[Trademarks] Cases Finding Similarity Despite Reordered Kanji
Updated: 6h
Article information
Article type: Case note
Category: Trademarks
Topics: —
First published on this website: 2026-11-01
Display and classification checked: November 2, 2026
Originally published on Ameblo: 2025-07-07 (Japan time). Full English translation.
[Trademarks] Cases Finding Similarity Despite Reordered Kanji
Supreme Court, 1991 (O) 1805: “Tree–Grove–Forest” (three kanji) ≒ “Great Forest”
IP High Court, 2009 (Gyo-Ke) 10071: “Skin–Gentle” ≒ “Gentle–Skin” (the same two kanji in reverse order)
The emphasis was on concept, rather than pronunciation.
A judicial decision holding that conceptual similarity should be assessed on the basis of the concept that naturally arises in light of customary practices in the field of the designated goods is the IP High Court's decision in 2014 (Gyo-Ke) 10180, the “Hakko Genmai Saishoku GABA” (Fermented Brown Rice Vegetable Diet GABA) Case.
Translator’s notes (editorial)
Japanese marks are represented by English character glosses and, for the Fermented Brown Rice Vegetable Diet GABA mark, romanization; their exact original forms remain in source_title_ja, source_text_ja and source_body_html_ja. The source does not supply readings.
Update history
The first-published date remains unchanged. Display maintenance, classification changes, related-article updates, and text corrections are recorded separately.
November 1, 2026: First published on this website.
November 2, 2026: Added article information, classification, topics, language navigation, related articles where the same case was confirmed, consultation guidance, and SEO. The original text and first-published date were preserved.
Comments