Look up any Indian trademark on the Registry's register and you will see a one-line status: "Formalities Chk Pass", "Objected", "Accepted & Advertised", "Registered". It tells you where the application stands, and often that a deadline has started. The register does not say what the status means, and a few of them are easy to misread.
Below, each status gets a short explanation: what it means, whether you need to act, and the section or rule that sets the deadline. We also counted how many of the 76.8 lakh applications on the register are in each status today, and how long they have been waiting.
Key facts
- The register uses 54 different statuses, but 15 of them cover 99.5% of applications.
- 47.7% of all applications ever filed are Registered. Another 25.9% ended without registration: abandoned, refused, withdrawn or removed.
- 5.7 lakh applications are Objected today, waiting for a reply or a hearing. The median one was filed two years ago.
- 2.4 lakh applications are Opposed. The median one was filed more than six years ago.
- 14.3% of all applications ended as Abandoned, the most common status after Registered.
How to check your trademark status
Search the application number on IP India's e-Register, the Trade Marks Registry's online register. It shows the current status, the mark, the class, the applicant and every document the Registry has issued, including examination reports, hearing notices and oppositions. Always open the latest document as well as the status: the document says what is due, and the deadline runs from its date.
If you look after more than a handful of marks, a portfolio tool such as TM Manager checks every status for you and flags each change.
The journey of an application
Most applications pass through the same stages, in this order:
- Filing and formalities. The application is received, its fee and documents are checked, and a logo is coded.
- Examination. An examiner checks the mark against the law and searches for earlier similar marks.
- Objection and hearing, if the examiner raises objections. The applicant replies, and may be heard.
- Acceptance and advertisement. The accepted mark is published in the Trade Marks Journal.
- Opposition, if anyone opposes it within four months.
- Registration, valid for ten years at a time and renewable for ever.
At any stage an application can also end: abandoned, refused or withdrawn.
The most common statuses at a glance
| Status | Stage | Applications | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Registered | Registered | 36,65,993 | 47.7% |
| Abandoned | Ended | 10,96,893 | 14.3% |
| Objected | Examination | 5,72,069 | 7.4% |
| Under Examination | Examination | 4,82,864 | 6.3% |
| Refused | Ended | 4,62,798 | 6.0% |
| Ready for Examination | Examination | 4,03,887 | 5.3% |
| Removed | Ended | 2,43,423 | 3.2% |
| Opposed | Opposition | 2,41,182 | 3.1% |
| Withdrawn | Ended | 1,45,516 | 1.9% |
| Accepted & Advertised | Advertised | 1,31,260 | 1.7% |
| Protection Granted | International | 94,324 | 1.2% |
| Send To Vienna Codification | Filing | 42,592 | 0.6% |
| Rectification Filed | Registered | 31,123 | 0.4% |
Every status explained
New Application
The application has been received and entered on the register. Nothing is due from you, and a formalities status usually replaces it soon. The 893 applications in this status today were filed a median of three months ago.
Send To Vienna Codification
The mark has a logo or another figurative element, and the Registry is coding it under the Vienna Classification, the international system for describing images (a lion, a star, a crown). The codes let examiners and searchers find similar logos later. It is a short step that needs nothing from you: marks in this status were filed a median of 19 days ago.
Formalities Chk Pass
The application passed the formalities check: the fee, the form, the applicant's details and the specification are in order. It now waits for an examiner.
Formalities Chk Fail
Something in the application is incomplete or wrong: a missing document, a mismatch in the applicant's details, an unclear specification. The Registry sends a notice saying what to fix. Reply within the time the notice gives, usually 30 days. If you do not, the application can be treated as abandoned under section 132 of the Act. The 4,375 applications in this status were filed a median of almost three years ago.
Ready for Examination
The application is in the queue for an examiner. Marks in this status were filed a median of four months ago.
Marked for Exam and Under Examination
An examiner has picked up the application. Under rule 33(1) of the Trade Marks Rules, the examiner checks it against the Act and searches for earlier trademarks, registered or applied for, that are identical or deceptively similar for the same or similar goods and services. Marks under examination were filed a median of one year ago.
Objected
Objected means the examiner has raised objections in an examination report (rule 33(2)). Most fall under section 9, that the mark is not distinctive or describes the goods, or section 11, that it is too close to an earlier mark.
This status needs action. Under rule 33(4), if you do not respond within one month of receiving the examination report, the Registrar may treat the application as abandoned. A reply that answers each objection, or asks to be heard, keeps the application alive. After the reply, the Registry either accepts the mark or lists it for a show cause hearing.
5.7 lakh applications are Objected today, the third most common status. The median one was filed two years ago, and many are waiting for a hearing rather than a reply.
Exam Report Issued
An examination report has been issued, and it needs a reply in the same way as Objected. On today's register this is mostly an older status: its 6,836 applications were filed a median of 25 years ago, before the current workflow.
Set for Hearing
A show cause hearing has been fixed, usually after a reply to an examination report did not satisfy the examiner. The hearing notice gives the date, time and whether it is in person or by video. Attend, or the application can be refused or abandoned. Prepare the arguments, the evidence of use and any documents the notice asks for.
Accepted
The examiner has accepted the application, and it is waiting to be published in the Trade Marks Journal (section 20). There is nothing to do.
Advertised bef acc
Advertised before acceptance. Under the proviso to section 20(1), the Registrar can publish an application in the journal before accepting it, where sections 9(1), 11(1) or 11(2) apply, or in exceptional circumstances. It is open to opposition like any advertised mark. It is rare today: the 4,443 applications in this status were filed a median of 24 years ago.
Accepted & Advertised
The mark has been accepted and published in the Trade Marks Journal. Under section 21(1) and rule 42, anyone can now oppose it within four months of the journal date, in Form TM-O. If nobody does, the Registrar registers the mark (section 23(1)).
The applicant only has to watch for an opposition. Anyone else whose mark it conflicts with has these four months to oppose it. In our study of 25 journals, one advertised mark in six was opposed.
Send to Re-Advertised, Accepted/Readvertise, ABA/Readvertised
The application will be, or has been, published in the journal again. Section 20(2) requires re-advertisement when a mark was advertised before acceptance, or when an error or an amendment after advertisement changed it. A re-advertised mark opens a fresh opposition window.
Opposed
Someone has filed a notice of opposition. The Registrar sends the applicant a copy, and the applicant must file a counter statement within two months of receiving it (section 21(2), rule 44). If it is not filed, the application is deemed abandoned.
After the counter statement, each side files evidence by affidavit: the opponent under rule 45 within two months, the applicant under rule 46 within two months, and the opponent's evidence in reply under rule 47 within one month. A hearing and the Registrar's decision follow.
Oppositions take years. The 2.4 lakh opposed applications on the register were filed a median of 6.2 years ago.
Registered
The mark is on the register, and the registration dates back to the filing date (section 23(1)). It lasts ten years, and can be renewed every ten years (section 25).
- Renew in Form TM-R, at any time up to one year before the registration expires (rule 57).
- Late renewal: within six months after expiry, with a surcharge (section 25(3)).
- Restoration: within one year after expiry, the mark can be restored and renewed (rule 60).
Removed
The registration has been removed from the register, most often because it was not renewed (section 25(3)). Within one year of expiry it can still be restored (rule 60). After that, the owner has to file a fresh application. 2.4 lakh applications are in this status.
Rectification Filed
Someone has applied to cancel or change the registration, under section 57 of the Act, for example because the mark has not been used or was wrongly registered. The registered owner has to defend it. These are usually older marks: the median was filed more than nine years ago.
Cancelled
The registration has been cancelled, for example after a successful rectification. 4,097 applications are in this status.
Abandoned and Deemed to be Abandoned
The application has ended because the applicant did not take a required step in time. The usual causes are no reply to an examination report within a month (rule 33(4)), no counter statement to an opposition within two months (section 21(2), which uses the words "deemed to have abandoned"), and other defaults after a notice under section 132.
10.97 lakh applications, 14.3% of all ever filed, are Abandoned.
Refused
The Registrar has refused registration, usually after a show cause hearing on an objection. The applicant can ask for the grounds of the decision in writing, in Form TM-M within 30 days (rule 36(1)). Appeals now go to the High Court, since the Intellectual Property Appellate Board was abolished in 2021. 4.6 lakh applications, 6.0% of the register, were refused.
Withdrawn
The applicant withdrew the application. 1.5 lakh applications are in this status. Under rule 35, an applicant who withdraws within one month of receiving an examination report can claim a refund of the fee.
INVALID (No fee received)
The application was not completed because the filing fee was not received. 4,161 applications are in this status.
International registrations: Protection Granted, Provisional Refusal Confirmed, IR Cancelled
These statuses belong to international registrations under the Madrid Protocol that designate India (section 36E). Protection Granted means the mark is protected in India, like a registration. Provisional Refusal Confirmed and Protection Refused mean India has refused protection. IR Cancelled means the international registration itself has been cancelled.
Rare statuses
A few dozen other statuses appear on fewer than 1,000 applications each, including Under Division, Send Back to EDP, Gone to court, Review, Appeal, Opposition Withdrawn and Opposition Dismissed. If your application shows one of them, read its latest documents, which say what happened.
How long applications wait in each status
The median time since filing for applications in each status today:
| Status | Median time since filing |
|---|---|
| Send To Vienna Codification | 19 days |
| New Application | 3 months |
| Ready for Examination | 4 months |
| Under Examination | 1 year |
| Accepted & Advertised | 22 months |
| Objected | 2 years |
| Formalities Chk Fail | 2.9 years |
| Opposed | 6.2 years |
| Rectification Filed | 9.4 years |
These are the ages of applications in each status today, not the time each step takes. They do show where applications wait longest: in objections, and longer still in oppositions.
What to do when your status changes
- Objected or Formalities Chk Fail: reply within the deadline. One month for an examination report.
- Set for Hearing: prepare and attend.
- Accepted & Advertised: watch for an opposition for four months.
- Opposed: file the counter statement within two months.
- Registered: note the expiry date and renew on time.
- Abandoned or Refused: act quickly to find out whether review, restoration or an appeal is still possible.
Deadlines run from the date of the Registry's document, not from the day you check the status. TM Manager checks the register for every mark in your portfolio, shows each status change and new document as it happens, and lists the deadline that follows.
Frequently asked questions
How can I check my trademark status in India? Search the application number on IP India's e-Register. It shows the current status and every document issued on the application. Read the latest document too, since it says what is due and by when.
What does Formalities Chk Pass mean? The application has passed the Registry's formalities check and is waiting for an examiner. Nothing is due from you.
What does "Objected" mean in trademark status? The examiner has raised objections in an examination report, usually under section 9 or section 11 of the Trade Marks Act. You must reply within one month of receiving the report, or the application may be treated as abandoned.
What does "Accepted & Advertised" mean? The mark has been accepted and published in the Trade Marks Journal. Anyone can oppose it within four months. If no one does, it proceeds to registration.
How long does trademark registration take in India? In the journals we studied, the median time from filing to advertisement was 18 months. A mark that is not opposed is registered after the four-month opposition window. Objections and oppositions can add years.
Can an abandoned trademark be revived? Sometimes, depending on why it was abandoned and how long ago. It needs prompt action through the Registry, so speak to a trademark attorney as soon as you see the status.
How long is a registered trademark valid? Ten years from the date of application, renewable every ten years without limit, in Form TM-R.
How we counted
The counts and shares are for all 76,81,479 applications on the register as recorded in TM Manager on 30 October 2026, by their current status. The median times are the time since each application's filing date, for applications currently in that status. The law is quoted from the Trade Marks Act, 1999 as amended up to the Jan Vishwas Act, 2023, and the Trade Marks Rules, 2017.