JPO Participates in the 146th Annual Meeting of the International Trademark Association (INTA)

June 5,2024

The Japan Patent Office (JPO) participated in the 146th Annual Meeting of the International Trademark Association (INTA)^*1, which was held from May 18 to 22 in Atlanta, Georgia in the United States. The meeting is one of the largest global trademark events bringing together intellectual property experts from across the globe, and this year’s meeting attracted almost 10,000 registrants.

In the framework of the Five Trademark Offices (TM5), which includes Japan, the United States, Europe, China, and Korea, the JPO hosted a session on May 19 for users such as industry associations and agent associations, wherein TM5 offices introduced their latest developments. On May 20, as part of the TM5 project^*2 led by the JPO, a workshop was held on the theme of “How to determine the likelihood of confusion at the examination stage,” and presentations were given by the TM5 offices.

Mr. YAMASHITA, Director-General of the Trademark and Customer Relations Department, also spoke at the session titled “Updates by IP Offices from the Asia Pacific”, which was hosted by INTA. There he presented the latest JPO developments, including efforts to improve the efficiency of trademark examinations and quality management.

Furthermore, a panel discussion on anti-counterfeiting measures was held on May 21 with representatives from Amazon and Starbucks, wherein current anti-counterfeiting measures in Japan were introduced along with concerns raised by the industry.

In addition, the JPO’s anti-counterfeiting booth held an exhibition throughout the event, wherein we introduced cross-sectoral anti-counterfeiting measures of Japan’s government offices and private sector. We also provided panel displays to establish new connections with anti-counterfeiting professionals from around the world. A record number of approximately 1,900 people visited the booth, among whom many compared genuine and counterfeit products. In addition, numerous anti-counterfeiting experts from various countries offered to cooperate with the JPO.

The JPO will continue to participate actively in international public-private sector exchange events to promote our policies and systems, and will continue striving to create an environment that facilitates the appropriate protection and utilization of Japanese companies’ intellectual properties overseas.

^*1 International Trademark Association (INTA): An association in 181 countries consisting of more than 6,400 organizations, including government agencies, educational institutions, and corporations, along with approximately 36,000 professionals.

^*2 The JPO is leading the TM5/INTA joint workshop in cooperation with INTA to disseminate information to users.

Related pages on the TM5 website

Opening remarks by Mr. YAMASHITA(far left), Director-General of the Trademark and Customer Relations Department, at the TM5 User Session

TM5/INTA Joint Workshop

Mr. YAMASHITA, Director-General (far right), during the Asia-Pacific IP Office updates session

Anti-counterfeiting panel discussion

The JPO anti-counterfeiting booth, which attracted many IP professionals

[Last updated 5 June 2024]