What type of mark is registrable in Japan?

What type of trademark is registrable in Japan?

From 1 April 2015, the below-indicated types of trademark are registrable in Japan.

1. Characters
2. Figures
3. Signs
4. Three-dimensional shapes
5. Color (itself)   – New Type
6. Any combination of the above elements
7. Sounds   – New Type
8. Moving marks   – New Type
9. Hologram marks   – New Type
10. Position marks   – New Type

Is it easy to register new type trademarks?

In my opinion, it is not easy to obtain a meaningful registration of new type trademark.

That’s because:

1. Color marks and sound marks (consisting of music only) are required to obtain so-called “secondary meaning” to be registered in principle;
2. It is not difficult to register moving marks, hologram marks and position marks if they include a distinctive mark.  In such case, however, we can register the distinctive mark as a traditional type mark, namely characters, figures, signs and three-dimensional shapes too;
3. If they do not include any distinctive marks, they are required to obtain “secondary meaning” to be registered in principle.