Guidance on trademarks, licences, and rights in commissioned work

Coral Lantern Rise works from Nagoya on trademark filings, licence agreements, and questions of ownership that arise once creative or technical work has already been commissioned. The current question is usually answered by reference to something already registered or already published — our approach starts there.

Arrange a consultation

Archive corridor representing organised legal reference work

What this practice covers

Trademark protection, design registration, copyright in work made under commission, trade secrets, and the licence agreements that govern how any of these may be used by someone other than the original holder. Each of these rests on a distinct registration and renewal logic, and confusing one for another is a common and avoidable source of delay.

Rights index

CLASS 01

Trademarks

Names, marks, and logos used to identify goods or services in trade.

CLASS 02

Designs

The visual appearance of a product, registered separately from its function.

CLASS 03

Copyright in commissioned work

Ownership of creative or technical output made by someone engaged for the purpose.

CLASS 04

Trade secrets

Information kept confidential and protected through practical and contractual means rather than registration.

CLASS 05

Licence agreements

The terms under which any of the above may be used by another party.

Rights comparison sheet

Right	Protects	Duration	Registration required	Registered where
Trademark	Marks used in trade	10 years, renewable	Yes	Japan Patent Office
Design	Product appearance	Up to 25 years	Yes	Japan Patent Office
Copyright	Creative and technical works	Life of author plus 70 years	No	Arises automatically
Trade secret	Confidential information	As long as secrecy is kept	No	Not registered
Licence agreement	Terms of use between parties	As set by contract	No	Private agreement

How matters are handled

A consultation begins with a review of what already exists — prior filings, existing contracts, current use — before any recommendation is made.

Written summaries follow each consultation, so the reasoning behind a recommendation is available for later reference.

Where a filing or agreement is more involved than a single consultation, the scope and timing are agreed before work proceeds.

Services

Trademark Filing Consultation

A review of the classes relevant to your goods or services, with a preliminary check against marks already on file.

¥21,500

Licence Agreement Drafting

Preparation or review of a licence covering scope, territory, term, royalties, and what happens when the agreement ends.

¥28,500

Commissioned Work Rights Consultation

Clarity on who holds the rights to work you have commissioned, and what moral rights remain with the creator.

¥12,800

Getting in touch

If any of the above is relevant to a matter you are currently considering, the form below is a reasonable place to start. There is no obligation attached to sending it.