JPO Participates in the Annual Meeting of the Five Trademark Offices (TM5)

November 18, 2025

The Japan Patent Office (JPO) participated in the Annual Meeting of the Five Trademark Offices (TM5)*¹, which was held from October 27 - October 29, 2025, in Alexandria, Virginia in the United States.

During the meeting, member offices discussed the progress and objectives of the 11 cooperation projects which are presently being promoted by TM5 to enhance cooperation among the five offices in trademark systems and operations. In addition, it was agreed to adopt one new project.

Regarding the "TM5 User Involvement Project*²", which is one of the three projects led by the JPO, it was agreed to hold a TM5/INTA Joint Workshop on the theme of "Comparison of Composite Marks in a Likelihood of Confusion Analysis" during the International Trademark Association (INTA) Annual Meeting, which is scheduled to be held in London next May.

Furthermore, regarding the "Bad Faith Trademark Project*³", TM5 Offices agreed to hold a workshop on countermeasures against bad faith trademark applications for the staff of the Thai IP Office in February of next year.

Regarding the "IT Support for Trademark Examination Project*⁴", the TM5 Offices additionally agreed to hold an expert meeting next year in order for its member offices to better understand the latest trends in IT tools, including AI.

The TM5 Offices also agreed to adopt the project newly proposed by CNIPA titled "User Guide to TM5 Trademark Application Information".
The TM5 User Session for user representatives from industry groups and agent organizations was held alongside the meeting. In addition to reports from the TM5 Offices on the latest measures, user representatives also gave presentations, held discussions and exchanged opinions regarding the topic of "trademarks that may cause confusion regarding the quality of goods or services" and "trademarks that include person's name(s)" .

The JPO will continue to help promote the protection and utilization of trademark rights through the efforts of TM5.

• *1: The TM5 meeting is held annually, and comprises the five major trademark offices of the Japan Patent Office (JPO), the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO), the China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA), and the Ministry of Intellectual Property (MOIP). The meetings are hosted on a rotating basis, with the USPTO hosting this year. The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) additionally participates as an observer.
• *2: The JPO leads the TM5 joint workshops in cooperation with the INTA to disseminate information to users.
• *3: The TM5 Offices aim to exchange information on their respective laws, regulations and operational practices regarding bad faith trademark filings, as well as to provide users with information in this regard.
• *4: The TM5 Offices aim to exchange information on IT tools/systems for the purpose of optimizing trademark examinations.

Links

• The Five Trademark Offices (TM5)
• TM5 Website "User Involvement" (External link)
• TM5 Website "Bad Faith Trademark" (External link)
• TM5 Website "IT Support for Trademark Examination" (External link)

[Last updated 18 November 2025]