The Japan Patent Office released its 2019 Annual Report (in Japanese only) on July 12, 2019, which contain informative figures and statistics relating to IP applications in Japan and on all other activities of the JPO.

Trademark Applications in Japan

The number of trademark applications in Japan has increased recent years.
In 2018, 184,483 trademark applications were filed to the JPO. TM application via Madrid Protocol increased to 17,802 by 2.7% compared to the previous year. Direct application decreased to 166,681 by 4 %.

Timeline for Trademark Registration

Due to the recent increase, timeline for trademark prosecution, i.e., the average time between filing and first office action, was getting longer for the last four years in a row. Trademark Average First Action Pendency was 6.3 months in 2017. In the meantime, the pendency in 2018 exceeded 7.9 months on average. Accordingly, the average total pendency period for trademark registration was 9.3 months in 2018.

Application to JPO by Foreign Company/ Non-resident

39,209 trademark applications, which account for 21.3% of the total, were filed by foreign company or non-resident in 2018. The number was increased by 8.4% since last year.

The statistic shows Europe was leading the ranking with about 10,000 trademark applications in 2017. In 2018, China took the leading place eventually.

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