Necessary data for filing TM application

To prepare and file a trademark application in Japan, please provide us with the following information and materials.
Additional information or documents may be required depending on the type of trademark and the circumstances of the application.

Basic Information and Materials

1. Applicant's Information

Please provide the following information for each applicant:

• Full legal name of the applicant (company or individual);
• Full address (registered/head office address in the case of a company); and
• Nationality or country of incorporation.

If there is more than one applicant, please provide the above information for each applicant.

2. Information about the Trademark

Please provide the exact trademark for which registration is sought.

Word Mark
For a mark consisting of words or letters, please provide the exact spelling, capitalization, punctuation and other characters to be registered.
If appropriate, the mark may be filed in standard characters.

Logo, Device or Composite Mark
For a stylized word mark, logo, device mark or a combination of words and devices, please provide clear image data showing the exact form of the mark to be registered, including its colors where applicable.

For online filing with the Japan Patent Office (JPO), the following image formats are generally used:

• Color or shaded images: JPEG (full color/RGB), 200 dpi, within 1181 × 1181 pixels.
• Monochrome images: PNG, GIF or BMP, 400 dpi, within 2362 × 2362 pixels.

If the trademark contains words or characters in a language other than Japanese or English, please also provide their pronunciation or transliteration and their meaning in English, if available.

3. Goods and/or Services

Please specify the goods and/or services for which you actually use, or intend to use, the trademark in Japan as precisely as possible.
The goods and services will be classified according to the Nice Classification.

The following databases may be useful when selecting descriptions of goods and services:

• Nice Classification
• TM5 ID List
• WIPO Madrid Goods & Services Manager

If the goods or services for which you wish to obtain protection are not adequately represented in these lists, please provide us with a specific description of the actual goods or services.
We will review the classification and wording for filing in Japan.

It is important to identify the necessary goods and services before filing.
After filing, the scope of the designated goods and services may be restricted, but new goods or services falling outside the scope of the original application cannot generally be added by amendment.

4. Contact Information

Please provide:

• E-mail address;
• Postal address, if different from the applicant's address or if original documents need to be sent;
• Telephone number; and/or
• Fax number, if applicable.

Additional Information for Special Cases

5. Application Claiming Priority

If priority based on an earlier trademark application filed outside Japan is to be claimed, please provide:

• Country, region or intellectual property office of the first application;
• Filing date of the first application;
• Application number;
• A copy of the first application, if available; and
• DAS access code or priority document, where applicable.

The Paris Convention priority period for a trademark application is generally six months from the filing date of the first application.
Please therefore inform us of any priority claim as early as possible.

6. Three-Dimensional and Other Non-Traditional Trademarks

Japan also provides protection for three-dimensional trademarks and certain non-traditional trademarks.
If your application concerns any of the following, please inform us before filing:

• Three-dimensional trademark;
• Motion trademark;
• Hologram trademark;
• Color per se trademark;
• Sound trademark; or
• Position trademark.

Additional representations, descriptions, image data, sound data or other materials may be required depending on the type of trademark.
We will advise you of the necessary materials after reviewing the trademark.

7. Collective or Regional Collective Trademark

If the application is intended to be filed as a collective trademark or a regional collective trademark, please inform us in advance.
Additional information and documents concerning the applicant's eligibility and the nature or use of the mark may be required.

8. Use or Intention to Use the Trademark

Unlike some jurisdictions, Japan does not generally require a specimen or other evidence of actual use of the trademark when an ordinary trademark application is filed.

However, the trademark must be used or intended to be used in connection with the designated goods or services.
If the scope of the designated goods or services is particularly broad or the JPO otherwise has reasonable doubt concerning the applicant's use or intention to use the trademark, the JPO may request an explanation or supporting documents.

In such a case, we may ask you to provide information or materials showing your current business or concrete plans to use the trademark, such as webpages, catalogues, brochures, business plans or other relevant documents.

9. Accelerated Examination, if Required

Accelerated examination may be available if you wish to obtain an examination result earlier and the applicable requirements are satisfied.

Supporting information or evidence showing actual use or preparations for use of the trademark may be required. In the case where urgency is relied upon, information or evidence showing the reason for the urgent need may also be required.

According to the JPO, when accelerated examination is accepted, the average period from the request for accelerated examination to the first examination result is approximately two months, which is substantially shorter than under ordinary examination.
Please note that this is an average period and does not guarantee that an examination result will be issued within two months in every case.

If early examination is important for your business, please let us know before or after filing so that we can consider whether your application is eligible for accelerated examination and advise you of the necessary supporting materials.