{"id":142,"date":"2026-03-22T13:06:32","date_gmt":"2026-03-22T04:06:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.madrid-system.jp\/?p=142"},"modified":"2026-03-23T00:05:56","modified_gmt":"2026-03-22T15:05:56","slug":"jpo-appeal-case-study-frush-vs-flash-similarity-refusal-overturned","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.madrid-system.jp\/?p=142","title":{"rendered":"JPO Appeal Case Study: \u201cFrush\u201d vs. \u201cFLASH\u201d \u2013 Similarity Refusal Overturned"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>This case illustrates how the Japan Patent Office (JPO) evaluates similarity when two marks share the same pronunciation but differ in spelling and meaning.<br>It demonstrates that identical pronunciation alone does not necessarily lead to a finding of similarity, particularly in technical fields.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\">\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"i-0\">1. Application Details<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Mark:<\/strong> Frush<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Application No.:<\/strong> Japanese Trademark Application <strong>No. 2023-96516<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Designated Goods:<\/strong> Optical and laser-related devices in <strong>Class 9<\/strong>, including laser light sources, optical modulators, and communication equipment.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\">\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"i-1\">2. Refusal by the JPO Examiner<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The application was refused under <strong>Article 4(1)(xi)<\/strong> of the Japanese Trademark Act (likelihood of confusion with prior registered trademarks).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The examiner cited the following earlier trademarks:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Cited Mark 1:<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Mark:<\/strong> FLASH<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Registration No.:<\/strong> <strong>4335017<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Designated Goods:<\/strong> Various goods in <strong>Class 9<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Cited Mark 2:<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Mark:<\/strong> FLASH<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Registration No.:<\/strong> <strong>5801713<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Designated Goods\/Services:<\/strong> Goods and services in <strong>Classes 9, 41, and 42<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>The examiner concluded that:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>\u201cFrush\u201d and \u201cFLASH\u201d share the same pronunciation (\u201cflash\u201d), and<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>therefore the marks are similar.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\">\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"i-2\">3. Appeal to the JPO Trial and Appeal Board<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>An appeal was filed against the refusal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Appeal No.:<\/strong> <strong>2024-15931<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>The appeal challenged the examiner\u2019s reliance on pronunciation alone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\">\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"i-3\">4. Decision of the Appeal Board<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The JPO Appeal Board <strong>reversed the refusal<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Board found that:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Although both marks share the same pronunciation (\u201cflash\u201d),<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>they differ significantly in <strong>spelling and visual appearance<\/strong> (\u201cFrush\u201d vs. \u201cFLASH\u201d).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>The Board further noted that:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The applied mark <strong>\u201cFrush\u201d<\/strong> is a coined term with <strong>no specific meaning<\/strong>,<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>while the cited mark <strong>\u201cFLASH\u201d<\/strong> has a clear meaning (\u201cflash\u201d or \u201clight\u201d).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Importantly, the Board emphasized that:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>the designated goods are <strong>highly technical products<\/strong>, and<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>relevant consumers are expected to exercise a <strong>high level of attention<\/strong> when making purchasing decisions.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Taking these factors together, the Board concluded that:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>the differences in appearance and concept outweigh the similarity in pronunciation.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\">\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"i-4\">5. Outcome<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The Board determined that the marks are <strong>not similar<\/strong>, and the refusal was set aside.<br>The trademark <strong>\u201cFrush\u201d<\/strong> was allowed to proceed toward registration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\">\n\n\n\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"i-5\">Key Point for Foreign Applicants<\/h1>\n\n\n\n<p>This case highlights an important principle in Japanese trademark practice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>1. Pronunciation alone is not decisive<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Even if two marks sound identical, they may still be considered dissimilar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>2. Visual and conceptual differences can outweigh phonetic similarity<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Differences in spelling and meaning can significantly affect the overall impression.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>3. Consumer attention level matters<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In specialized or technical fields, higher consumer attention reduces the likelihood of confusion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\">\n\n\n\n<p>\u2705 <strong>Practical takeaway<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In Japan, trademarks may be considered <strong>dissimilar despite identical pronunciation<\/strong> if:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>their <strong>visual appearance is clearly different<\/strong>,<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>their <strong>meanings differ (or one has no meaning)<\/strong>, and<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>the relevant consumers are expected to exercise a <strong>high level of attention<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-sgb-sen\">\n\n\n\n<p>The cases presented here are based on publicly available JPO decisions and are provided for informational purposes only.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>This case illustrates how the Japan Patent Office (JPO) evaluates similarity when two marks share the same pro &#8230; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-142","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-successful-cases-in-japan","7":"entry","8":"nothumb"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.madrid-system.jp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/142","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.madrid-system.jp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.madrid-system.jp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.madrid-system.jp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.madrid-system.jp\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=142"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.madrid-system.jp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/142\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":166,"href":"https:\/\/www.madrid-system.jp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/142\/revisions\/166"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.madrid-system.jp\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=142"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.madrid-system.jp\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=142"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.madrid-system.jp\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=142"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}