Trademark Status Check: What Each Status on the IP India Portal Means
A trademark status check is run on the IP India website using your application number, and it returns a label such as Objected, Accepted and Advertised, Opposed, Registered or Abandoned. Each label marks one stage of the Trade Marks Registry process, so it tells you where the file sits today, not how it will end. The steps are the same for founders in Jaipur or anywhere else in India.
Key Takeaways
- Where to look: Use the official IP India application status page. The eRegister and the Trade Mark Public Search are also government pages. None of them requires a third-party intermediary.
- Objected is not refused: It means an examination report raised issues. Rule 33(4) of the Trade Marks Rules, 2017 gives one month from receipt of the report to respond.
- Advertised starts a clock: After publication in the Trade Marks Journal, the application is open to third-party opposition for four months.
- A label is a snapshot: It does not give the examiner's reasons, the opponent's grounds or the result of a hearing. Those sit in the underlying documents.
- Keep your own record: Save a dated screenshot at each check and read every notice sent to the address on file.
Trademark Status Check at a Glance
| Status label you may see | What it generally means | Is a deadline attached? |
|---|---|---|
| Formalities check / under examination | The Registry is checking the application form and then examining the mark | No action usually due unless the Registry raises a formality query |
| Objected | An examination report has raised issues under the Act | Yes, one month from receipt of the report for a written reply or hearing request |
| Accepted and Advertised | The mark has cleared examination and is published in the Trade Marks Journal | Yes, a four-month opposition window for third parties |
| Opposed | A third party has filed a notice of opposition against the published mark | Yes, statutory steps follow; the notice sets them out |
| Registered | The process is complete and the mark is entered on the Register | Renewal falls due in future; the register is not frozen |
| Abandoned | The application lapsed, most often through a missed reply | The time for the missed step has already passed |
Where Do You Run a Trademark Status Check on the IP India Portal?
You run a trademark status check on the Intellectual Property India website, which hosts the Trade Marks Registry's online services. The status lookup works from the application number printed on your filing receipt.
IP India's own step-by-step filing guide ends with a step to track progress online, view examination or objection status, file a reply to objections and attend a hearing if one is scheduled. That sequence is a useful map of what the portal expects you to do after filing.
The three pages people confuse
The eRegister holds registered trade marks and application status information. The Trade Mark Public Search is built for searching marks, with extra tools such as class details, well-known marks and Vienna code classification. Neither is the same as your filing account.
A search for a similar mark is a different task from a status check on your own file. Searching asks "who else has filed something like this?" Status checking asks "what has the Registry done with my application?"
Logins, one-time passwords and layout changes
Some portal pages ask for an email address or mobile number and send a one-time password before they show results. The public search login page does this at the time of writing. Other pages may not. Layouts and login rules change, so treat any screenshot you see online as indicative only.
Use an address that begins with ipindia.gov.in or one of its sub-sites. Private websites may show the same data but add nothing official, and they can lag behind the Registry.
Does it matter where in India you are?
Not for the lookup. The records are online and national, so a founder in Jaipur, Delhi or Bengaluru sees the same status for the same application number. Location matters later, for example when a hearing is listed or a dispute moves to a court in another state.
How Do You Run the Check, Step by Step?
Open the single official page, the IP India application status page. Enter your application number in the Application Number field, complete the captcha or one-time password step if asked, and read the status label with its date. Then save a screenshot.
- Find the application number. It appears on the filing receipt and on any email the Registry sent after filing. Keep the exact digits, without spaces.
- Open the status page. Use the application status link above rather than a search engine advertisement. If you start from the IP India homepage instead, go to the Trade Marks section, open its e-services listing and choose "Trademark Status". Menu names can change, so follow the current wording on the page.
- Enter your number. The Application Number field shows a sample in a patent-style format. Ignore that sample. Type your own trade mark application number exactly as printed on your receipt.
- Verify. Complete the captcha, and the one-time password step if the page asks for one.
- Read the whole result. Note the applicant name, the class, the date of application and the status. Check that the mark and applicant name match your filing.
- Save a dated copy. A screenshot or printed page with the date visible is enough for your own file.
- Look for linked documents. Examination reports, hearing notices and orders are normally issued separately. The paragraph below explains how to obtain them.
What if the number returns nothing?
Check the digits first, then try again later in case the portal is slow. A very recent filing may not appear immediately. If the number still shows no record, compare it against your receipt and the payment confirmation. Resolve any mismatch with the Registry before a deadline is lost.
To obtain an examination report or hearing notice, open the Trade Mark Public Search page, search by your application number, and open the file record. Documents issued on the application are listed against that record. Download each one and check its date. If a document you expect is not listed, check the email address on your filing and raise the gap with the Registry.
What Do the Common Trademark Statuses Mean?
Each status names the stage your application has reached. Objected means the examiner has raised issues needing a reply. Accepted and Advertised means the mark is published for opposition. Opposed means a third party has challenged it. Registered means the process is complete. Abandoned means the application lapsed, most often through a missed reply.
The exact wording on the portal can differ from the labels used here. The meanings below are general and describe the process under the Trade Marks Act, 1999 and the Trade Marks Rules, 2017. They are not a reading of any particular file.
Formalities check and under examination
After filing, the Registry first checks formalities. If the form is incomplete or something is missing, the application can be held up before examination. Once formalities are satisfied, an examiner tests the mark against the grounds in Sections 9, 11 and 13 of the Act, as shown in IP India's trade mark application workflow.
A long wait at this stage is normal. It usually reflects queue time at the Registry.
Objected
"Objected" means an examination report has raised issues with the application. Those issues might be about similarity to an earlier mark, a descriptive word, or the way goods and services are described. It is not a final refusal. The applicant is generally given a chance to respond in writing and, where needed, at a hearing.
The time limit is short. IP India's document on processing of trade mark applications states that the applicant must reply to office objections within one month, and that the application is abandoned for want of reply if none is filed.
"One month" and "30 days" describe the same period in this article. Both run from the date you receive the report, not the date it was issued. Our separate note on the objection reply format and the 30-day deadline covers how that period is usually counted.
Accepted and Advertised
If the examiner is satisfied, either at the first stage or after the reply and any hearing, the mark is accepted and published in the Trade Marks Journal. Publication is the point at which the public can see the mark and object to it.
The workflow page on the IP India site shows publication in the Trademark Journal as a four-month stage. The opposition period itself is set by Section 21 of the Trade Marks Act, 1999, which allows notice of opposition within four months from the date of advertisement.
Founders sometimes read "Accepted" as "Registered". They are different. Registration follows only if the four-month period passes without opposition, or an opposition ends in the applicant's favour.
Worked example: how the dates fall
Suppose, purely hypothetically, an application is filed on 1 March. The examination report is issued on 10 June and received the same day. The reply is due one month from receipt, so by 10 July.
Suppose the reply is filed on 5 July, the examiner accepts the mark, and it is advertised in the Journal on 1 September. The four-month opposition window then runs from 1 September to 1 January. If no opposition is filed by then, the mark can proceed to registration.
| Step | Hypothetical date | How it is counted |
|---|---|---|
| Filing | 1 March | Application number issued |
| Examination report received | 10 June | Reply period starts on receipt |
| Reply deadline | 10 July | One month from receipt |
| Advertisement in Journal | 1 September | Opposition period starts |
| End of opposition window | 1 January | Four months from advertisement |
Opposed
"Opposed" means a third party has filed a notice of opposition against the published mark. Opposition proceedings have their own steps, including a response from the applicant and evidence from both sides, and they can take a long time. Our guide on responding to a trademark opposition in India describes the general sequence.
The status records that a contest exists. The grounds, the opponent's identity and the applicant's response are in the documents served on the parties.
Registered
Registered means the mark has been entered on the Register and the Registry has completed its process. The mark can now be used with the registered symbol, and the Registry issues a registration certificate. Registration still needs upkeep. It must be renewed at the proper time, and a registered mark can be challenged on grounds the law allows.
If a status says Registered, verify that the owner's name, the mark as shown, the classes and the goods or services all match what you intended. Errors in these details are easier to correct early.
Abandoned, refused and other end-point labels
Abandoned generally means the application lapsed, often because a reply was not filed in time. Refused generally means the Registry has decided not to proceed, after considering the applicant's response. Other labels, such as withdrawn, indicate that the applicant or the Registry has closed the file.
Whether any remedy remains depends on the reason and the dates. The portal will not tell you that; the order or notice will. Read the documents carefully at this stage.
Application Workflow: Where Each Status Sits
The workflow published by IP India runs from formality check, through substantive examination under Sections 9, 11 and 13, to either acceptance or objection. Accepted marks are published in the Trademark Journal for four months. If no opposition is filed, the mark proceeds to registration; if one is filed, opposition proceedings follow first.
Mapped onto the labels in the summary table, the path looks like this:
- Filing, then formalities: the application is received and checked for completeness.
- Examination: the examiner issues a report or accepts the mark.
- Objected, if a report is issued: a reply and sometimes a hearing follow.
- Accepted and Advertised: publication opens the four-month window.
- Opposed, if a notice is filed: proceedings run before the Registrar.
- Registered: the mark is entered on the Register.
The workflow also shows that an application can be abandoned at the formality stage if it is not completed. An application can therefore leave the main path at more than one point. For a fuller account of timing at each stage, see our guide to the trademark registration process and timeline.
Why Does a Trademark Status Alone Not Show the Outcome?
A status is a one-word label for a single point in time. Two applications showing "Objected" can be in very different positions, so the label is a prompt to read the underlying documents, not a verdict.
What the label leaves out
- Reasons: Objected does not say whether the issue is a similar earlier mark, a descriptive word or a drafting problem with the goods list. Those lead to very different responses.
- Dates: The label may not show when the report was issued or received, and the reply period is counted from receipt.
- Parties: Opposed does not name the opponent or the ground. The notice does.
- Delay: The portal may not be updated the same day the Registry acts, so the label can trail the real position.
Why Registered is not the end of the matter
A registered mark can still be the subject of later proceedings, and the registration needs renewal. Whether a particular registration is vulnerable depends on the facts of that mark. Treat the portal as a pointer and the documents as the record.
A Routine for Tracking Your Own Application
Follow these steps. They cost little time and create a record you can rely on if the Registry's records and yours ever differ.
- Record the basics once: application number, filing date, class, applicant name and the email and postal address given to the Registry.
- Check monthly: check more often while a reply, hearing or publication period is running.
- Log each result: note the label and the date, and save a screenshot.
- Read every email and notice in full: an examination report or hearing notice is a dated document, and the label is no substitute for it.
- Calendar the deadline when a notice arrives: take the receipt date, count forward one month for an objection reply, and note the end date.
- Keep contact details current: if the registered email is an inbox nobody reads, notices can be missed.
A simple decision rule
If the label is "under examination", "formalities check" or similar, keep your routine going. If it has changed to Objected, Opposed or Abandoned, or shows something you do not recognise, download the underlying document from the Trade Mark Public Search record the same day. The change itself signals that a dated step may be running.
The official sources are the Trade Marks Act, 1999, the Trade Marks Rules, 2017 and the IP India website. IP India also publishes the forms and official fee schedule for trade mark filings, which helps you check which form applies to a step.
When Should You Seek Independent Legal Advice?
Take advice as soon as one of these happens, because each carries a deadline or a contest:
- An examination report has been issued and the one-month reply period is running.
- A hearing has been listed and you are unsure how to prepare.
- A notice of opposition has been received, or a competitor's mark appears in the Journal.
- The label reads Abandoned or Refused and the reason is not clear.
- The dates on the portal and in your own papers do not match.
Take the examination report, hearing notice or opposition notice, your filing receipt and your dated screenshots to the adviser. Any advocate or registered agent you consult should be enrolled or registered as the law requires, and should work from those documents, not from the status label. Matters that cross states may involve different counsel in different forums, a topic our note on pan-India counsel versus local firms discusses in general terms.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is a trademark status check free on the IP India portal?
Looking up a status online is a lookup, not a filing, so the official fee schedule for applications and forms does not apply to it. Some portal pages ask for an email address or mobile number and a one-time password before showing results.
How often should you check the status?
A monthly check is a sensible baseline while an application sits in examination. Check more often when a reply is due, a hearing is listed, or the four-month publication period is running. Always save a dated copy of what the portal shows.
Why might the portal differ from the notice you received?
The portal and the Registry's notices are updated through different steps, so one can trail the other. A notice has a date and legal effect for the step it describes. If the two disagree, rely on the notice, keep both records and resolve the difference with the Registry.
Does Registered mean the mark can never be challenged?
No. Registration gives rights under the Trade Marks Act, 1999, but a registered mark must be renewed and can still be challenged on grounds that the law allows. Our guide on trademark renewal in India explains the general timeline.
Is a status check the same as a trademark search?
No. A status check tells you what has happened to one known application. A trademark search looks across the register for marks that are identical or similar to a proposed one. The second belongs before filing, not after.
This content is published for general information only. It is not legal advice, an advertisement, or a solicitation of work, and reading it does not create an advocate-client relationship. In keeping with the Bar Council of India Rules, Riva Legal Associates does not solicit work or advertise.