- China Customs protects five types of IP at the border — trademarks, patents, copyright, Olympic marks, and World Expo marks — and a recordal with GACC is the prerequisite for Customs to act on its own initiative (ex-officio).
中国海关在边境保护五类知识产权——商标权、专利权、著作权、奥林匹克标志与世界博览会标志；而向海关总署备案，是海关能够依职权主动查扣侵权货物的前提。- Recordal is free, valid for 10 years, nationwide, and decided within 30 working days of a complete application; it is not a precondition for a rights holder to request protection, but without it Customs cannot proactively intercept fakes.
备案免费、一次备案有效期 10 年、全国海关通用，海关总署自收到齐备申请文件之日起 30 个工作日内作出决定；备案并非权利人请求保护的必要条件，但未备案时海关无权主动中止货物并调查处理。- Two enforcement modes exist: ex-application (依申请, initiated by the recorded rights holder) and ex-officio (依职权, where Customs proactively finds and detains suspected infringing goods based on the recordal).
存在两种执法模式：依申请（由已备案权利人发起）与依职权（海关基于备案主动发现并扣留疑似侵权货物）。- A recordal materially lowers the rights holder’s cost: under ex-officio protection the per-case bond is capped at RMB 100,000, and a total-guarantee (总担保) can be filed with GACC — unrecorded holders must post a bond equal to the goods’ value.
备案显著降低权利人成本：依职权程序下每件担保最高不超过人民币 10 万元，并可向海关总署申请总担保；未备案者须提供相当于货值的等额担保。- In 2025, China Customs took 53,400 IP-protection actions, detained 38,700 shipments (86.42 million items) of suspected infringing goods, and served rights holders from 57 countries and regions.
2025 年，全国海关实施知识产权保护措施 5.34 万次，查扣侵权嫌疑货物 3.87 万批、8,642 万件，惠及 57 个国家和地区的权利人。- For a foreign brand sourcing or manufacturing in China, recordal builds a “whitelist” of authorized users so legitimate goods clear fast while counterfeits get flagged — a front-line control that complements court and administrative enforcement.
对在华生产或采购的外国品牌而言，备案可建立授权用户的”白名单”，使正品快速通关、假冒被标记——这是与法院、行政保护并列的前沿防线。- Practical moves: record your core marks/patents/copyrights via the “Internet + Customs” IP system before volume production, keep the recordal current (renew within 6 months before expiry), and feed Customs your authentication “key points” for high-risk SKUs.
操作建议：在大批量生产前经”互联网+海关”知识产权备案系统备案核心商标/专利/著作权，保持备案有效（期满前 6 个月内续展），并向海关提交高风险单品的确权要点。
Customs Recordal & Border IP Protection in China: how foreign rights holders stop fakes at the border | 中国知识产权海关保护：外国权利人如何在边境拦截仿冒
Overview
A foreign brand can win a trademark registration and still watch counterfeits sail through a Chinese port inside a contract manufacturer’s shipment. The reason is often simple: the IP was never recorded with Customs. China’s border-enforcement regime is powerful but, for proactive (“ex-officio”) action, it depends on a recordal held by the General Administration of Customs (GACC). For a foreign-invested enterprise that manufactures, licenses, or sources in China, understanding this system is as important as the underlying registration.
This article explains the legal basis, the two enforcement modes, the recordal procedure and its economics, the 2025 enforcement picture, and what foreign rights holders should do. It is informational; confirm current procedure with GACC and qualified PRC counsel.
The legal basis and the five protected rights
Border IP protection rests on the Regulations of the PRC on Customs Protection of Intellectual Property Rights (《知识产权海关保护条例》), issued by the State Council, supplemented by GACC’s implementation measures. Under these rules, Customs protects five types of IP in import and export:
- trademark rights (商标权);
- patent rights (专利权);
- copyright and neighbouring rights (著作权);
- Olympic marks (奥林匹克标志); and
- World Expo marks (世界博览会标志).
Notably, Customs protects both inbound and outbound flows — China over-performs its TRIPS obligations by guarding exports as well as imports.
Two enforcement modes
There are two distinct ways Customs gets involved:
- Ex-application protection (依申请保护). Triggered when a rights holder — relying on a recorded right — applies to the port Customs to detain suspected infringing goods. This is the mode available even where the right is registered but not yet recorded.
- Ex-officio protection (依职权保护). Customs, in the ordinary course of supervising import/export goods, proactively identifies and detains suspected infringing goods. Crucially, under the Regulations, Customs may take ex-officio action only where the IP has been recorded with GACC. If the right is unrecorded, Customs has no authority to suspend the shipment or open an investigation on its own.
This distinction is the single most important takeaway for foreign rights holders: recordal is what converts a passive registration into an active border defense.
The recordal: procedure, cost, and validity
Recordal is deliberately low-friction:
- Where: via the GACC IP Customs-Protection Recordal System, reached through the “Internet + Customs” (互联网+海关) portal → IP → IP Customs-Protection Recordal.
- Who may apply: only the rights holder — the trademark registrant, patentee, copyright owner (and related-rights owner), or Olympic/Expo mark owner. For jointly held IP, one co-owner’s application suffices.
- Timeline: GACC decides to approve or reject within 30 working days of receiving the complete application; if rejected, the applicant may amend and resubmit.
- Validity: a recordal takes effect from GACC’s approval and lasts 10 years (or the remaining term of the underlying IP if shorter); it is free of charge and effective at all China Customs.
- Renewal: within 6 months before expiry, the holder may apply to renew; on expiry without renewal the status flips to “invalid” the next day and nationwide protection stops.
- Change/cancellation: within 30 working days of any change to the recorded right, the holder must file a change or cancellation with GACC.
The economics: why recordal pays for itself
Beyond enabling ex-officio action, recordal changes the cost math:
- Lower bonds. Under ex-officio protection, the rights holder’s bond per case is capped at RMB 100,000, and a total guarantee (总担保) can be filed with GACC to cover many cases. Without a recordal, the holder must post a bond equal to the value of the goods it seeks to detain.
- A “whitelist” of authorized users. Recordal lets the holder register legitimate licensees and goods, so authorized shipments clear quickly while unlisted ones get scrutinized.
- A query channel for traders. The recordal database lets importers/exporters check whether goods they are processing or brokering might infringe — a due-diligence aid for foreign buyers (ties directly to our sourcing-due-diligence articles).
- Deterrence. Because Customs confiscates infringing goods and imposes administrative penalties on the infringer, an early recordal warns and deters bad actors.
The 2025 enforcement picture
GACC’s 2025 IP-protection status report (published April 2026) shows a busy, intensifying regime:
- 53,400 IP-protection actions nationwide; 38,700 shipments (86.42 million items) of suspected infringing goods detained.
- Rights holders from 57 countries and regions protected.
- 5,431 new recordal-user registrations (+20.26% YoY); 35,220 recordal applications received (first time above 30,000); 27,553 approved.
- Targeted campaigns: “Longteng 2025” (龙腾2025, the 9th consecutive year), a cross-border-ecommerce channel campaign (290.21 million items detained via e-commerce), and a designer-toy (潮玩) industry campaign that seized millions of items mimicking brands such as Pop Mart.
- Smart Customs tooling: an infringement-risk model deployed nationwide for second-level risk screening, plus an upgraded recordal subsystem with application-progress queries, automatic result push, and expiry early-warning.
For a foreign brand, this means Customs is both willing and increasingly capable of intercepting fakes — provided you have armed it with a recordal.
What to do next
- Record before you produce at volume. File recordals for your core trademarks, key patents, and copyrights via “Internet + Customs” *before* contract manufacturers run large batches, so the border is defended from day one.
- Maintain the recordal. Track expiry; renew within the 6-month window; update the record promptly on any assignment, license change, or right amendment.
- Feed Customs your authentication intelligence. Use the system’s “key points for monitored goods” module to give Customs the look-alike tells and photo points for your high-risk SKUs — it reduces wrongful detentions of your own legit goods.
- Pair border protection with the administrative fast track. Where a Chinese infringer operates domestically, the administrative IP-enforcement route (covered in our related article) complements Customs interception.
- Build it into supplier contracts. Require contract manufacturers to warrant non-infringement and to notify you of any third-party IP claims, closing the loop with your Customs recordal.
Practical example
“NordToys,” a European toy brand, began OEM production in Guangdong. Before the first container, its counsel filed Customs recordals for its trademarks and copyrights and uploaded authentication key points for the top 10 SKUs. Months later, a port Customs risk model flagged a shipment of look-alike blind boxes; because the recordal existed, Customs acted ex-officio, detained the goods, and notified NordToys, which confirmed infringement. Legitimate NordToys shipments, meanwhile, cleared without friction thanks to the recorded authorized-user list. The brand’s competitor, which had skipped recordal, later discovered counterfeits only after they reached European shelves — by then the border door had already closed behind them.
Sources
- General Administration of Customs — 2025 China Customs Intellectual Property Protection Status (published 23 April 2026): http://www.customs.gov.cn/customs/2026-04/23/article_2026042310424678950.html
- GACC IP Customs-Protection Recordal System (“Internet + Customs” portal): https://online.customs.gov.cn
- Regulations of the PRC on Customs Protection of Intellectual Property Rights (State Council): http://www.customs.gov.cn
- China Customs policy briefing on IP recordal (official portal): http://www.customs.gov.cn
Related reading
- see also: Administrative IP Protection in China (67-ip-administrative-enforcement)
- see also: Trademark registration for foreign brands (29-trademark-registration-foreign-brands)
- see also: Supplier Due Diligence in China (51-supplier-due-diligence)
中国知识产权海关保护：外国权利人如何在边境拦截仿冒
概述
一个外国品牌可以成功注册了商标，却仍眼看着仿冒品夹在代工厂的发货里溜过中国港口。原因往往很简单：该知识产权从未向海关备案。中国的边境执法体系威力不俗，但要主动（依职权）行动，取决于海关总署是否持有该项备案。对在华生产、许可或采购的外商投资企业而言，理解这套制度与理解底层注册本身同样重要。
本文说明其法律依据、两种执法模式、备案程序及其成本经济、2025 年执法图景，以及外国权利人应当怎么做。本文仅为信息参考，具体程序请以海关总署及合格中国法律顾问为准。
法律依据与受保护的五类权利
边境知识产权保护建立在《中华人民共和国知识产权海关保护条例》（国务院颁布）及其实施办法之上。依此，海关在进出口环节保护五类知识产权：
- 商标权；
- 专利权；
- 著作权及与著作权有关的权利；
- 奥林匹克标志；以及
- 世界博览会标志。
值得注意的是，海关对进口与出口双向保护——中国在履行 TRIPS 义务上，对出口环节也予以保护，超出了最低要求。
两种执法模式
海关介入有两种路径：
- 依申请保护。 由权利人凭已备案的权利，向进出境地海关申请扣留侵权嫌疑货物。即便权利已注册但尚未备案，仍可走此路径。
- 依职权保护。 海关在日常监管中主动发现并扣留侵权嫌疑货物。关键在于，依《条例》规定，海关仅在知识产权已向海关总署备案时方可采取依职权措施；未备案者，海关无权主动中止货物并调查。
这一区分是外国权利人最该记住的一点：备案，正是把”被动的注册”转化为”主动的边境防线”的开关。
备案：程序、成本与有效期
备案被刻意设计为低门槛：
- 渠道： 经海关总署知识产权海关保护备案系统，由”互联网+海关”门户 → 知识产权 → 知识产权海关保护备案进入办理。
- 申请人资格： 只能是权利人——商标注册人、专利权人、著作权人（及与著作权有关的权利人）、或奥林匹克/世博会标志专有权人。共有知识产权中，任一权利人申请即足。
- 时限： 海关总署自收到齐备申请文件之日起 30 个工作日内作出核准或驳回决定；驳回者可修改后再次提交。
- 有效期： 备案自海关总署准予之日起生效，有效期 10 年（若底层知识产权有效期不足 10 年，以该有效期为准）；不收取费用，且全国海关通用。
- 续展： 有效期届满前 6 个月内可申请续展；逾期未续，状态于次日起变为”失效”，全国保护即停。
- 变更/注销： 备案权利发生变化的，权利人应自变化之日起 30 个工作日内向海关总署办理变更或注销。
成本账：为何备案物超所值
除启用依职权措施外，备案还改变成本结构：
- 更低担保。 依职权程序下，权利人每件提供的担保最高不超过人民币 10 万元，并可向海关总署申请总担保以覆盖多案。未备案者须提供相当于扣留货值的等额担保。
- 授权用户”白名单”。 备案使权利人登记合法使用者与货物，授权货快速通关，未列名者被重点核查。
- 贸易商查询通道。 备案数据库让进口商/出口商可查其加工承揽、代理的货物是否可能侵权——这对外国买方是尽职调查利器（与我们采购尽职调查类文章直接相连）。
- 震慑效应。 海关没收侵权货物并对侵权人行政处罚，及早备案可对不法者产生警示与震慑。
2025 年执法图景
海关总署《2025 年中国海关知识产权保护状况》（2026 年 4 月发布）显示一套繁忙且加码的体系：
- 全国海关实施知识产权保护措施 5.34 万次；查扣侵权嫌疑货物 3.87 万批、8,642 万件。
- 惠及 57 个国家和地区的权利人。
- 新增备案用户注册 5,431 个（同比 +20.26%）；受理备案申请 35,220 件（首破 3 万）；审核通过 27,553 件。
- 专项行动：”龙腾 2025″（连续第 9 年）、跨境电商渠道专项行动（经电商查扣 2.90 亿余件）、潮玩产业专项行动（查扣仿冒泡泡玛特等数百万件）。
- 智慧海关工具：侵权风险智能甄别模型全国部署实现秒级筛查，备案子系统升级支持进度查询、结果自动推送与期满预警。
对外国品牌而言，这意味着海关既有意愿、也日益有能力拦截仿冒——前提是你已用备案为其”装弹”。
下一步建议
- 量产之前先备案。 经”互联网+海关”为你的核心商标、关键专利与著作权提交备案，在代工厂大批量投产之前完成，使边境自第一天起即有防备。
- 维持备案有效。 跟踪到期日；在 6 个月窗口内续展；权利发生转让、许可变更或修正时及时更新备案。
- 向海关喂入确权情报。 善用系统”要求重点监控商品要点”模块，提交高风险单品的确权要点与拍照要点——既减少对你正品货物的误扣，也提升查发效率。
- 与行政快车道配合。 若侵权者在中国境内运营，行政 IP 保护路径（见相关文章）可与海关拦截形成互补。
- 写进供应商合同。 要求代工厂保证不侵权、并就任何第三方 IP 主张及时通知你，与海关备案形成闭环。
实操示例
欧洲玩具品牌”NordToys”在广东开展 OEM 生产。首发集装箱之前，其法律顾问为商标与著作权完成海关备案，并为前 10 个单品上传确权要点。数月后，某口岸的风险模型标记了一批高度相似的盲盒；因备案在先，海关依职权扣留并通知 NordToys，后者确认侵权。与此同时，NordToys 的正品凭借已备案的授权用户清单顺畅通关。其竞争对手跳过了备案，直到仿品抵达欧洲货架才发现——那时边境之门早已在身后关上。
来源
- 海关总署——《2025 年中国海关知识产权保护状况》（2026 年 4 月 23 日发布）：http://www.customs.gov.cn/customs/2026-04/23/article_2026042310424678950.html
- 海关总署知识产权海关保护备案系统（”互联网+海关”门户）：https://online.customs.gov.cn
- 《中华人民共和国知识产权海关保护条例》（国务院）：http://www.customs.gov.cn
- 海关总署知识产权备案政策说明（官方门户）：http://www.customs.gov.cn
相关阅读
- 参见：中国的知识产权行政保护（67-ip-administrative-enforcement）
- 参见：外国品牌的商标注册（29-trademark-registration-foreign-brands）
- 参见：在华供应商尽职调查（51-supplier-due-diligence）