Any request for territorial extension to Japan under the Protocol Relating to the Madrid Agreement Concerning the International Registration of Marks shall be deemed to be an application for trademark registration filed on the date of international registration or subsequent designation under the Japanese Trademark Act. Therefore, the request shall be examined by the Japan Patent Office (JPO) in the same way as a national application is examined. If the request falls under any reasons for refusal under the Act, the JPO will issue a total provisional refusal.

For the benefit of holders of International Registrations, the JPO provides the following information regarding the most commonly issued grounds of provisional refusals, how to respond to them and the unique procedures when designating Japan.

Indications of goods and services

The JPO is unable to accept the indication of goods and services if its scope is considered to be too vague in Japan, even if the said indication is registered in the International Register or included in the alphabetical list of goods and services of the NICE Classification. You can search acceptable indications of goods and services in Japan by following tools.

Indications of goods and services appearing in the class headings of LIST OF CLASSES OF GOODS AND SERVICES WITH EXPLANATORY NOTES under the NICE Agreement (NCL(10-2015))

The JPO is unable to accept the indications of goods and services in the left column of the following table because the scope of the indication of goods and services is considered to be too vague. The indications of goods and services listed in the right column of the following table are examples of acceptable indications in Japan.

Class	Unacceptable indications of the class headings	Examples of acceptable indications of goods and services;
1	Chemicals used in industry, science and photography, as well as in agriculture, horticulture and forestry;	Chemicals used in industry; chemical preparations for scientific purposes (other than for medical or veterinary use); chemical preparations for use in photography; agricultural chemicals, except fungicides, weedkillers, herbicides, insecticides and parasiticides; horticulture chemicals, except fungicides, herbicides, insecticides and parasiticides; chemicals for forestry, except fungicides, herbicides, insecticides and parasiticides;
6	Ironmongery, small items of metal hardware;	Bolts of metal; bottle caps of metal; boxes of common metal; buckles of common metal [hardware]; chests of metal; junctions of metal for pipes; keys; statuettes of common metal;
6	Goods of common metal not included in other classes;	Pipes of metal; metal materials for building or construction; metal joinery fittings; safes; hardware of metal, small; prefabricated building assembly kits of metal; reservoirs of metal; industrial packaging containers of metal;
7	Machines and machine tools;	Metalworking machines and tools; construction machines and apparatus; textile machines and apparatus; food or beverage processing machines and apparatus; printing or bookbinding machines and apparatus; agricultural machines and implements; packaging or wrapping machines and apparatus;
9	Scientific, nautical, surveying, photographic, cinematographic, optical, weighing, measuring, signalling, checking (supervision), life-saving and teaching apparatus and instruments;	Apparatus and instruments for scientific research in laboratories; nautical, surveying, photographic, cinematographic, optical, and weighing apparatus and instruments; measuring apparatus; luminous or mechanical signals; electric monitoring apparatus; life-saving apparatus and equipment; teaching apparatus;
12	Vehicles;	Aircraft; automobiles; bicycles; motorcycles: rolling stock for railways; ships;
12	Apparatus for locomotion by land, air or water;	Aircraft; automobiles; bicycles; motorcycles:rolling stock for railways; ships;
14	Precious metals and their alloys and goods in precious metals or coated therewith, not included in other classes;	Precious metals, unwrought or semi-wrought; key rings [trinkets or fobs] of precious metal; statues of precious metal; jewellery cases [caskets or boxes] of precious metal; boxes of precious metal; ornaments [jewellery, jewelry (Am.)]; shoe ornaments of precious metal;
16	Paper, cardboard and goods made from these materials, not included in other classes;	Paper, boxes of paper, table cloths of paper, table napkins of paper, cardboard and cardboard articles;
17	Rubber, gutta-percha, gum, asbestos, mica and goods made from these materials and not included in other classes;	Raw or semi-worked rubber; gutta-percha; raw or partly processed gum; asbestos; raw or partly processed mica;
17	Packing, stopping and insulating materials;	Packing [cushioning, stuffing] materials of rubber or plastics; cotton wool for packing [caulking]; pipes (Joint packings for -); stops of rubber; stoppers (Rubber -); insulators; asbestos packing;
18	Leather and imitations of leather, and goods made of these materials and not included in other classes;	Leather, unworked or semi-worked; imitation leather; stirrup leathers; girths of leather; chin straps, of leather; bags [envelopes, pouches] of leather, for packaging; leather leads; leather bags; tool bags of leather, empty;
20	Goods (not included in other classes) of wood, cork, reed, cane, wicker, horn, bone, ivory, whalebone, shell, amber, mother-of-pearl, meerschaum and substitutes for all these materials, or of plastics;	Furniture made from wood or substitutes for wood; corks; screens of reed or substitutes for reed; chairs of cane and wicker or substitutes therefor; statuettes of wood, wax, plaster or plastic; boxes of plastic; packing boxes and containers made of plastic; plastic and wooden sculptures;
24	Textiles and textile goods, not included in other classes;	Fabrics; household linen; sheets [textile]; table napkins of textile; table linen [textile]; tapestry [wall hangings], of textile;
31	Grains and agricultural, horticultural and forestry products not included in other classes;	Barley; grains (cereals); seeds; natural flowers; plants; seedlings; trees; fresh vegetables; fresh fruits;
36	Financial affairs;	Financial consultancy; financial evaluation [insurance, banking, real estate]; financial management;
36	Monetary affairs;	Capital investment; exchange money; fund investment; securities brokerage; stocks and bonds brokerage;
37	Repair;	Repair of automobiles; repair of medical machines and apparatus; repair of metalworking machines and apparatus; repair of office machines and apparatus; repair of telecommunication machines and apparatus; repair of computers;
40	Treatment of materials;	Cloth treating; leather staining; metal treating; water treating;
41	Sporting and cultural activities;	Sporting activities; organization of exhibitions for cultural or educational purposes;
42	Scientific and technological services and research and design relating thereto;	Scientific and technological research and development; computer software design; industrial design;
45	Personal and social services rendered by others to meet the needs of individuals;	Clothing rental; crematorium services; detective agencies; marriage agencies;

 

Trademark System for Retail and Wholesale Services in Japan

The trademarks for so-called “retail or wholesale services” can be protected in Japan, providing that the date of international registration or subsequent designation is on or after April 1, 2007. Please refer to the “Notice regarding Trademark System for Retail and Wholesale Services” on the JPO Website at Notice regarding Trademark System for Retail and Wholesale Services

 

Principal paragraph of Article 3 (1) under the Japanese Trademark Act prohibiting registration of trademarks that will not be used

A trademark which falls within the category of trademarks registrable under the Trademark Act is a trademark which is used now or which is intended to be used in the near future. The veracity of use or intention of use of the trademark in regard to all the designated goods and services is doubted if the range of the goods and services listed in one class is too wide. Therefore, such an application does not conform to the requirements as provided in the principal paragraph of Section 3(1) of the Trademark Act.

This practice applies to international registrations which are registered or subsequently designated on or after April 1, 2007.

Please see the JPO Website at http://www.jpo.go.jp/tetuzuki_e/t_tokkyo_e/pdf/tt1303-061_3_6.pdf(PDF:139KB) for the examination guideline corresponding to the Principal Paragraph of Article 3 (1) of the Trademark Act.

Amendment or Limitation of goods and services to respond to the NOTIFICATION OF PROVISIONAL REFUSAL

Holders of an international registration who seek to overcome the grounds for provisional refusals by limiting/amending the list of goods and services have two options indicated below.

(i) Filing a request for an amendment with the JPO

The request for an amendment of the list of goods and services is a formal procedure according to Article 68-28 of the Japanese Trademark Act. The JPO does not require a payment of fees to file a request for an amendment. The list of goods and services may be amended by filing a written request for amendment with the JPO. The request must be presented to the JPO through the intermediary of a representative domiciled in Japan within three months from the date of pronouncement of the NOTIFICATION OF PROVISIONAL REFUSAL. Please consult your attorney in Japan for details since the procedures and the format for requesting an amendment must be in the Japanese language only.

Please note that the request for an amendment of the list of goods and services cannot be submitted directly to the JPO via fax or e-mail.

(ii) Filing a request for a limitation with WIPO

The request for a limitation of the list of goods and services is a formal procedure according to Rule 25 of the Common Regulations under the Madrid Agreement Concerning the International Registration of Marks and the Protocol Relating to that Agreement. The list of goods and services may be limited by presenting a written request for limitation with the prescribed fee to WIPO. Please note that the request must be filed with WIPO directly using the official form (MM6).

A limitation shall have effect when it is registered in the International Register. The limitation recorded in the International Register is effective in respect of the designation of Japan as long as the case is pending before the JPO. A case is considered to be pending before the JPO:(a) not only the period of three months from the date of pronouncement of the NOTIFICATION OF PROVISIONAL REFUSAL but also until the pronouncement of the DECISION TO REFUSE A TRADEMARK REGISTRATION, and (b) even after the pronouncement of the DECISION TO REFUSE A TRADEMARK REGISTRATION, subject to the fact that the holder has made a request for an appeal examination to the JPO within three months from the date of pronouncement of the DECISION TO REFUSE A TRADEMARK REGISTRATION.

However, the examiners of the JPO will not be aware of the fact that a request for a limitation has been filed with WIPO until the JPO receives the notification of recording a limitation from WIPO. In such cases, it is possible that the examiners of the JPO may issue the DECISION TO REFUSE A TRADEMARK REGISTRATION or the STATEMENT OF CONFIRMATION OF PROVISIONAL REFUSAL. Therefore, in order to avoid such a situation, please inform the examiner in charge as soon as possible via fax of the fact that the holder has filed a request with WIPO. Please contact WIPO for details about the request for a limitation. Please see WIPO Web site at http://www.wipo.int/export/sites/www/madrid/en/legal_texts/pdf/common_regulations.pdf( External link ) for Rule 25 of the Common Regulations under the Madrid Agreement Concerning the International Registration of Marks and the Protocol Relating to that Agreement and http://www.wipo.int/madrid/en/forms/( External link ) for the official form for a limitation.(MM6)

Links to the Japanese Trademark Act / Examination Guidelines

(i) Trademark Act

http://www.japaneselawtranslation.go.jp/law/detail_main?vm=&id=45

(ii) Examination Guidelines for Trademarks

http://www.jpo.go.jp/tetuzuki_e/t_tokkyo_e/tt1302-002.htm

(iii) The Trademark Examination Manual

http://www.jpo.go.jp/tetuzuki_e/t_tokkyo_e/1308-029.htm