A: Application documents that pass formality examination will proceed to substantive examination.
Substantive examination is an act in which an examiner of the Japan Intellectual Property Office determines whether an applied application meets the trademark requirements.
The requirements for a trademark to be registered, such as “unregistered reason”, “identical or similar to other trademarks”, and “distinctivation”, are subject to examination.
If it is passed the substantive examination, a “Trademark Assessment Notice” will be mailed to the applicant.
Conversely, if the examiner determines that the registration requirements are not met, they will mail a “Notification of Rejection”.