In recent years, some third parties have filed trademark filings in bad faith by taking advantage of the “unregistered status” of other persons’ trademarks and registering them as their own. These so-called “bad faith trademark filings” have become a serious problem that is common around the world.

 Also, the issues surrounding bad faith trademark filings have become main concerns of the legal community and the industrial sector in the world.

 Based on this, the Japan Patent Office (JPO) is holding a seminar on bad faith trademark filings. At the seminar, the JPO will give an update on the latest efforts being conducted to respond to the problem of bad faith trademark filings in the U.S, Europe, Korea, China, Japan, etc. In addition to this, the seminar is being held also in order to provide an opportunity for working level staff members from each office to discuss these issues with each other.

 Also, at the seminar, after the keynote speech is given, the JPO plans to have members from each office make presentations on their respective systems, examination practices, and measures designed to deal with bad faith trademark applications; and then hold a panel discussion.

 We believe that the seminar will be a valuable opportunity for all the officials dealing with bad-faith filings to get together. This will also offer a unique opportunity for the participants to deepen their understanding and knowledge about the current status of bad-faith filings in each office. The JPO sincerely looks forward to having as many participants as possible attend the seminar.