Author: kazu

Episode 14 Even if a trademark or design is not registered, it is possible to seek an injunction or damages for infringement under the Unfair Competition Prevention Act. However, while the hurdle for proving the requirements for an injunction or damages under the Unfair Competition Prevention Act is high, the existence of a trademark right…

Episode 13 There is a debate about whether or not applied art should be subject to overlapping application of design rights and copyright. The conventional view was that for applied art to be protected as a work of authorship, it was not enough for the expression to be recognized as creative, but that it also…

Episode 12 In Episode 11, we explained about designs based on functional beauty. In this case, if an item that is the subject of a design registration focuses on its function, it becomes the subject of a utility model registration. In the United States, both designs and utility models are incorporated into the patent system…

Episode 11 The Design Law stipulates “In this law, ‘design’ refers to the shape of an object, the shape of a building or a picture that evokes a feeling of beauty through the visual sense.” (Article 2, paragraph 1 of the same law) .What is this “sense of beauty”? First, there is the traditional decorative…