Trademarks & Designs
History
SUZUYE & SUZUYE, in the founding year of 1910, started with operations for trademarks. Now the scale of our trademark handling is one of the largest among patent firms, serving clients from various industries such as high-tech companies, banking corporations, department stores, and retailers. In 1992 when the Service Marks Registration System was installed at the JPO, the very first service mark registration was handled by SUZUYE & SUZUYE.
Experts in Trademarks and Designs Division
Our trademarks and designs division consists of approximately 30 staff members including 7 attorneys. To meet growing needs for overseas trademark matters, 12 people specialize only in international trademarks. For design affairs, where the number of oral proceedings at the JPO as well as the number of legal actions at the domestic and overseas courts have been increasing recently, our attorneys specialized in designs have competency in dealing with various disputes. 5 attorneys are further qualified to represent specific IP litigations before the court as registered by the Japan Patent Attorney Association.
The trademarks and designs division includes a 1st trademark section for domestic clients’ JPO cases, a 2nd trademark section for overseas patent office cases, a 3rd trademark section for overseas clients’ JPO cases, and a design section for both domestic and overseas cases, covering applications, trials, infringements, litigations and other affairs.
Global Network
Amid worldwide logistics liberalization due to the relaxation of regulations, many companies are accelerating advancement onto the global markets. The recent trend of TPP, etc. has revealed the benefit of the new-type trademark registrations. We provide services for both domestic and overseas cases now; particularly for the latter, we believe that efficient achievement of protection and maintenance of clients’ rights and settlement of disputes must be backed by a strong global network based on continuing contacts and close communications with overseas representing agents.
SUZUYE & SUZUYE participates in a number of international conferences every year, frequently meeting with our overseas associates to discuss and exchange the latest and most effective strategies applicable to ongoing clients’ projects. The conferences include the annual meetings of the International Trademark Association (INTA) held in the U.S., etc., where approximately 10,000 trademark experts gather from all over the world, and the Asian Patent Attorney Association (APAA). Members of our trademarks and designs division have participated in these meetings for the last 35 years, and even enjoyed the experience of lecturing at the INTA meeting. Our attorneys’ international presence and close ties with the overseas associates are well known throughout the intellectual property community.
Disputes Handling
There are many disputes , for example, oppositions and trials at the patent office, lawsuits at the court, those accompanied by infringement notices, negotiations and licensing between interested parties, and unfair competition- or counterfeit product-related matters. Such issues are becoming more common among our clients’ overseas cases, following the acceleration in overseas businesses.
Our strong and trusting relationships which we have built with our overseas associates have led to repeated successes in overseas disputes, especially in recent years in China, South-East Asia, South America, and the Middle East. Our trademarks and designs division will continue to devote itself to providing this special advantage.
