark helps protect your brand comprehensively, expands legal rights and ensures that intellectual property is not infringed. 

GLA helps you avoid legal conflicts with other brands and register your trademark legally with your company in Hong Kong as well as many other regions.

1. What is Hong Kong Trademark?

As defined in the Hong Kong Trademark Act SAR (Trademark Ordiance) and Trademark Regulations (Trademark Rules) A trademark is a sign that helps distinguish the goods and services of one business from those of others. 

Typically, a brand can be a word (including a personal name), symbol, design, letter, character, numeral, figurative element, color, sound, scent, shape of goods or their packaging, or any combination of these. 

A trademark must be graphically evidenced in order to be registered under Hong Kong law with the Intellectual Property Department (IPD).

2. Why should businesses register Trademark with a Hong Kong company?

Registering a trademark helps protect your legal rights and creates peace of mind when developing your brand.

• Ensure exclusive use of the trademark for registered goods and services.
• If someone else uses your trademark in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (Hong Kong SAR) for similar products or services without your consent, you can sue for trademark infringement.
• Without registration, you can still use the trademark, but it will be more difficult to prove ownership, and the level of protection will be limited.
• Registering a trademark helps protect your legal rights and creates peace of mind when developing your brand.

3. Things to note when registering a Trademark for a Hong Kong company

3.1. Difference between SM/TM and ®

Common symbols commonly seen in the trademark registration process are: ® and ™. However, there is a difference in the usage of these two symbols.

• The R symbol indicates that the trademark is registered and protected under Hong Kong law.
• TM/SM is to show that the trademark is in the process of being registered. TM is for products and SM is for services.

3.2. Characteristics of successfully registered Trademarks in Hong Kong

Upon receipt of your application, the examiner will review it and decide whether to oppose your trademark, based on the criteria in the Trademark Ordiance. 

So, before you apply, you need to consider some important factors below:

Is the brand distinctive enough?

Does your brand stand out and easily differentiate from other brands?

If your brand (logo, words, images) can clearly distinguish your goods and services from those of your competitors, then it will be accepted.

Creative words or common words that are not related to your industry will often be considered unique and distinctive. For example, "ZAPKOR" may be acceptable for eyeglasses, while "BLOSSOM" is a suitable trademark for medical services.

Is a brand a description of your goods or services?

If your trademark simply describes the product, its quality, purpose, quantity or value, the IPD authority will object because generic descriptive phrases are common phrases that do not clarify the difference.

Similarly, if your brand contains a geographical name, IPD will also reject it.

For example, "QUALITY HANDBAGS", "FRESH AND NEW" and "NEW YORK FASHION" are all likely to be objectionable for the above reasons.

Is your brand similar to someone else's?

If someone has already registered or is registering a similar trademark for the same type of goods or services, your trademark may be rejected.

Does the application contain incorrect information?

You cannot make changes to your application once it has been submitted, except for minor clerical errors. If the IPD rejects your trademark application, you will have to file a new application and pay the fees again.

So, before filing, carefully consider the possible reasons for objection and adjust your branding accordingly.

Change information after registration

You can change basic information about the registrant's company, information about products and services after registration through form T5.

4. Detailed procedures for Trademark registration in Hong Kong

With the support of GLA's Hong Kong trademark protection experts and lawyers, the Trademark registration process will become very easy and simple.

GLA will support businesses in registering trademark protection as follows:

5. Why choose GLA to support Trademark registration in Hong Kong?

Depending on the area of ​​operation, your brand may or may not be protected by international trademark agreements. 

GLA will apply our knowledge of global intellectual property protection and take the necessary steps to protect your brand in any existing or planned expansion markets. 

GLA will support Businesses

• Work directly with Hong Kong lawyers working with IPD Hong Kong.
• Preliminary check of the enterprise's trademark protection capability.
• Support in preparing trademark registration documents for Enterprises in accordance with legal regulations.
• File a trademark application with IPD Hong Kong.
• Regular consulting support until successful trademark registration in Hong Kong.
• Support working directly with IPD when there are complaints and incidents.
• Support for Trademark registration valid throughout Hong Kong.
• Consulting and supporting issues related to Established company in Hong Kong and post-establishment issues: open hong kong bank account, open payment gateway Paypal, Stripe, etc. 

6. Frequently asked questions about Trademark registration for Hong Kong companies

Highlights

• A trademark under Hong Kong law is a sign that distinguishes the goods and services of one Hong Kong company from those of another. A trademark can be a word, image, colour, sound or shape of packaging.
• Before submitting your application, please review the information carefully and ensure that no major changes have been made since submission. The application fee is non-refundable, and you can only correct minor errors.
• Strong brands often have characteristics such as: unique, do not describe the product/service, easy to remember and do not overlap with other registered brands.
• A trademark is protected for 10 years from the date of registration, and can be renewed for another 10 years upon expiry.