Overview

Amazon sellers looking to enroll in Brand Registry for the Japanese marketplace need to provide specific trademark details from Japan's intellectual property database. Understanding how to locate and correctly enter your trademark information from the Japan Platform for Patent Information (J-PlatPat) is essential for a smooth enrollment process, as formatting errors or incorrect details can lead to application delays or rejections.

Key Points / What Sellers Need to Know

• Use J-PlatPat for trademark lookup - Japan's official trademark database, J-PlatPat, is where you'll find the registration details Amazon requires during the Brand Registry enrollment process.
• Trademark synchronization takes time - After filing a trademark in Japan, it can take one to two weeks for the record to appear in J-PlatPat and synchronize with Amazon's system.
• Special characters require careful handling - Japanese trademarks may contain diacritical marks or undefined characters that need specific treatment when entering your trademark name into the application.
• Both registered and pending trademarks qualify - Amazon accepts Japanese trademarks that are either fully registered or pending registration through the Japan Patent Office (JPO).
• Only word marks and design marks are accepted for initial enrollment - Other trademark types can be added to your account after you have completed your initial Brand Registry enrollment.

How to Search for Your Trademark on J-PlatPat

To begin the enrollment process, sellers must navigate to J-PlatPat and search for their trademark using the platform's search functionality. You can search by trademark name, registration number, or other identifying information. Once you locate your trademark in the search results, click on it to view the full record. Pay close attention to the trademark name displayed next to the search field, as this is what you will need to enter in your Brand Registry application. The name must match the official record exactly, so review the details carefully before proceeding.

Entering Your Trademark Name Correctly

One of the most common pitfalls in the enrollment process is incorrectly entering the trademark name. If your trademark contains diacritical marks or special alphabet characters, you must include them exactly as they appear in the image shown under the (540) section of the J-PlatPat record. However, if undefined symbols appear next to the search name, these should be omitted from your application entry. Additionally, certain symbols should never be included when entering your trademark name. If your trademark name appears in standard format, exact spacing may not be required, but names in specific Japanese character formats must be entered with precise spacing as shown on J-PlatPat.