Following the publication of the Specified Complex Tourist Facilities Areas Development law (so called "Casino Law") in Japan, on July 27, 2018, the provision of casino facilities will be permitted after the enforcement (within 3 years from the date of publication) of the law. In this regard, the Japan Patent Office has announced that it will be accepting trademark applications that include "Providing casino facilities" as the designated service.
Before the announcement, all applications designating "Providing casino facilities" as its service were rejected based on Article 6, Item 1 of the Japanese Trademark Law, due to the content of the service being unacceptable.
However, from this day onwards, the Japan Patent Office will be accepting "Providing casino (gambling) facilities" as a service in International Class 41 (Sub-group 41K01), without having to wait for the enforcement of the new examination guidelines, which is scheduled on January 1, 2019.
In consideration of the above changes, please consider obtaining trademark registrations for such services if your client is operating a business in the related field.
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SUZUYE & SUZUYE
Trademark Division
