[Design] IP High Court, Case No. 2024 (Ne) 10086

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Article information

Article type: Case note

Display and classification checked: 2026-09-30

Categories: Designs

Topics: Similarity of designs

Published on this website: 2026-09-29

[Design] IP High Court, Case No. 2024 (Ne) 10086

[Storage container] (Presiding Judge Hibiki Shimizu)

*Not similar (the design right holder lost on reversal).

<Identification of the essential portion>

Viewed individually, each configuration of the plaintiff's design exists in known designs. However, no known design possessing all of them is found, so novel creativity is recognized in the unified aesthetic impression produced by their combination.

<Evaluation of the difference: whether the upper edge is curved or a horizontal straight line>

Consumers also use storage containers as part of their interior furnishings and attach importance to their appearance viewed obliquely from above.

From that viewpoint, the curved shape of the upper edge is, if anything, easy to recognize.

The upper edge strongly attracts consumers' attention as a part showing the external characteristics of a "container," and greatly affects the aesthetic impression.

The plaintiff's design gives a natural, soft impression overall through its curved upper edge, whereas the defendant's design, with a horizontal straight upper edge, is partly flat and produces a different aesthetic impression.

https://lnkd.in/gATHH8Pj

https://lnkd.in/gyjxS4mW

hanrei-pdf-94249.pdf — courts.go.jp

Originally posted on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7510137786583347200/

Related articles

Shared topic: Similarity of designs — [Article / Designs] The boundary of similarity assessment between partial and whole designs (Design Committee, Patent, April 2025)

Shared topic: Similarity of designs — [Design] IP High Court, Case No. 2024 (Gyo-ke) 10108

Shared topic: essential design features and similarity — [Case note] [Designs] Osaka District Court, Reiwa 5 (Wa) 10125, “Container for a liquid soap dispenser” <Presiding Judge Matsuami>

Updates and corrections

This log starts on 30 September 2026. Display and classification checks are distinct from a review of the legal analysis.

2026-09-30 — Presentation update: added the article type, this change log and a link to consultation options. The existing article text was preserved.

2026-10-01 | Related articles: added reciprocal links with shared-topic or comparative grounds; original text unchanged.

2026-10-01 | Name notation: replaced verified Japanese-script personal names with Roman-letter forms in this English article and its navigation. Legal analysis and original publication date unchanged.

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