Guide for Making Applications and Drawings for Design Registration - March 2021 JPO

Oct 23, 2026

Guide for making applications and drawings for design registration issued by the Japan Patent Office in March 2021. It explains the basic outline and typical examples for preparing required application statements and design depiction drawings, including how to describe the article, provide descriptions, assign a design number, and follow drawing standards. It also reflects updates after the 2019 Design Act revision and related guideline revisions, directing users to relevant examination and procedure guidelines for detailed requirements.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages201

Reading Time8 h 27 min

AccessFree to download

Preface

Part I Basics of How to Represent the Design in the Application

Basics of the Statement in the Application

The column of “Article to the Design”

The column of “Description of Article to the Design”

The column of “Description of Design”

The column of the “Design Number”

Basics of the Depiction in Drawings

Drawings necessary for specifying the shape, etc.

Preparing drawings by orthographic projection method

Preparing drawings by isometric and oblique projection methods

Preparing drawings for flat and thin shape, etc.

Preparing other drawings

Guide for Making Applications and Drawings for Design Registration (Provisional translation) March 2021 Japan Patent Office Preface When filing an application for design registration, the applicant needs to submit an application stating necessary matters as well as drawings, etc. representing the design for which the design registration is requested , according to laws and regulations. The Japan Patent Office (JPO) released guidelines in 1991 explaining how to make such applications and drawings, etc. and in 2008, the guidelines were consolidated into a handbook and published as the “Guide for Making Applications and Drawings for Design Registration.” The JPO has since reviewed and enhanced the contents of the Guide in response to the partial revision of the Examination Guidelines for Design in 2016, the partial revision of the Examination Guidelines for Design in 2017, and the partial revision of the Examination Guidelines for Design in 2019. As a result of buildings and graphic images being recently added to subject to protection following revision of the Design Act in 2019, new statements corresponding to those revisions have been added and related statements have been reviewed. In addition, as a consequence of the recent revision, the JPO has published “Examples of the Article, etc. to the Design” as an appendix to this Guide to serve as a guideline for making statements in applications when filing an application. This Guide has been designed to describe a basic outline and typical examples of how to prepare applications and drawings for design registration, but not to mandate that applications and drawings, etc. be made exactly as described in this Guide. For details on requirements for registration, please see the “Examination Guidelines for Design,” and for the prescribed forms, etc. required for the procedures, please see the “Guidelines for the Procedures of Filing an Application for Design Registration.” We hope that this Guide will be of help in preparing applications and drawings, etc. when filing an application for design registration. March 2021 Design Examination Standards Office, Design Division, Patent and Design Examination Department (Physics, Optics, Social Infrastructure and Design), Japan Patent Office Part I Basics of How to Represent the Design in the Application ............. 1 1. Basics of the Statement in the Application........................................2 1.1 The column of “Article to the Design”....................................... 2 (1) The article to the design, the usage of the building or graphic image to the design.....................................................................2 (2) Examples of statements where a design registration for a design for a set of articles is requested .......................................4 (3) Examples of statements where a design registration for an interior design is requested .........................................................4 (4) Examples of statements in the column of “Article to the Design”....................................................................................... 5 1.2 The column of “Description of Article to the Design”................. 9 (1) Where the purpose of use or state of use, etc. of the article, building or graphic image is unclear from statements in the column of “Article to the Design” alone........................................9 (2) In the case of an article, etc. exemplified under “Articles, etc. to the Design” in “Examples of the Article, etc. to the Design”.....9 (3) Points to be noted in making a statement ............................ 10 1.3 The column of “Description of Design”................................... 10 (1) Matters to be stated ............................................................. 10 (2) Points to be noted in making a statement ............................ 11 1.4 The column of the “Design Number” .........................

FAQs

What must an applicant submit when filing a design registration application?

The applicant needs to submit an application with the necessary matters and drawings (and related items) representing the design for which protection is requested, in accordance with applicable laws and regulations.

How does the guide position itself relative to mandatory preparation requirements?

The guide provides a basic outline and typical examples for preparing applications and drawings, but it does not require that applications and drawings be made exactly as described.

Which sources does the guide refer to for detailed requirements and prescribed forms?

For registration requirement details, it points to the “Examination Guidelines for Design.” For prescribed forms required for procedures, it points to the “Guidelines for the Procedures of Filing an Application for Design Registration.”

Oct 23, 2026

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