Region: Japan

The JPO has announced that, in addition to a consent letter, applicants must provide evidence that there is no likelihood of confusion between the earlier mark and the mark applied for - both at present and in the future.

09 May 2024

In our latest round-up, we look at Walmart launching a new store-label food brand, Dubai counterfeit seizures in Q1 2024, and much more.

03 May 2024

The court notably found that the market research surveys submitted by Hermès were insufficient to demonstrate the acquired distinctiveness of the mark among the general public. 

03 May 2024

The JPO concluded that the marks were sufficiently distinguishable from a conceptual and visual point of view, regardless of the similarity of the services.

30 April 2024

The JPO found that both ‘Moët & Chandon’ and its abbreviation ‘Moët’ have gained significant recognition as a leading champagne brand distributed by MHCS.

23 April 2024

The JPO found that a mark corresponding to the Japanese transliteration of RIMOWA was dissimilar to luggage manufacturer Rimowa GmbH’s earlier mark RIMOWA ELECTRONIC TAG, covering the same classes. 

17 April 2024

A key factor in this case was that the padlock in the disputed design resembled the ‘H’ logo used on the buckle of Hermès’ famous Birkin bag. 

12 April 2024

WTR delves into the trademark portfolios of offices around the world to uncover those most active in protecting their own intellectual property. 

08 April 2024

While the JPO recognised that Chanel’s mark COCO was well known in relation to perfume, it questioned whether the mark was also well known among consumers of other goods. 

03 April 2024

While the JPO recognised that CALVIN KLEIN was well known as a source indicator in relation to clothing, it concluded that the marks at issue were visually, phonetically and conceptually dissimilar.

20 March 2024