How to remove senior registered mark in an effective manner

How to remove trademark registration

The Japan Trademark Law provides several provisions to make trademark registrations ineffective once successfully registered.

  1. Opposition (Article 43bis)
  2. Invalidation trial (Article 46)
  3. Non-use cancellation trial (Article 50)
  4. Cancellation trial based on misleading use by registrant (Article 51)
  5. Cancellation trial based on fraudulent use by assignee of divided trademark right (Article 52bis)
  6. Cancellation trail based on misleading use by licensee (Article 53)
  7. Cancellation trial based on unauthorized registration by person concerned (Article 53bis)

Which is risk saving?

According to the statistical data released by the Japan Patent Office (JPO), it shows that non-use cancellation trial is at lowest risk in view of past success rate.

<Success rate in 2016>

  • Non-use cancellation trial: 80%
  • Invalidation trial: 47%
  • Opposition: 17%

Non-use cancellation trial

In Japan, since burden of proof to demonstrate genuine use of the disputed mark during the past three years rests just on trademark owner, non-use cancellation trial is not burdensome to claimant at all. Besides, the law does not require the claimant to have legal interest to the result of cancellation trial. It also helps to boost a preference to non-use cancellation trial.

Masaki MIKAMI, Attorney at IP Law – Founder of MARKS IP LAW FIRM