Trademark status: how to check it and what each status means
The Trade Marks Registry tells you where your application stands in two or three words. Most of them need nothing from you. Three of them start a clock, and missing it abandons the application.
Reviewed by Vijay Dhawan, Managing Partner, LexVerge LLP · Published
How to check the status
- Open the IP India online register at ipindia.gov.in and choose Trade Marks, then Trade Mark Status, or go to the e-register directly.
- Select Trade Mark Application/Registered Mark and then National/IRDI Number.
- Enter the application number and the captcha, and open the result.
The page shows the status, the dates, the class and goods, the proprietor, and links to every document on the file, including the examination report and any opposition. Check it monthly; the Registry’s emails go missing, and its deadlines run from the date of the communication, not the date you noticed it.
What each status means
| Status | Meaning | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| New Application | Filed and numbered; data entry pending | Nothing. You may use ™ from the filing date |
| Send to Vienna Codification | A logo is being assigned figurative codes | Nothing |
| Formalities Chk Pass | Basic filing requirements are met | Nothing. It can still be objected at examination |
| Formalities Chk Fail | Something is missing: a power of attorney, a translation, a clear image | File the correction promptly |
| Marked for Exam | Assigned to an examiner | Nothing |
| Exam Report Issued / Objected | The examiner has raised objections, usually under section 9 (descriptive or non-distinctive) or section 11 (similar to an earlier mark) | Reply within one month of receiving the report, with arguments and evidence of use. No reply means Abandoned |
| Ready for Show Cause Hearing | The reply did not satisfy the examiner | Attend the hearing, in person or by video, on the date fixed |
| Accepted | Cleared for publication | Nothing |
| Accepted and Advertised / Advertised before acceptance | Published in the Trade Marks Journal | Wait out the four-month opposition window |
| Opposed | A third party has filed a notice of opposition | File a counter-statement within two months of receiving the notice, or the application is deemed abandoned |
| Registered | Certificate issued; protection runs ten years from the filing date | Use ®. Diarise renewal |
| Refused | Rejected after hearing | Review or appeal within the time allowed, or refile a modified mark |
| Abandoned | A deadline was missed | Seek restoration only if the communication was never served; otherwise refile |
| Withdrawn | Withdrawn by the applicant | — |
| Removed | Not renewed after expiry | Restoration is possible within one year of expiry, with a surcharge |
The three clocks that matter
One month to reply to the examination report. The reply should address each ground: for section 9, show that the mark is distinctive or has acquired distinctiveness through use, with invoices and advertising; for section 11, distinguish the cited marks by appearance, sound, goods and trade channels, or restrict your specification. Our objection reply service starts at ₹999.
Two months to file a counter-statement to an opposition. Without it the application is abandoned regardless of merit. Evidence by affidavit and a hearing follow; see our opposition service.
Renewal every ten years, from six months before expiry, with a six-month grace period on surcharge; see renewal.
How long each stage takes
A clean application reaches examination in about one to two months, is advertised one to three months after acceptance, and is registered roughly a month after the four-month opposition window closes: six to nine months in all. An objection adds two to six months, a hearing longer, and an opposition a year or more. The fees at each stage are in our fees guide.
Frequently asked questions
What does Formalities Chk Pass mean?
The application has met the basic filing requirements and moves on to examination. It is not an approval of the mark.
What does Objected mean in trademark status?
The examiner has raised objections in an examination report. A written reply must be filed within one month of receiving it, or the application is treated as abandoned.
What is the difference between Objected and Opposed?
Objected is raised by the Registry’s examiner before publication. Opposed is raised by a third party after publication in the Trade Marks Journal.
How long after Accepted and Advertised is a trademark registered?
If no opposition is filed within four months of advertisement, registration usually follows within one to two months.
Can an abandoned trademark application be revived?
Only in limited cases, such as where the Registry’s communication was never served. Otherwise a fresh application is needed, with a new filing date.
Status says Objected or Opposed?
IP lawyers draft the reply or counter-statement inside the deadline. From ₹999.
Keep reading.
Trademark Search in India: How to Use the IP India Public Search, Wordmark, Phonetic and Logo Searches, and How to Read the Results
The free IP India public search, step by step: wordmark, phonetic and Vienna-code searches, which classes to check, how to read a result, and what is a conflict.
Read guide→GuideTrademark Registration Fees in India (2026)
Why some applicants pay half, what a class costs, and what the total really comes to.
Read guide→Free toolTrademark class finder
Type what you sell and find the class to file in, across all 45 classes.
Open calculator→Official references
The statutory sources behind this page. We keep our guidance aligned to them — verify anything time-sensitive directly.
- Ministry of Corporate AffairsCompanies Act filings, forms and fee schedules
- Income Tax DepartmentReturns, forms, rates and e-filing utilities
- GST PortalRegistration, returns and rate notifications
Content on this page is reviewed by a chartered accountant or advocate at LexVerge LLP. It is general guidance, not advice on your specific facts.