The Japan Patent Office issued its final call on September 24th to deny the trademark application for the design of the clothes worn in the main character, Tanjiro kamado, in Demon Slayer Kimetsu no Yaiba.
A “Notice of Reasons For Refusal” was issued by the JPO stating that Tanjiro’s haori pattern is “a type of so-called checkered pattern”.
Shueisha submitted a written opinion to the court on July 6.
They asked for approval of the trademark registration as it doesn’t correspond to a “decorative ground motif” since “the components include squares, but also rectangles”, and are “surrounded by a dark border”.
On September 17, however, the JPO issued a “decision to refuse” stating “The black line is difficult to recognize at first glance due to the absence of margins on the outside.”
Nezuko Agatsuma designs are also considered “only decorative backgrounds patterns”, making them difficult to differentiate from other products.
All three patterns were therefore rejected because they were “decorative geometries” which are similar to historical designs.
The office confirmed that only three of six designs passed the bar, and the rest were on probation.
These three designs were based on Tomioka Gyuu, Shinobu Kochouou and Rengoku Kyojuro.