What is the one-application-per-trademark principle?

For a trademark registration application, you must designate one or two or more goods on which the trademark will be used within the classification of goods prescribed by the ordinance of the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Energy, and file an application for each trademark. This is called the one-application-per-trademark principle, which means that filing two or more trademarks simultaneously in a single application is not permitted. To file two or more trademarks, you must submit a separate trademark registration application for each (Article 10 of the Trademark Act). The one-application-per-trademark principle is a basic principle that applies to new trademark registration applications, applications for additional registration of designated goods, and applications for renewal registration of the term of a trademark right.

Under the "1997 amended Trademark Act," effective March 1, 1998, the one-trademark/one-class/one-application system was abolished and the one-trademark/multi-class/one-application system was adopted. As a result, while an application is still filed for each trademark, it became possible to file an application designating both goods and services at the same time.