Submit trademark registration application

After you searched a lot on the database and there are quite few or no any similar registered trademarks in the classifications you plan to designate, then it’s time to submit trademark registration application.

It’s not difficult to prepare the document, if you can write Japanese.

You can find template and example of the application document, and you just need to modify it to produce your own version.

Then print the document, buy and paste Tokkyo Inshi (特許印紙) on it and send it to Japan Patent Office through post. Then it’s done!

The amount of fee to buy Tokkyo Inshi is 3400 YEN + 8600 YEN✕the amount of classifications you plan to designate.

I only want to designate 1 classification, so my fee is 3400+8600=12000 YEN. This fee is paid by buying Tokkyo Inshi (sticker) and paste the stickers on the application document.

※This is the document I produced. Only 1 page. It is posted to Japan Patent Office after Tokkyo Inshi is pasted.

No one will tell you that you can confirm document format before submission

The most important know-how I obtained in this application procedure is that actually you can get your paper document format confirmed before submitting.

As mentioned previously, if the format or writing style don’t follow the rules, your document will be rejected and you need to modify it.

Unfortunately, there are very few information on the internet that is related to the format and writing style.

I didn’t know I can do the document confirmation before submitting. I just produced the document with the template from the website of Japan Patent Office as reference. Then print and send it.

Then Japan Patent Office said there are some mistakes on the document and I have to submit modification application.

I produced the modification application and submit it, but it’s said that there are still mistakes on it.

Really a troublesome process.

In the trademark affiars, there are “Staff for trademark examination” and “Staff for application format examination“.

Staff for trademark examination check if the trademark applied can be registered or not, and staff for application format examination check the format and writing style is ok or not.

Actually, you can fax your document to the staff of application format examination in Japan Patent Office to ask them check the format and writing style before submitting.

The fax number can be found on the website of Japan Patent Office.

You can fax through convenient store if you are in Japan, or simply through online faxing service. 1 page is around 20 cents.

Before faxing, write on the document that you need them to confirm the format and you will call later. It’s also a good idea to write down your phone number, but please be noticed they don’t speak English.

Then, you can call them on the next day to confirm if you need to modify your document.

By this way, you can save lots of time in document modification and resubmitting modification applications.

The format and writing style problem happened on me

There were few problems in producing the document of application by taking the template on Japan Patent Office as reference.

The problem happened was the writing of company name and company address.

In the application document, I wrote both company name and address in alphabets.

Then, the staff of Japan Patent Office sent me a document to say that writing company name and address in alphabets is not acceptable.

So in the modification document, I wrote Katakana for company address and Katakana for company name together with Kanji “株式会社” (meaning Ltd. Co.).

※This is the modification document I wrote. The Kanji “株式会社” wasn’t accepted as well.

After being rejected twice, I called the staff in Japan Patent Office this time and the staff told me that I should just write the full name of the company, including Ltd. Co., in Katakana according to the original pronunciation.

As a result, I wrote “リミテッドオーワイ” for “Ltd. Oy” in the second modification document.

Then is was accepted this time. This whole process took me several months……

※This is the final (second) modification document which was accepted at the end. It’s as long as 2 pages, so the digitizing fee took me 2600 Yen (1 document 1200 Yen and 2 pages 1400 Yen)