Patent and trademark fees in Japan will increase, effective next April

However, sellers need to pay attention. Japan recently passed some amendments to the Patent Law, which will comprehensively increase the fees for Japanese trademark registration, renewal, patent annual fees , etc. The new fees will take effect on April 1, 2022.

Japan said that in recent years , due to too many people applying for patents and trademarks overseas, the examination burden has increased, which has also spawned a lot of expenses. In addition, the investment costs of large-scale transformation of information systems and government office buildings have also continued to increase. Affected by these factors, the patent and trademark account has been in a loss every year since 2014, and the financial situation is relatively tight. This adjustment of fees is to maintain the quality of examination and improve the speed of examination.

The following are the specific adjustments. If you want to view the details, you can also log on to the Japan Patent Office website ( https://www.jpo.go.jp/news/public/iken/210716_ryokin_minaoshi.html)

The focus of this adjustment is on trademarks. The basic application fees remain unchanged. For those who can complete the trademark application and registration fee payment on April 1, 2022, the official fee increase will not have much impact. Sellers who need to register Japanese trademarks can plan as early as possible.

The information required to register a trademark in Japan mainly includes the trademark applicant and the trademark itself. The trademark applicant can be a legal person or a natural person. The legal person needs to submit a copy of the business license, and the natural person needs to submit a copy of the ID card or passport. At the same time, you need to fill in the applicant form, including the applicant's name, address and nationality. The trademark itself related information includes the Chinese (foreign) name of the trademark, a clear trademark pattern (color trademarks need to specify the color), and the category of goods or services used by the trademark.

After finishing the arrangement, the seller can submit the application to the Japan Patent and Trademark Office. After acceptance, the Japan Patent and Trademark Office will conduct an examination, which takes 2-4 months. After passing the examination, it will enter a 60-day announcement period. From application to issuance of the registration certificate, it takes 8-15 months if everything goes well. If there are problems, the time may be longer.

It is worth noting that after April 1, 2022, although the trademark application fee remains unchanged, the fees for trademark registration and renewal will all increase. In other words, even if the seller's Japanese trademark application is earlier than April 1, 2022, but the registration and renewal procedures are completed after that date, they must be paid according to the new standards, and the same applies to the annual fee for patents.

Japan

Patents and Trademarks

Cross-border