Any characters, figures, signs, or three-dimensional shapes, or any combination thereof, or any combination thereof with colors, can be registered as a trademark. Color, sound and smell cannot be … [Read more...]
General Grounds for Refusal (Art. 4)
Article 4(1) defines nineteen grounds for refusals. The followings are typical grounds for refusal for trademark applications, which a patent and trademark attorney often receives from the Japan … [Read more...]
Similarity (Art. 4(1)(10) and (11))
According to the Japanese trademark Law Article 4(1)(10) and (11), the following trademark is unregistrable. (10) Trademark which is identical with, or similar to, another party’s trademark … [Read more...]
Distinctiveness (Art. 3(1))
According to the Japanese Trademark Law Article 3(1), the following marks are unregistrable due to lacking of distinctiveness. Trademark solely consisting of a mark indicating the common name of … [Read more...]
