Organisation: Japan Patent Office

Legal Updates you may have missed: fashion and luxury’s latest courtroom wins

The second instalment in our series highlighting Legal Updates you may have missed explores recent successes for Canada Goose, Hermès, Lacoste and Skechers.

12 July 2024

Asia-Pacific filing decline continues; Russian applicants turn to WIPO: data analysis

WTR analyses trademark filing trends at major Asia-Pacific registers.

26 June 2024

P&G fails to register 3D shape of SK-II bottle

The JPO Appeal Board notably highlighted the consistent of use of distinctive word elements on the bottles of SK-II facial moisturisers.

20 June 2024

FORTNITE owner defeated in FORTNIGHT invalidation action

Epic Games Inc, the developer of famous online game Fortnite, failed to invalidate the mark FORTNIGHT for various goods and services in Classes 9, 16, 28, 35, 41 and 43.

13 June 2024

JPO finds no similarity between SOFTWEAR and SOFTWAIR

A key factor in the JPO Appeal Board’s decision was that SOFTWAIR has three possible pronunciations.

10 June 2024

Tennis king Roger Federer defeated off the court

Tenro AG, a Swiss company established by former tennis champion Roger Federer, has failed in its opposition against the mark ROGER KING for golf equipment.

04 June 2024

Trademark activity drops across all but one major register, Clarivate report shows

Trademark filings fell across five of six major registers in 2023, a new report by Clarivate reveals, but the results are more positive than they seem.

30 May 2024

ZARA owner unsuccessful in opposition against LAZARA

INDITEX, one of the world’s largest fashion retailers and owner of the brand ZARA, has failed to prevent the registration of the mark LAZARA for clothing.

29 May 2024

IP High Court rejects registration of Audemars Piguet’s ‘Royal Oak’ watch design

The court confirmed that a device mark representing the Swiss luxury watchmaker’s iconic ‘Royal Oak’ watch lacked both inherent and acquired distinctiveness.

20 May 2024

Can a letter of consent guarantee successful trademark registration in 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