The right holder of a trademark has the right to deal with his/her intangible property in accordance with legal procedures. Trademark holders can dispose trademark right either by assignment or by licensing. Trademark assignment is the transfer of trademark ownership to another party voluntarily by the right holder, either paid or unpaid. And a trademark transfer caused by merger, annex or judgment by a court can also be viewed as trademark assignment. In that case, the assignee should handle assignment with the Trademark Office. After approval, an assigned trademark can be publicized on the Trademark Gazette. The assignee enjoys the exclusive right to use the trademark since the date of publication. The trademark licensing of registered trademarks is to allow others to use the trademarks without assigning the ownership. To license a registered trademark, the licensor shall sign a trademark license contract with the licensee. And the licensor shall report the contract to the Trademark Office to make a record of the contract within 3 months counting from the date on which the contract was signed.
(Trademark Office under the State Administration for Industry and Commerce)
