Period of protection

Design rights are protected for 25 years from the filing date.

Scope of protection

Apart from ordinary goods, design rights can also protect images as well as the exteriors and interiors of buildings.

Examination

Designs are examined for novelty and creative difficulty. If the examiner issues reasons for refusal, you can submit a written opinion in response.

Period of examination

It takes 6.2 months on average between filing the application and receiving the first examination result.
It takes 7.0 months on average between filing the application and acquiring rights.
However, you can opt for the accelerated examination system if you have filed another application for the same design outside Japan.
In this case, you will be notified of the first examination result within three months after submitting your application.

One design per application

You can only include one design in each application.
If you wish to seek protection for several related designs, the Partial Design and Related Design Systems are effective for this purpose.

Related Design System

This allows several similar designs to be registered under the category of related designs. You can file applications for related designs up to 10 years after the application for the principle design. In addition, you can file applications for a design that is similar to the related design of the principle design, even if it is not similar to the principle design itself.