What is the Trademark Clearinghouse Certificate Authority?

The Trademark Clearinghouse Certificate Authority (TMCH-CA), operated by ICANN, provides digital certificates to the Trademark Clearinghouse (TMCH), including the TradeMark Validator (TMV) certificate. These certificates are essential for signing and encrypting the Signed Mark Data (SMD) files, validating their origin from the Trademark Clearinghouse and ensuring ownership heritage. All SMD files generated by the Trademark Clearinghouse are signed under the TMCH-CA. When a third party, such as a registry or registrar, receives an SMD file, they can cryptographically decrypt it and verify its authenticity. Additionally, they can confirm that the signed content has not been altered since signing.

Renewal of these certificates is necessary to uphold standard security practices. It involves changing the Certificate Authority periodically and ensuring encryption levels meet current standards. Specifically, the TMCH-CA is renewed every ten years, while the TMV renewal occurs every five years.

The most recent renewal occurred at 18:00 UTC on February 15, 2023. As a result, all active SMD files were revoked and automatically regenerated within a maximum of 24 hours. The availability of the new SMD files gradually resumed after the renewal. Since the previous SMD files no longer met the new standards, Trademark Holders and Agents are required to obtain new SMD files from the TMCH platform after the new TMCH-CA and TMV certificates are in use.

Kindly note that it is possible to download the new SMD file in the web interface:

  • 1. Sign in to the TMCH application;
  • 2. Navigate to the "Services" tab;
  • 3. Find the trademark record for which you want to download the SMD file (keep in mind that only verified trademark records with valid POU documentation are eligible for SMD generation);
  • Click on the file icon in the SMD column;
  • Your browser will then download the SMD file.
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