Japanese Intellectual Property, Patent and Trademark Law Firm in Japan

Japan Patent Office (JPO) has published a guidebook "Your Key to Success: for Obtaining a Design Right in Japan," for overseas users of the design registration system, in English, Chinese and Japanese.

This guide was made for overseas users who are not very familiar with the Japanese design registration system. The guide explains, in particular, the characteristics of Japanese design registration system, recent amendments to the Design law, and the points in the Japanese design application procedure that overseas users are likely to misunderstand, citing some actual registration cases and hypothetical cases.

Following the publication of the English version in January 2024, JPO published the Chinese and Japanese versions this November.

English version (PDF) is available here:

Chinese version (PDF) is available here:

Japanese version (PDF) is available here:

We hope that the guide will be of your help in consideration of a design application in Japan. If you need further information, please let us know.